August 2018 - Brooks Dollar

Many people are not aware that there is preventative maintenance involved when it comes to water heaters. In this article I will discuss how to flush a water heater. It is important to do this at least once a year to help extend the life of your water heater. Flushing a water heater will help remove the sediment that builds up in in the bottom of the tanks. It is important to know that water heaters were designed to be housed indoors. Although I have seen a few water heaters mounted outside over the years, and it’s not recommended by any manufacturers. They usually are not covered by warranty if they are installed outdoors. Most water heaters will leak enough to destroy the burner. Some people opt to have a drain pain under the water heater to help catch that water that might rust through or leak. Just be warned that a filled water heater contains a lot of water. A little tray will not be able to contain everything if the whole water heater ruptured. An aftermarket water alarm is a handy device that will alert you if it becomes wet. They can be placed inside the drain pan to help monitor if the water heater were to start leaking.

In order to properly flush a water heater. You will need to turn off the heat source. That means you will need to turn off the gas valve or turn off the breaker if it is electric. Your water heater will ruin if you don’t turn it off before emptying it. Next step is to turn off the water fill valve on the inlet pipe. If you don’t have a shut off valve on the water inlet. Then you will need to locate a water main valve that feeds that area or the entire building. You will need to attach a garden hose to the bottom of the water tank. Make sure your hose has the proper seal to prevent leaks and is adequate in length. Direct the hose to a location that will not damage from rusty water and sediment. Open the valve on top of the hose with a screwdriver or pair of pliers.

Once the water heater has emptied. You can close the hose valve, and open the water inlet valve again. Once the water heater is filled again. Then you can light the pilot light, and let water heater resume it’s normal job. Most gas water heaters are difficult to relight once the pilot light is extinguished. It usually takes a few minutes to relight the to pilot light. If you can’t get the water heater back to normal operation or smell gas then you should stop immediately and contact a professional to assist you. I hope this article has helped explain to you what is needed to flush a water heater. Please contact us with any questions or comments at brooksdollar@gmail.com

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In this this article, I will discuss how to change your engine oil in order to keep your ride running smoothly. It is important to maintain your engine oil while running up the miles on your odometer. There are a few important things that you will need to know when replacing the engine oil.

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First thing I like to do when changing the engine oil is to gather the required materials. You can call your local auto parts store with your year, make, model, and engine size. They will be able to set you up with the proper supplies for your vehicle. You should ask the part employee to check the engine oil capacity specification if you need to know how much oil is required. Most scenarios I will opt for a deal that the store will have with 5 quarts of oil and a oil filter. They will ask you if you would like conventional or synthetic oil. Conventional oil needs to be changed more frequently due to the viscosity breaking down from engine wear and tear. Synthetic oil is changed less frequently due the fact that it does not break down from engine wear. You still need to change your synthetic oil due to the fact of it getting dirty. Once you make the change and fill your engine with synthetic oil. Then I personally would not put conventional oil back in. Some Oil brands sell a synthetic blend oil.

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If you have a vehicle that is low to the ground then you will need to jack up the vehicle to a acceptable height. I will always recommend putting a jack stand underneath the vehicle and wheel chocks for a safety perspective. You don’t want to have a mishap where the car falls on you or someone else. Next you should position the drain pan and remove the oil drain plug. Collect the oil into a container with a lid to bring back to the store. The auto parts stores usually have a used engine oil collection tank. I recommend replacing the engine oil drain plug after the oil is fully drained so you don’t forget to put it back in later. Remember to not over tighten the plug, or you will strip out the threads in the oil pan. Next you need to remove and replace the engine oil filter. I will always dip my finger in the used engine oil and pre lubricate the O Rings on the oil filter to ensure a snug fit. Only use your hand to tighten the oil filter back on to ensure you will be able to remove it next time. You are now ready to put fresh engine oil back in to your engine with a funnel. Please refer to the engine oil capacity specification that you asked the auto parts store employee to know how much oil you need to put in the engine.

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Month: August 2018

How to flush a water heater

How to change your engine oil