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Day: July 23, 2023
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5 Simple Tips to Extend the Life of Your Hot Water Heater
Are you tired of your hot water heater breaking down every few years? Are you looking for ways to extend the life of this essential appliance in your home? Look no further! In this article, we will provide you with some valuable tips and tricks to help prolong the lifespan of your hot water heater. By following these simple yet effective strategies, you can save both time and money by avoiding frequent repairs or early replacements. So, let’s dive in and discover how to keep your hot water heater running smoothly for many years to come!
How to Extend the Life of Your Hot Water Heater
Your hot water heater is one of the most expensive appliances in your home. It’s important to do everything you can to extend its lifespan.
Fortunately, there are several easy and inexpensive ways to do just that! Some are even one-time tasks. They include: insulating pipes, installing an expansion tank, examining the anode rod and getting annual maintenance.
Insulate Your Pipes
A water heater plays a vital role in your household, so it’s important to do what you can to extend its lifespan. By using the tips outlined here, including installing an expansion tank, doing regular maintenance, examining gas lines and pressure relief valves, installing a water softener, checking the anode rod, insulating pipes, and turning down the temperature, you can greatly increase your heater’s lifespan and reduce energy waste.
Pipe insulation is an easy, inexpensive way to save energy and prevent water damage. For the best results, choose pre-slit polyethylene foam pipe insulation, which can be found at most home improvement warehouses or hardware stores. Ensure that the sleeve matches your water pipes’ diameters, and then wrap it around each section of pipe. Ensure that the seam faces down, and use an acrylic black tape or tie wire to secure the insulation about every foot.
When cold water pipes are insulated, the temperature of your house stays warmer and your energy bills stay lower. This also helps prevent frozen pipes and condensation, which can lead to expensive repairs and property damage. Typically, you can insulate the first 3 feet of both hot and cold water pipe from the water heater, and the cost is relatively inexpensive.
If you have a gas water heater, remember to keep the insulation at least 6 inches from the flue. If your water heater is closer than this, consider using fiberglass pipe wrap without a facing instead. Always wear gloves when handling insulation, and use a headlamp or flashlight if working in a crawl space or dark area.
Install an Expansion Tank
An expansion tank can help protect your home from burst pipes by taking the pressure off other parts of your hot water system. This helps prevent other areas from getting overworked and corroded, extending your heater’s lifespan.
A water expansion tank is a small, cylindrical tank that’s divided into 2 sides by a rubber diaphragm. One side is connected to the hot water piping and contains water (h2O), while the other side has air under pressure and usually has a Schrader valve used for adding and checking the pressure. When the hot water expands, it pushes the pressurized air out through the valve at the top.
Water expansion tanks are especially important for water heaters with closed systems that don’t allow for backflow into the water main. Because the system has nowhere to go when it expands, frequent changes in water pressure can put a lot of stress on your water heater, leading to wear and tear that can shorten its lifespan.
To install a tank, start by finding an appropriate spot to place it. It’s important that it is located within a few feet of your water heater, and that you have an open path for the cold-water supply pipe. Next, attach a tee-fitting to the dielectric union on your water heater and then link it to the tank with copper piping. To ensure the tank gets enough pressure, use a pressure gauge to match the air pressure in the tank with the water pressure in your home. Lastly, connect the top of the tank to the tee-fitting using sweat-soldering or push-fit links. Check the connections regularly for corrosion or leaks. Ideally, you’ll also want to add a pressure relief valve to the tank so it can protect against dangerous backpressures.
Install a Water Softener
Adding a water softener to your home is a great way to extend the life of your hot water heater. Hard water creates scale build-up that clogs pipes and shortens the lifespan of appliances like coffee makers, dishwashers, and your hot water heater. A water softener filters out hard minerals and keeps your entire plumbing system clean, including the water heater itself. The best place to install a water softener is upstream of your water heater, so the water softened isn’t hitting your hot water tank.
A professional will need to install the water softener for you, but the job shouldn’t be too complicated. First, you’ll need to install a bypass valve on the water line running into your home from the outside. You’ll also need to attach a hose that carries the discharge water from your softener to a drain, tub, standpipe or sump about an inch and a half above the surface of the ground. Hose clamps will be included in the installation kit to help you secure the hose connections.
You should only soften the water you need to, so don’t connect your water softener to showers, sinks or laundry hookups. Toilets, hose bibs, basement sinks and other cold water taps don’t need to be softened.
Taking steps to improve the condition of your hot water heater will help you get more use out of it, while saving you money on energy costs and cutting down on unnecessary repairs. If you’re looking for a new water heater, make sure to choose a model that has a longer warranty and a higher construction quality to reduce the risk of costly breakdowns that could disrupt your business or household routine.
Turn Down the Temperature
The average water heater is set to 140 degrees Fahrenheit, which can be dangerous for infants, children and older adults. Not only is it a fire hazard but it also wastes energy and can cost you a lot of money. The Department of Energy recommends a temperature setting of 120 degrees. Turning your water heater down will save you money and improve your family’s safety.
Most newer electric water heaters offer a dial on the bottom that you can adjust to find the happy medium for your family. Older gas units require a few extra steps to make the adjustment. You will need to shut off power to the unit at the circuit breaker and remove the thermostat access panel. This will expose the thermostat and allow you to use a screwdriver to adjust the temperature. Once you have found the ideal temperature, turn the water, power and gas back on.
If you have a family with sensitive skin or hair, you may want to consider turning your water down even further. Hot water that is too hot evaporates, which can leave behind dry, flaky skin and brittle hair. By turning down the temperature just a few degrees, you can make your skin and hair healthier.
Lowering your water temperature takes a few minutes and will save you money for years to come. It can also extend the life of your water heater by reducing energy costs and by decreasing the amount of mineral buildup that occurs over time. If you have any questions, contact a professional plumbing service for more information and help with your home’s heating and cooling needs. They can also provide a water heater inspection to identify any issues that need to be addressed immediately.
Get an Annual Maintenance
While the average life of a water heater is eight to twelve years, neglecting maintenance can make it wear out sooner than expected. In some cases, you may even find yourself having to pay for an early replacement. Taking the proper steps to extend the lifespan of your water heater will not only save you money but also time and hassle.
Adding insulation to the tank of your water heater is one simple and easy way to extend its life. It can reduce your energy costs by up to 40% and help you save money on your utility bills.Another great thing that you can do to prolong the life of your water heater is to add a water softener and filtration system to your home. This will help to remove the calcium, minerals, and sediment build-up that can cause your water heater to corrode more quickly.
Your water heater will also work more efficiently if you flush it on a regular basis. The anode rod is a metal rod inside of your water heater tank that attracts corrosion and prevents it from destroying your unit. This rod will eventually corrode itself, but if you replace it every year, you can increase the life of your water heater by up to six times.
In addition to flushing, annual maintenance also includes testing your gas safety valve and checking the exhaust stack on a fuel-fired water heater to ensure that it is free of rust, corrosion, or obstructions. This is important because if your water heater fails to vent properly, it could release toxic gases into your home and create a fire hazard. Having an annual tune-up done by a qualified technician can help you avoid these issues.
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Recognise The Writing Process
Recognise The Writing Process
We must recognise the writing process, even if it appears obvious!
Getting up every day and starting work on a book is difficult.
Here are some of our favourite writing approaches and resources for getting your work ready for the next stage:
Surfing Grandad
Important writing advice for authors
According to Mark Twain, “You should not begin writing an article until you have finished it to your satisfaction.” This may appear to be a lofty request, but you already know that writing is complex, and the most challenging component of the process is revising.
If you want to complete your revisions more quickly and confidently, keep these helpful tips in mind as you work on your first draft.
In this scenario, little is more.
Why say something in 20 words when 12 will suffice? Using unneeded terminology reduces the legibility, interest, and professionalism of your writing.
The Chicago Manual of Style discourages the use of terms such as “whether or not,” “at the moment,” “because,” “about to,” and others.
Check your sentences to see if they are repeated or lengthy. Replace them if necessary.
Remove the cliches.
You may know someone who uses clichés, or you may be one of them. Overused sentences, on the other hand, make your work appear incomplete regarding reading.
Clichés such as “time will tell”, “at that time”, “carefree”, “a shiver ran down my/his spine”, and “loved her more than life itself” should be avoided if you want to seem professional.
Distinguishing between discourse and narrative
When conversations are isolated from narrative paragraphs, they are much easier to read. Allowing good dialogue buried in asides and needless descriptions is a bad idea.
If you’ve given each character a strong and distinct voice, you may use dialogue separation to create a readable scenario that moves at the appropriate speed.
Show rather than tell.
Although you have probably heard this before, it is one of the most essential writing skills to master. Narration is less effective and duller than expressing sentiments through language and movement.
In other words, rather than writing, Jack frowns. Use language to communicate his worry to another character.
Use correct punctuation.
You irritate professional editors, agents, publishers, and readers by inserting extraneous en- or em-dashes, using too many commas, and misplacing semicolons.
Make up your punctuation rules if you’re writing something extremely experimental. The existing rules are perfectly adequate.
Pronouns must be adequately capitalised.
A writer who disregards correct pronoun spelling and capitalization is lazy. Remember that civil titles such as president or governor should only be capitalised when they are part of the person’s name.
“For example,” “it was time for the governor to speak.” It is inappropriate to write, “It was time for the governor to speak.” It’s also OK to state, “It was time for Governor Watkins to speak.” It is incorrect to say, “It was time for Governor Watkins to speak.”
You should avoid zigzagging your plot.
While it may be tempting to go from one era to the next, this strategy is better left to professionals, even on rare occasions.
If you don’t follow a chronological plot, your audience will demand clarification after clarification. If you can write flashbacks and zigzags smoothly, your audience will understand.
If you’ve mastered this method, do it again with a continuous timeline. You can save much editing time if your zigzag writing does not read well.
As you write and promote your book, you may receive many unsolicited advice from friends and other authors.
Just make sure your counsel comes from someone competent or experienced.
The above criteria are just a few fundamental writing concepts that every good writer understands and applies.
Using ChatGPT (or other AI systems) to assist in book promotion.
Whether or not you are excited about AI and its potential applications in your author business, it is here to stay. AI systems like Chat GPT and Jasper.ai are still in their early stages, and their capability and utility will expand.
That doesn’t mean you must use these systems as a writer, but AI could be the answer if you’re looking for cost-effective shortcuts, especially for research.
One area where AI can aid is book marketing. You do not need to stare at a blank computer screen or generate research lists.
Request help from the AI of your choice, and then use your skills and strategic thinking to improve and extend the AI’s work. Here are five ideas for using your choice AI system to help with book marketing.
Create Content for Your Content Marketing Engine.
Did you know you can use Chat GPT or Jasper to generate a dozen 500-800 word articles (or video scripts or podcast episode scripts) from your book?
You can also use a speech transcript or other previously prepared information to accomplish this.
AI can aid you if you need extra time to write stuff for your book marketing.
Of course, you’ll need to update the AI-generated content, but because it’s based on something you’ve already developed, it’s far more robust than if you asked the AI to write the piece from start.
Request additional content recommendations from your AI.
You can enter a topic into the AI system and request a list of suggestions regardless of whether you have uploaded your work to the system.
Giving AI something to work with can improve its relationship with your problem. However, you don’t have to do that to get a good list of articles, videos, podcasts, or social media post ideas.
Inquire with your AI about book marketing strategies.
“Give me ten marketing ideas for a book,” I challenged Jasper. The list was fine if you didn’t know where to start and needed some ideas.
If you need more specific information and suggestions, you might be much more specific and say, “Give me ten ideas for marketing a book about losing weight, running a marathon, or finding fulfilment in your fifties,” and see if the ideas were even more detailed to help you.
Jasper presented me with the following list:
Make the most of your online presence.
Collaborate with other writers in your genre to promote each other’s work.
Find and interact with other influencers.
Review similar books on sites such as Goodreads and Amazon.
Collaborate with bloggers.
Create a website.
Distribute press releases regarding your book’s launch in your community’s media.
Make contacts with bookstores and libraries.
Organise rewards to attract more readers to your website.
Use internet sites such as BookBub or Amazon Advertising Services to increase awareness among potential buyers.Request that your artificial intelligence perform research on your behalf on influencers, booksellers, or libraries.
I requested Jasper to “find 20 social media influencers who would promote a book about writing a book.”Jasper’s list did not include any authors I would approach because it included some well-known authors, such as Dan Brown, but you could be more precise and say, “Give me a list of 10 YouTube channels that promote book writing” or “Find ten blogs that help authors.” However, your research endeavour could end with something other than influencers.
I requested a list of bookshops in a specific city and the manager’s name and contact information from Chat GPT. It only works sporadically, but at the very least, I’m not starting from scratch.
Chat GPT Can Help With Social Media.
It can suggest posts, photos, and creative headlines (and the latest versions of Chat GPT and other AI systems can even make graphics for such postings).
The more information you provide Chat GPT about the image and tone you want to convey, the more ideas you will receive.
You may use Chat GPT to ask questions such as “What are the best practices for designing images for social media?” or “What fonts and colours work well with images for social media?” Chat GPT can also provide recommendations and ideas if you don’t know what design components to use.
We are still in the early phases of using AI in our authoring company.
The frontier is mostly in our ability to harness the tool’s potential. The initial stages can be intimidating, but various ways are available to make selling oneself as an author easier.
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