In modern society, with the advent of new household appliances, a boiler water heater plays one of the most important roles in the economy. Nevertheless, this expensive unit, in case of failure, can be repaired by yourself. You will learn how to repair a boiler with your own hands in this article.
Almost every breakdown of a storage water heater occurs due to improper operation. Also, the correct operation of the tank depends on the water itself, its hardness and the presence of impurities. Due to low-quality water, over time, the heating element of the water heater becomes covered with scale, and the inner lining of the tank lends itself to corrosion. The last problem entails the replacement of the tank itself, which in itself is expensive and expensive, and not every service can take it. Therefore, in order to avoid such problems, it is recommended to use different types of water purifiers.
Causes of boiler malfunction
There are often problems with wiring when the boiler does not turn on or off, and also does not heat water, or vice versa, heats up continuously. In such a situation, it is necessary, following the instructions when connecting the boiler, to correctly connect it to the network and ground it so that the current does not pass through the body.
There are cases when, if the water heater is incorrectly connected, water does not enter the tank. This most often happens because the water from the water supply comes under too high a pressure and this either leads to a rupture of the tank during a water hammer, or the boiler is protected and does not allow water to pass through. It is recommended to install safety valves between the boiler and water supply pipes.
What to do and what to do if the storage water heater is out of order? For a start, do not panic, but try to figure out the cause of the breakdown. After finding out the reasons for the failure of the device, you need to understand how to disassemble the boiler - without this stage it is impossible to start repairing, because most of the problems are related to the inside of the tank. How to repair a storage water heater yourself, we will describe in order below.
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Boiler repair
If the water in the tank does not reach the required temperature, while noise and rustling are heard inside the tank, then this is the first sign that the heating element of the water heater has a malfunction. Presumably, scale has appeared on the heating element, which needs to be cleaned. This is not difficult to do. You need to do the following:
- disconnect the unit from the power supply;
- drain water from the tank;
- remove the cover with the heater electronics from the housing;
- extract the heater itself.
There should be no problems with disconnecting the boiler from the network. But the problem may be draining the water from the tank, as this process is different on water heaters of different manufacturers.For example, a Termex water heater has a special system for draining water. The rest do not have such systems, and if they do, then very rarely. Nevertheless, in order to drain the water, you need to have certain knowledge, which can be obtained by looking at the instructions on the Internet or by contacting the master.
After the water is drained, the question arises of how to disassemble the water heater. To do this, you must disconnect all the contacts of the fastons that are connected to the thermostat. Then unscrew the bolts and remove the base of the thermostat with the heating element. When removing it, residual water from the tank may leak out, as well as accumulated debris that was not retained by the filter. It is advisable to immediately clean the heater while it is wet. For cleaning, there are special agents that need to be sprayed over the device. After that, deposits can be cleaned with a blunt object without much effort. You can also boil the heater in water with acid added to it, and polish the surface with sandpaper to a shine. In this case, the heating element will be put in order. It is recommended to check the magnesium anode, which prevents the tank from rusting. If it is malfunctioning, this element should be replaced, since it cannot be repaired. After all the manipulations are over, it is necessary to assemble everything in the reverse order, fill up the tank and turn on the boiler. With proper repair and assembly, it must heat the water to the required temperature, that is, it must work properly.
Possible malfunctions and remedies
If the water heating indicator on the body of the heating tank does not light up, the water does not heat up, and the body is shocked, check the heating element with a tester. To do this, it is enough, after removing the latter, attach the multimeter probes to the contacts, and see the resistance. When “1” is shown on the display, it can be concluded that the heater is unsuitable, a gap has occurred and it must be replaced.
In the event that you notice a leakage in the tank, repairing it yourself is not always possible, since by no means in all cases the cause of the breakage is the wear of the sealant, which can be replaced. The most common cause is the wear of the tank itself, the appearance of holes corroded by corrosion in it. In this case, repairing the unit will be quite problematic. The leak can be welded, sealed or soldered holes, but after a certain period of time the tank will still become unusable, as the holes will expand. In this unpleasant incident, in any case, the replacement of the housing or the purchase of a new storage water heater is required.
Here, in fact, all the basic provisions of how to repair the boiler with your own hands. If you have insufficient experience working with electrical engineering, we recommend contacting a master or a service center.
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