As chilly weather approaches, you’re going to want to be ready for it. Your furnace or boiler needs a tune-up. That box of coats, hats, and mittens needs to come out of storage. You certainly don’t want to freeze when winter catches you unprepared!
One thing that’s never any fun is a cold shower, and it’s even worse when it happens on an icy winter day. While you’re preparing for the season, think about your water heater, too. Water heater maintenance is a simple and cost-effective way to prevent all kinds of unpleasant problems. Here’s what you should know.
It would be wonderful if water heaters lasted forever. “The last water heater you’ll ever need to buy!” But such water heaters don’t exist, nor will they. 
Few appliances in a home use up as much power as the water heater. Heating and air conditioning systems account for significant power consumption, but these are seasonal appliances. A water heater will run almost every day, and whether it’s an electric or gas-powered unit, it’s probably the biggest source of energy consumption in your house.
If you have a standard storage tank water heater, you probably know that rust isn’t something you want to see developing on it. Rust is the major enemy of metal that comes into contact with water, and it quickly weakens the metal until it turns useless.