Electric water heaters can solve the problem of hot water supply for summer cottages, private houses and city apartments, where this service is not available. If the boiler breaks down, it is not necessary to call the master and pay him a lot of money. In most cases, you can repair the boiler yourself, saving your own money and gaining invaluable experience in servicing household appliances. The success of the event depends on the nature of the breakdown and the possibility of its elimination at home.
The principle of operation of boilers
Knowledge of the device of storage models will minimize the occurrence of problems with their performance, simplify the preventive maintenance of the boiler and repair measures.
Household appliances consist of the following parts:
- Tank. Made of steel, with a hole on the bottom. Covered with thermal insulation on the outside, and ceramic spraying on the inside.
- TEN with replaceable anode. Designed for heating water. By design, the element can be open and dry, enclosed in a glass bulb.
- Thermostat. Provides the maintenance of the temperature in the tank within the set parameters. It is a tube with a sensor inside.
The products are equipped with safety valves designed to bleed off excess liquid in case of excessive pressure inside the body.
After filling the tank, the heating element heats its contents until the thermostat turns off the power. When the water cools down or is drained, the heating element is turned on again, heating, shutting down, cooling - the cycle repeats.
Fault classification
Whenever possible, breakdowns can be eliminated as critical and non-critical.
It is impossible to fix these types of faults:
- through corrosion of the metal of the walls of the case;
- violation of the tightness of the junction of the tank and branch pipes;
- mechanical damage from impact or fall (hole, crack).
It is theoretically possible to repair water heating tanks, but this is a complex, time-consuming and costly undertaking. It will still not be possible to completely restore the appearance of the product. It is more expedient to dispose of it and buy a new one.
The following types of breakdowns are non-critical:
- burnout of the heating element;
- failure of the thermostat;
- wear of the rubber gasket on the body;
- incorrect operation of the electronic control unit.
Repair of boilers in such cases consists in disassembly, diagnostics and replacement of damaged parts.
Causes of malfunctions
Like any technique, water heaters have their own resource and sooner or later break down. Sometimes this happens even before the expiration of the warranty period.
The reasons for a boiler malfunction can be as follows:
- Breakdown of the heating element. If the device is used for a long time, this is the result of deterioration of the heating wire. More often the problem arises from scale, which settles on the spiral, playing the role of thermal insulation. The element works constantly, overheats and burns out.
- Thermostat is defective. The reason may be a manufacturing defect or a depletion of a resource. The issue is corrected by replacing the sensor.
- Failure of the control unit. Only a specialist who is well versed in electronics can independently repair the power module of the Ariston boiler.It is advisable to take the module to a workshop.
- Leakage. If the tank is intact, water may leak due to shriveled rubber seals on the body or heating element. The problem is solved independently.
After finding out the cause of the malfunction, a decision is made on how to eliminate it, everything necessary for work is prepared.
Preparing for repair with your own hands
To repair a water heater on your own, you need to prepare such a set of tools and materials:
- adjustable wrench;
- pliers;
- Screwdriver Set;
- tester;
- scissors;
- steel scraper;
- FUM tape;
- rags.
To repair a water heater, you need to perform a number of preparatory manipulations:
- Disconnect the device from electricity.
- Shut off the water on the mixer or on the inlet line.
- Remove the plastic cap.
- Disconnect the wires, remove the cover.
- Unscrew the pipe union nuts from the device connections.
- Remove the thermostat from the socket.
- Drain the water tank.
- Get the heating element.
After that, you need to inspect the product, identify the type of malfunction and outline a plan for further work.
Depending on the nature of the breakdown, a decision is made whether to remove the device from the wall or carry out its maintenance in a stationary state.
Cleaning and maintenance
If the boiler has not been serviced for a long time, a thick layer of hard sediment forms at the bottom of the tank, and the heating element is covered with a lime coat. You need to get it out carefully so as not to bend or break the rubber seals. To do this, you need to lift the part and remove the sediment through the opening formed. After that, you can get the element.
When the internal parts are removed from the tank, you can easily inspect it and clean it of dirt. First you need to rinse the walls with a strong stream of water from the shower head. If there are deposits left, they should be moistened with a special agent or citric acid solution, and then washed off all of this.
The next step is to service the rubber gasket on the tank. It needs to be cleaned of plaque in order to ensure a tight connection with the heating element. If the seal is cracked, it should be removed and discarded. Before installing a new gasket, the socket should be cleaned of rust, sanded and painted with waterproof paint. Inlet connections should not be ignored. They also need to be cleaned of dirt and rust, to align the sections.
Elimination of common breakdowns
If the water heater tank is intact, all other problems can be eliminated by hand. The most difficult of them is the repair of the power module of the Ariston boiler. The new board has a rather impressive cost, so it is better to fix the defect yourself. To do this, you need to disconnect the module and ring all the parts on the board in turn. Defective products are soldered off, and new parts purchased in the store are fixed in their place.
The heating element covered with a thick coating does not need to be thrown away in a hurry. You can make a citric acid solution (1:10), pour it into a 3-liter jar, immerse the element in it and turn it on. Enough 8-10 minutes for all deposits to move away from the metal. If anything remains, remove with fine-grained emery paper. It is then recommended to clean the anode socket of the patina in order to achieve good contact.
It is recommended to change the seals every year to avoid critical situations.
