For routine water heater maintenance, familiarize yourself with its controls and learn how to shut it off if you smell gas or the water supply leaks.

Do a visual inspection for wet spots or leaks. For gas water heaters, inspect the gas lines and look for excessive wear, cracks in the body, rust, leaking, or gaps in the joints.

Hard water shortens the lifespan of your water heater as the buildup of sediment and limescale clogs the pipes and lowers the water pressure, but a water softener can prevent this.

A water softener will remove most of the minerals in hard water, thus reducing the chance of damage to your water heater and maximizing its lifespan.

Sediment will gather at the bottom of the tank, blocking the pressure valve or drain and causing corrosion that can lead to irreparable damage, but there is a preventative measure.

Drain and flush out the tank as part of your routine maintenance to prevent sediment buildup. If you have hard water, you may need to do this about every six months.

In a closed system, water comes in from a supply line, expands as it gets hot, and causes pressure buildup that damages your heater or pipes. To remedy this, add an expansion tank.

An expansion tank provides a space for the extra water to go so there's no damage from excess pressure, which will help your water heater last longer with a closed plumbing system.

An anode rod is a long rod made of aluminum or magnesium inside the water heater tank to prevent corrosion. When flushing the water heater of sediment, change the anode rod.

The anode rod has to be replaced every three to five years, so when you perform your annual maintenance task of flushing out the tank, always check the condition of the anode rod.