To avoid confusion over debits and credits, avoid thinking of them in the way that they are used in everyday language, which often refers to a credit as increasing an account and a debit as decreasing an account. For example, if our bank credits our checking account, money is added to it and the balance increases.
One way to reduce the frequency of this occurrence is to maintain an air pocket at the top of the water heater tank. This air pocket will form in the tank by design - however, it will be reduced over time by the everyday use of your water heater. To replenish this air pocket: Turn off the water heater.
Like most parts, water heater elements have a finite working life. Continual cycling to satisfy hot water demand eventually wears out the element. Mineral deposits in the water hasten an elementâs demise. The heating cycle causes dissolved minerals to solidify. They can coat an element, acting like a jacket of insulative material. In some cases, mineral sediment collects at the bottom of the water heater tank, encasing the lower element. Forced to work harder, the element eventually fails.