Flushing your water heater regularly is essential to its continued functionality, as it flushes away minerals that lead to sediment build-up.
Every six months is usually recommended as an ideal time for draining and flushing a water heater with hard water, as any homeowner can safely complete this project.
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Turn Off the Water
Before flushing your hot water heater, all of its contents must first be drained off through its designated drain spout near the bottom of your tank and routed directly into a floor drain or other suitable location. Make sure this valve is closed prior to starting the flush process.
Before flushing your water heater, turn off its gas supply and electrical breaker if you own an electric model. This will help prevent an emergency while flushing, so put a note over these locations so no one accidentally turns them back on while you work – this could endanger both yourself and your family, as well as damage other appliances in your home.
Generally speaking, water heaters should be flushed every six months; if your area features hard water, this may need to happen more frequently.
Unscrew the Drain Valve
If you don’t turn off the water supply before opening the drain valve of your water heater, you could flood the floor with 140-degree Fahrenheit hot water, potentially leading to severe property damage and needing professional assistance immediately. In such an event, it would be prudent to contact a plumber or water heater technician as soon as possible to avoid serious injury or even fatality.
Next, connect a garden hose to the drain valve to help accelerate excess water drainage. Placing it at either the end of your house in an exterior location or directly in a bucket makes collecting any sediment released easier.
Making several quick open/close cycles while connected can also help clear away debris in your valve and speed up its operation; alternatively, a spray of WD-40 might work just as well, if necessary, to loosen things up!
Open a Hot Water Faucet
If you neglect to flush your water heater regularly, you could be creating issues that need to be repaired. Mineral deposits can clog your hot water pipes or crack the base of the heater; even though any existing sediment filling in these cracks might help temporarily, once this wears away it could lead to leaks and more expensive issues that require further intervention.
As a preventive measure, it’s a smart move to flush your water heater at least annually. It is a simple task and will save money in the long run by helping avoid future issues with it. Start by switching off both gas and electricity supplies before opening a hot water faucet in your home to avoid forming a vacuum that prevents your tank from draining completely.
Turn on the Water
Flushing your water heater annually is highly recommended to help prevent sediment from forming and causing damage, and it can either be done yourself or by hiring a professional service.
Start by shutting off the cold water valve at the top of your tank. Next, open a hot water faucet somewhere in your home to drain the system more quickly – perhaps after everyone in your household has used their hot water during the day and nighttime is the ideal time for this step.
Connect a standard garden hose to the drain valve at the bottom of your water heater, threading tightly to avoid leakage and keep children and animals away from it and its discharge location.
Finally, connect the hose to either a bucket or sink so that water may drain into it directly, although ideally, this would also go straight into your sewer line system if possible.
