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Return to Water Heater Article Index DRAINING THE SEDIMENT FROM YOUR HOT WATER HEATER... About 15 years ago, a customer asked me to remove an orphan hot water tank that had been in her basement for over 20 years. Some folks don't bother removing their old tanks from the basement... and the small doorway to the basement, I was forced to cut it into pieces. I think they built the house around that old water heater! Anyway, I was astonished when I took the top off and found that the tank had over two feet of sediment in the bottom! The old well that had serviced this home for so many years sure brought up a lot of grit! No, Virginia, it is not absolutely necessary to drain the gunk from the bottom of your tank every year! However, if your water heater is a few years old or you just bought a new home, you should drain it now to see just how much sediment you have accumulated. The amount of sediment that you observe in the drained water will help you to determine your future flushing schedule. The sediment is simply any solid material that is not dissolved in the water. This can be sand or other grit from a well, or any other stuff that has gotten into the municipal water mains. Many municipal water systems are not filtered so there is always a small amount of "stuff" moving through the pipes. A humongous one-time blast of sediment can come into your home after the Water Company (applause, please) flushes out their lines. Have you ever hydroplaned a Yugo through a blast of water from a fire hydrant... If your house's plumbing connects to this main, the sediment lifted from this sudden burst of water can be enough to clog your toilet inlet valves, your faucet aerators, and deposit a goodly amount in your hot water tank. As a courtesy, most water companies try to give notice of flushing in your area, and advise residents not to run the water. If you don't heed their warning, you will grasp the deeper meaning of "hard" water! Small accumulations of sediment are not a serious problem. However, as with the example of benign neglect mentioned in my prologue, the depth of the sediment can interfere with the functioning of the drain valve, increase the amount of dissolved minerals in the hot water, and even affect the efficiency of the lower heating element if allowed to accumulate. Most people have at some time or another been told not to drink hot water from the tap, but are unaware of the reason why. that have settled in the tank can dissolve into the water. As you know, hot water can dissolve substances that will not dissolve in cold water, and in greater quantities. Plus, the chlorine in the water has an effect on the sediment, and may produce unwanted and possibly unhealthy chemical compounds. All the more reason to keep the sediment level in the tank low. Clearing sediment from the hot water tank: 1) Do whichever applies for your water heater... gas or electric: * Turn off the electricity to the water heater. If an electric heating element turns on while not submersed in water, it will burn out, possibly leading to replacement of the entire water heater! However, you must not let the tank drain more than 3/4 empty. This is easier to gauge if you use a bucket to measure the amount of water you drain. For your first ever flushing of your tank, though, I would recommend a full flush, which requires you to turn the gas off entirely, both at the water heater and the shutoff on the gas line. You can do "touchups" later by draining a portion of the tank down, rather than a full drain. CAUTION: Do not proceed any further if you do not know how to relight the gas pilot! We strongly suggest you have a gas professional visit your home ONCE to instruct you on the proper procedure for relighting your pilot. Not only is this valuable information for you to have for tank flushing, but at any time that the pilot may mysteriously extinguish. some of these become very soft when hot water runs through them, and may leak! If you don't have a drain in the basement floor or suitable sump hole, you have my sympathies... It can also soften from the heated water so don't overfill it or burn yourself! Open up the drain valve on the tank and allow it to empty. NOTE: If the drain valve clogs, turn on the cold water supply to the tank to use water pressure to "blast" through the clog. This will loosen up more sediment in the tank through the churning action of the cold water in the tank. In fact, if you find that the sediment starts to clog the drain valve, turn on the cold water supply to the tank, which will help loosen the sediment and blast it out. If you have extreme amounts of sediment, you may have to repeat this procedure a few more times. Shut off the drain valve, open the cold water supply and allow the tank to fill. Once water comes out of the hot water faucet, the tank is full and your task is done! Now, you can turn the electricity or gas back on to heat the water. This depends on the source and purity of your water supply. Some pros recommend doing it annually, some every few years. I would recommend doing a partial drain down annually if you find any sediment in the tank, otherwise every couple of years. Remember that with an electric water heater, you must turn the power off! Even a partial drain down may expose the upper heating element to the air and permanently damage it! Is there any way to keep this sediment from accumulating in the tank? Installing a whole house filtration system can make a real dent, especially if you have gritty well water! They are fairly easy to install for someone with good plumbing skills, and not only help to reduce the sediment accumulation but prolong the life of all your plumbing fixtures and appliances. Of course, depending on the ferocity of your filtration system some dissolved minerals may still eventually accumulate in the tank but hopefully in less significant amounts.
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