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Water Heater

Water Heater

How And Why To Clean Your Hot Water Heater

How to Flush Your Hot Water Tank:

There are two main types of water heaters, those powered by gas (natural or propane) and those running on electricity. The instructions below address both types.

1)     Electric:  If your hot water heater is electric, turn off the electricity to the water heater. You may need to turn off a breaker or remove a fuse in your electrical panel to ensure the unit is deactivated. Turning the electricity off is critical to ensure the electric heating element does not turn on when the heater is drained of water. This could cause the heating element to burn out and potentially require replacement of the entire water heater.

Gas: If your hot water heater is a gas powered unit, note the current temperature setting on the gas dial and then turn the gas dial to the lowest setting or "Pilot."

2)     Turn off the cold water supply valve to the heater which is generally located on top of the hot water heater.

3)      Attach a garden hose to the drain valve located at the bottom of the heater. This drain valve typically looks like a regular outdoor hose bib and may be hidden under a removable cover. Run a hose from the drain valve to a convenient drain location. If you don't have a convenient drain available you will need to use a bucket to capture and remove drained water.

4)     Open any hot water faucet in the house (generally one closest to the water heater).

5)     Open the drain valve on the hot water heater and allow it to completely drain. If the drain valve is made of plastic and the heater is several years old, it may be difficult to open and may break easily if forced, so be gentle when opening the valve. If the drain valve clogs during the draining process, open the cold water supply valve and see if the water pressure will open the clog. If it does, close the cold water supply valve and fully drain the heater.

6)      When the hot water heater is empty, close the drain valve and open the cold water supply valve. This may dislodge more sediment in the heater through the churning action of the cold water in the tank. Partially fill the heater with cold water, close the cold water supply valve and drain the heater again following Steps 2 through 5.

7)     Look at the water being drained to see if it is clear or is there still some sediment in the drain water. If the water is clear continue to Step 9. If not, flush the hot water heater as described in Step 8.

8)     Flush the hot water heater by opening the cold water supply valve while the drain valve is open and let the water run for 5 to 10 minutes. Close the cold water supply valve and repeat Step 7.

9)     Close the drain valve, remove the hose and turn on the cold water supply valve and allow the hot water heater to fill with cold water.

10)  Open all the hot water faucets in your home one-by-one to until any air in the line is purged and water flows smoothly. Note that the water will not be hot since you haven't turned the heating element on yet.

11)  Electric:  Turn the electricity to the water heater back on by turning the breaker on or replacing the fuse.

Gas:  Turn the gas from "Pilot," or the lowest setting, back to the current setting as noted in Step 1 above.

Your hot water heater is now clean and ready for continued use. Based on how long it had been since you previously flushed your hot water heater and the severity of the sediment you saw being drained, you can determine how often to flush your hot water heater. Most professionals recommend draining and flushing your hot water heater annually.

Getting Water for Emergency Use:

Should an emergency arise and you need access to the safe drinking water in your hot water heater, simply drain the water as described below.

If you only need a small amount of water, you can open the drain valve slowly and empty hot water into a suitable container. Keep in mind the water will be very hot so a metal or heat resistant glass container would work best. Remember also to protect your hands, arms and face from hot splashing water or the hot container.

Turn the electricity off to the hot water heater or the turn the gas valve to "Pilot" (as described in Step 1 above) if you intend to use all the water in your hot water heater. Also, turn off the cold water supply valve to isolate your hot water heater from potentially contaminated public piping systems (which can occur as the result of an earthquake). Allow several hours to pass before you attempt to drain large quantities of water from the hot water heater. Open any hot water faucet in the house and open the drain valve to capture clean drinking water. Still, the water may be hot so protect yourself accordingly.

About the Author

Home survival kits and survival products for emergencies including hurricanes and earthquakes. Get Ready Gear provides supplies for families and businesses for a variety of unexpected natural or man-made events.

What should water temperature be during no sunlight periods, using a solar/electric water heater?

We have solar water heating, but during off-peak hours, the electric water heater kicks in. ( Two hours in the evening and 1.5 hours in the early morning) The water is 140 degrees. Is this normal? I know the thermostat can be turned down on regular water heaters, but does it need to be this hot because of the solar? Water is scalding hot!

I would think it needs to be turned down. They recommend a maximum 125 to prevent scalding.

I have only worked on a few solar systems but they all used a "regular" water heater to supplement the heat and store the warmed water. They were just plumbed differently.

Usually they were set lower and on all the time. Lower so they did not try to heat the water going through the solar panels.

But it is near impossible for us to tell you how yours is set up, the logic of the system. We know nothing about it, how it is plumbed, what controls, even how it works normally.

I don't know if you have two tanks or one and the single tank is for both storage and heating.

The main reason people turn up the temp is if the water is hotter you use less. So at 140 you might get three showers first thing in the morning, but at 125 degrees maybe only two without time in between heating water.

I say try it. I can't think of any reason lowering the temp would be a problem, except for capacity as mentioned.

Good Luck.

Water Heater Tips