Water heater manufacturers suggest flushing water heaters every six months to remove the sediment deposited at the bottom of the water heater tank. The water that comes to your home is never free from minerals. Over time, these minerals get stuck at its tank’s bottom and can damage its heating elements and other internal components. Flushing your water heater regularly prevents the mineral deposition inside of it. Hiring the best plumbers in Sacramento to have the water heater flushed will be more affordable than the repairing costs of the damage this buildup can cause to your water heater.
But, if you’re wondering whether you can do it yourself, the answer is yes. First, you need to understand how it works so that you can know how to drain a water heater.
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Here Are the Steps You Need to Do to Flush a Water Heater:
l Turn off the water heater
The first step is to turn off your water heater before you could start flushing and draining it.
2 Turn off the water heater thermostat
Some water heating units include a “vacation” mode. If you have a gas-powered water heater, you need to set the temperature setting at “pilot mode”. The purpose of it keeping it at piolet mode is to keep the burner from firing itself while the tank is empty. If it is heating without water, it can cause damage to your water heater.
3 Attach the tank’s drain valve with a garden hose
Connect a garden hose to the tank’s drain valve. Make sure the other end of it is directed towards the drain. A good way to drain is to let all the hot water come out of the faucet before you start draining it.
4 Open the drain valve of your water heater
Open the drain valve and allow the tank to drain. Make sure you don’t let the scalding hot water come out. Wait for some time and let the tank cool down. While draining the water heater, you need to keep on checking the amount of sediment coming out of the hose. If no sediment and water are moving out, it is likely that the valve is clogged with sediment.
Just as preventing clogs in drains require drain cleaning in Sacramento regularly, keeping the valve clean and clog-free is essential to prevent issues. In this case, open the temperature-pressure valve. This step will let off pressure buildup inside and drain the water which is stuck in the hot water pipes.
You can use a dry vacuum to clear the blockage in the drain valve to the point water can move freely. If the blockage is very serious, you should call a professional plumber to get it done.
5 Drain the tank
Once the tank is drained, turn on the supply of cold water. This step will push any remaining sediment stuck at the bottom out of the tank. Keep running the cold water until you see the water becomes clear and no sediment is present in the water coming out of the hose.
6 Detach the hose from the drain valve
Use dry/wet vacuum to remove any sediment left in the opening of the valve. Doing this is essential to prevent the valve from deteriorating from sediment buildup. It will also ensure that the valve doesn’t leak. Turn on the cold valve again until the tap gets back to their normal water flow. Now, reset the water heater temperature to your preferred setting.
Flushing a water heater can seem daunting to some. If you are not confident enough to do it, you can always hire an experienced plumber who specializes in water heater repair in Sacramento.