A Homeowner’s Guide to Flushing a Water Heater
Being a homeowner includes many maintenance responsibilities. One of these is flushing your water heater. This removes sediment buildup inside the tank. Not only will it help to extend the life of your water heater, but it can also ensure that it operates more efficiently.
Turn Everything Off
You’ll want to start by locating the cold water valve near the top of your water heater. The valve handle will likely be blue to help differentiate it from the hot, red valve. Turning off this valve will prevent any water from entering your equipment during the flushing process.
Next, you’ll need to shut off the power to your water heater. If you have an electric water heater, you can simply turn off the circuit breaker for the unit. If you have a gas water heater, you’ll need to turn your thermostat to the “Off” position during the flushing process.
Turn Your Faucets on
Open up a couple of faucets throughout your home. Simply turn the hot water on all the way. Some water will drain out of these faucets for a minute or so. Having these open is necessary to ensuring that you don’t create a vacuum in your hot water lines during the flushing process.
Hook up a Hose
You’ll need to have a garden hose that you can hook up to the drainpipe near the bottom of your water heater. You can put the other end of the hose in a heat-proof bucket or a floor drain if you have one. It’s a good idea to put some sort of screen over the exit of the hose to help collect sediment and debris so that they don’t clog your drain.
Flush It Out
Go ahead and open the drain valve. This will either be a manual handle or a small valve with a screw. In either case, turn it to the open position. Let your tank drain until you notice the water is coming out clear with no sediment in it. If it clogs, you can use a wet/dry vac to suck out the debris. All you need to do now is turn the drain back off, remove your hose, turn the cold water valve back on and turn the circuit breaker or thermostat back on.
Experienced Water Heater Service Professionals
At Marklein Plumbing, we have a team of experienced water heater professionals serving homeowners throughout the Ramona, CA, area. You can count on us for anything from installing a water heater to fixing it or flushing it out. In fact, we install, repair and maintain pipes, drains, water mains, sewage lines, toilets, faucets and more. We can also help with your water filtration and water softener needs. Call us today.
