best way to drain built up sediment in hot water heater??

Question

Plain old residential hot water heater

Thanks, Trekkie

Thanks corky

Answer 1

In all actuality, if this water heater is over a year old and you have any substantial amount of lime, calcium content in your water normally, then draining it won't rid it of much, if any sediment, except maybe a little rust that's laying in the bottom of the tank. After a year the chunks of lime, calcium sediment have grown large enough that not many, if any will come out of one of the whimpy draincocks that most water heater manufacturers put on their units. Is this a plot to substantially decrease the useful life of a water heater tank????, (planned obsolicience). You can drain water till you're blue in the face, but you won't get much sediment out of the unit, unless you drain it and replace the current OE drain with a 2"-3" galvanized pipe nipple and screw on a 3/4" full flow ball valve with a hose adapter attached. This thing will give you a hole the size of your thumb for chunks to come out of. You may even have to occasionally take the hose off and clean the sediment away from the opening in the hose. I recommend this procedure on every water heater I install, most customers go for it and I've never heard any complaints from any of them. It really works great. Draining a tank from one of the original valves is mostly a waste of time and water.

Answer 2

Is this a gas boiler? or do you mean a hot water cylinder with an immersion or a back water circulator?

Answer 3

turn power off or gas control to pilot, hook up hose to drain and run outside, turn on drain and watch water come out at end of hose, turn off valve at top right side of heater, open hot tub faucets, when water quits running out of hose, turn valve on for 1 minute then cut off, repeat 4 times. turn off drain, disconnect hose, turn on valve ( top right) let tank refill untill water flows normally out of faucets, turn off faucets, turn power on or gas control to on. DONE