how do I drain and clean my electricity water heater?

Answer 1

Corky has the best answer so far but sometimes this is still not enough to get the sediment out.After you do all Corky says to do you may need to drain the tank and remove the lower heating element and dig out any sediment that was not dislodged,I just had to do this to mine yesterday.I took a piece of 3/8" copper tubing and bent an inch of end over and started digging.I got about 5 pound of sediment that would not flush out with water.Oh and unless you have been opening the relief valve on a regular basis be ready to replace it because it once an old one has been opened usually they will never completely close again.

Answer 2

If your water heater has been in place for more than a year, and you have any amount of calcium, lime, etc, in your water supply, you're pretty much wasting your time to drain the water out of it and refill it unless you put a bigger valve in the drain opening at the bottom. Nearly every unit manufactured in the last 30 years has a drain valve that opens to allow a dribble of water and practically nothing bigger than a B-B to pass thru. Calcium and lime sediment builds up in the bottom of the tank and this is what eats the elements and the tank eventually. If you want to drain it effectively, now and in the future, you will need to replace the old drain with a short 3/4" pipe nipple and put a 3/4" ball valve on the pipe. You can purchase a brass adapter that will thread into the end of the new valve that will allow you to put a garden hose on it for draining. The ball valve will open to allow a straight thru flow of water and will allow chunks of sediment up to 3/4" to come out thru the hose. Once drained the first time, reopen the water valve on the feed line to the top of the heater and let that new water flush more of the junk out of the bottom, till the water runs clear. That's the most effective way to clean a water heater.

Answer 3

Draining is not a problem. Shut off the inlet water valve and open the drain cock near the bottom. You can attach a hose to this to run the water into a sump or outside if at ground level. Cleaning it is another matter. Clean what? There is no way to get inside the tank and it's not a good idea to put any chemicals into it.

Answer 4

turn off your power to the water tank first. then open the spigot at the bottom of your tank after you hooked a hose to it and put it in a drain. open the blow off valve in a minute or so to hasten the draining. duh, stupid me, you must shut off your water supply to the tank too b4 anything.

after it all drains out, keeping the drain open, open the water valve and that will flush t as good as it can get. watch the end of the hose til it runs clear.

close up the vave,let it fill and hit the juice to turn on the tank and you re in business

Answer 5

turn off circuit breaker, connect garden hose to drain faucet at bottom of heater, run hose outside, open drain faucet,when water comes out of hose outside, turn off valve on right side pipe on top of heater. open hot faucets in house, wait till all water exits hose, turn on valve, let run 1 minute, cut off let water drain out off hose, repeat 3 or 4 times till water is clear