How to Flush Your Water Heater? (DIY)

No hot water in the house? Flushing your water heater is necessary to work it properly, but do you know how to flush your water heater?

Suppose you do not drain the water heater once a year, a mineral sediment buildup in your unit. It gets hard with time and results in damaging your water heater.

It will cost you more to repair; sometimes, you may need to change the whole unit. Luckily, flushing your water heater is easy, and you can do it yourself. You will spend around half an hour cleaning your unit and protecting it from damage.

How to Flush Your Water Heater?

Turn off the power supply of the water heater.
Close the valve of cold water.
Wait for the tank’s content to cool down.
Connect a garden hose to the drain valve of the tank.
Start draining the unit.
Turn on the temperature and pressure relief valve.
Open any hot water faucet in your house.
Turn on the drain valve to start draining.
Open the cold water supply and refill the tank.

How Often Should a Water Heater be Flushed?

It is important to flush your water heater once a year. It will protect your unit from damage by the buildup over time, and its life will be extended.

As written in your unit’s manual, some models require flushing every three years. However, flushing every year is highly recommended.

Tools and Materials Required

A garden hose
Screwdriver
Bucket
Knee pads
Safety gloves
Face mask
Goggles
Cloth

How to Flush Out Water Heater?

Let’s look at the step-by-step guide to flushing your water heater.

Shut Off the Power Supply of the Water Heater

The first step of draining the water heater is to turn off the power of electricity or gas that provide energy to the unit. This will prevent shock injuries or accidental gas leaks.

To turn off a gas water heater, keep it on pilot mode. In the case of an electric one, you can switch off its circuit breaker to cut its power supply. The location of the breaker is in the main panel of electricity.

Protect yourself before starting the procedure by wearing goggles, a face mask, and gloves. Knee pads should also be worn to avoid hurting your legs.

Close the Valve of Cold Water

The cold water valve is usually located at the top of the water heater. Different brand manufacturers make different colored valves to show the cold water source.

If it’s not mentioned by color, then there will be an identity mark to show that it’s a cold water valve. So, carefully observing it will help.

Cool the Contents of Your Tank

Wait for the water to cool down before flushing because it can be dangerous. So, be careful as many injuries occurred due to flushing hot water from the tank.

If you don’t have enough time to wait for water cooling, you must contact a plumber to do this job, who will perform all the water heater maintenance for you.

Attaching Hose to the Drain Valve of the Tank

There is a drain valve near the bottom of the water heater, made of brass or plastic. Different units have valves made of different materials. Connect one end of the hose to the drain. And keep its other end at the floor drain.

The water inside the tank is hard so don’t run it into your plants, which will be dangerous for them. Don’t allow your pets, kids, or friends to play in this water. You must be careful during this process.

Remember to keep one end of the hose at the lower floor level so that gravity can help flush the water more quickly and easily.

Drain Hot Water Heater

There is a temperature and pressure relief valve (T&P) near the top of the heater. The purpose of this valve is to release and open the extra pressure and heat inside the tank.

Open this valve and any faucet of hot water in your house. In this way, air will enter the tank. Now, take a screwdriver to open the drain valve if there is no handle. With the help of air and gravity, water will start draining from the tank.

Fill the bucket with the contents of the tank to observe the sediments. If you have not cleaned the heater for many years, there will be a lot of gunk and mineral solids in the water.

Now, drain the bucket and let the tank’s contents finish. Open the cold water valve to flush with water again until the water becomes clear.

Refill the Tank

When you observe that the water has become clear, it’s time to close the drain valve, temperature & pressure relief valve, and hot water faucet.

Disconnect the garden hose you used for draining and clean the area around the water heater using a cloth to remove the mess.

Turn on the cold water valve to fill the tank again, and don’t open any hot water faucet before filling the tank. This way, air will be released from pipes and the hot water tank.

When you open a hot water tap, it will start running water full of air bubbles. After clearing the bubbles, close the tap. Now your water heater is completely flushed, and you can use it.

Why Should the Water Heater be Flushed Periodically?

If you flush the water heater regularly, the sediment and lime will not build inside, and thus its lifespan will be extended. It will also protect it from damage earlier and will increase its efficiency.

If you ignore the draining of the tank periodically, the sediment will become hard and impossible to remove. Sometimes the situation worsens and you need to replace the whole unit.

Different areas contain water with different amounts of minerals present in them. If there is plenty of limestone in the place where you are living, the amount of magnesium and calcium will be high. So, that area will provide hard water.

This hard water makes a layer of limescale buildup at the tank’s bottom. Sometimes gas water heater provides uneven heating due to this problem, and there is a chance of leakage in the unit.

In electric water heaters, this sediment buildup can damage the heating system. The drain valve can be blocked by the collection of residues in both types of heaters.

Advantages of Draining Your Water Heater

Reduces Sound

While the water heater works, you will hear strange sounds inside the tank if you do not drain it regularly. Flushing it regularly will no longer produce this noise.

The unit also makes no noise in the presence of the hard build-up. This is because it becomes difficult for the water to seep into the hard layer.

Improved Efficiency

Regularly draining the water heater improves its heating speed. Because if you ignore its flushing, the chances of damaging the electrodes of the heater will increase.

These electrodes are greatly affected by the debris inside the tank. Thus, removing the mess will increase its efficiency.

Reduced Energy Bills

A lot of energy is required to heat the water if the electrodes are covered with buildup. So, if you drain the unit frequently, this collection of solids will not be able to create around the electrodes, and less energy will be required to heat the water. Thus you will get low energy bills.

Long lifespan

When you remove scales by flushing your water heater regularly, it will experience less stress. The scales formed at the bottom of the tank can make it’s metal extra hot, so there is a chance of leakage. Therefore, regular flushing increases its life.

FAQs – Frequently Asked Questions

Is it Necessary to Flush Your Water Heater?

It is highly recommended to flush your water heater once a year to protect it from damage and increase its efficiency and lifespan.

What is the Procedure to Flush Sediment from the Water Heater?

Flushing a water heater:

Turn off your water heater’s power supply (gas or electricity).
Close the cold water valve.
Wait for the water to cool down.
Connect a hose to the unit’s drain and place the other side of the hose to the floor drain.
Open the faucet of hot water.
Start the process of flushing by opening the drain valve.

How to Identify that the Water Heater Needs Flushing?

Some signs show that the water heater needs to be flushed.

After waiting a long time to get the water hot, it is still lukewarm. This is a sign of sediment buildup and requires urgent cleaning.
If you have observed some mess in your water, it’s alarming.
If you hear noises from inside the tank while the heater is working.
A year has passed, and you have not drained your unit.

How Much Time is Required to Flush a Water Heater?

15 – 20 minutes are required for flushing a water heater. This process must be continued until you have seen clear water draining from your unit.

After buying the water heater, you will never see any mess during its draining process if you are flushing it every year.

When the Water Heater is Not Flushed, What Will Happen?

The metal of your water heater will get corrosion if you don’t flush it regularly. When the buildup is not removed, it can block the temperature and pressure relief valve. This valve is very necessary because it protects the unit from exploding.

Final Thoughts

To extend the efficiency of your water heater and its lifespan, it is important to flush it once a year. So, it would be best if you learned how to flush the water heater to carry out the process properly.

In case of following the wrong information, you may damage your unit. If you drain the heater’s tank frequently, the sediment buildup will not occur inside its bottom.

A hard layer of scale will be formed if you do not clean it for years that you will not remove without the help of a professional.