Hot water heater flushing.

[gonjah]

I've been a homeowner for about 22 years now and I never knew how easy it is to flush a hot water heater until today.

It's as easy as attaching a hose and opening a valve.

Mine was surprisingly clean considering I have never cleaned it and the heater must be >10 y/o. The water was just slightly cloudy for about 45 seconds. I let it run for about 1.5 min. The reason for the clear water might be we had soft water for about 7 of those years. I've since bypassed the water softener but the water still runs though a charcoal filter.

There are other videos that suggest shutting off the gas, let the water cool, close the intake and opening the relief valve first.

I think I'll just take the KISS route.

[Vic Smith]

For me the KISS route is not to flush.

[bob haller]

after repeatedly getting nothing but having to replace the drain valve I dont do a thing

[gonjah]

It must be more of an issue in certain areas. I've had one heater go out but I don't know why, other than old age.

[Stormin Mormon]

Try using a full flow ball valve. Instead of repeatedly installing the angle valve.

Why would anyone heat hot water?

[gonjah]

Good point

[Stormin Mormon]

A point which is older than I. And also older than usenet. I claim no authorship.

[krw]

To make it hotter, of course.

[Ralph Mowery]

If you heat the cold water, it would be hot. If you don't heat the hot water, it would be cold.

As any one that knows how it works, the water comes into the house with one line and splits. Then you have to heat it to make it hot. If the hot water heater was put in the wrong line (like it has been done by mistake) the cold water would be hot..

YOu don't think the water company sends two lines to the house, one hot and one cold.

[gonjah]

:)

[Dean Hoffman]

For the same reason my mom would "unthaw" things by taking them out of the deep freeze.

[Peter]

Depends where you live. In Iceland, where geothermal hot water is provided for home heating and hot water (at extremely low prices) but is not potable, and potable cold water is provided by treating ice and glacier melt from rivers, the company does send two lines to the house.

[Fat-Dumb and Happy]

Some do, St. Clair, Missouri and its two water towers, a hot and a cold one!

[nestork]

Gonjah:

Your water heater should have a drain valve with male garden hose threads for connecting a garden hose to, like this one does:

'Winterizing Home Plumbing Supply and Drain Pipes To Prevent Frozen or Burst Lines In A Vacant House'

A smart thing to do would be to use a GHT to MPT adapter ("garden hose thread to male pipe thread adapter") like this:

to connect a second drain valve in series with your water heater's drain valve.

Then, leave the water heater's drain valve wide open and flush the tank by opening and closing the second valve you added.

That way, if that second valve ever starts to leak, you can close the heater's original drain valve to repair or replace that second drain valve.

The way you have it now, if your heater's drain valve ever started to leak, you'd have to replace it, and that's a little riskier because if things don't go as planned, you have a leaking water heater.

(Although what you could do instead is simply put a cap on the valve to prevent any leakage and only remove that cap and connect the garden hose when you wanted to flush the water heater.)