How Often Should Your Water Heater Tank Be Flushed?
Flushing a water heater tank is one of a plumbing professional’s tasks during an annual water heater maintenance appointment. Still, a homeowner can extend the life of their water heater unit by flushing the tank themselves every three to six months. Depending on the hardness of the water in your area, a mineral buildup can develop quickly in your tank without regular flushes, causing the system to burst and flood your home. In this guide, the expert plumbers at Blind & Sons explain what you need to do to flush your water heater tank between routine maintenance appointments.
What You’ll Need
- Garden hose
- Water heater owner’s manual
- Wet/dry vacuum (only needed if you find a sediment clog)
How To Flush Your Water Heater Tank
Step 1: Power down the unit
Depending on your water heater brand, you might be able to put the water heater on a “vacation setting” instead of powering down the unit completely. Either way, you’ll need to make sure that the water heater is powered down so that it doesn’t auto-start while you’re flushing the unit, which can cause lasting damage if there’s no water there in the tank. If you have a gas water heater, shut off your gas supply as well.
Step 2: Turn off the cold water supply
You can turn off the cold water supply simply by shutting off your water main. If you have a water softener, shut off that valve as well.
Step 3: Drain the tank
Connect your garden hose to the tank’s valve at the bottom of the unit. Place the other end of the hose where you would like the water to drain, noting that this water might be very hot. If you have a drain nearby, that will work. Otherwise, ensure that the water drains far from your foundation or other existing structures, so you don’t experience any flooding problems.
Step 4: Turn on all your home’s hot water faucets
Turning on all your home’s hot water faucets will speed up the draining process.
Step 5: Allow the tank to drain
Open the tank’s valve and wait while the water drains. Take note of how much sediment is moving and draining. If the water draining becomes very slow, there is a sediment clog. To clear the clog, you can open the temperature-pressure release to help the water drain and then vacuum out the blockage with a wet/dry vacuum.
Step 6: Rinse the tank of leftover sediments
Turn on the cold water supply, fill the tank again, and drain the water. Repeat this step until you see that the water coming out of the garden hose is clear. Make sure the area around the drain valve is free of sediments as well.
Step 7: Clean up
Close the drain valve, remove the garden hose, and turn the cold water supply back on. Leave your hot water faucets on until clear water starts flowing through them steadily again so that you don’t trap air in your plumbing system. If running water is brown or cloudy at first, that’s normal. After letting the water run for a while, the water will be clean. Revert your water heater to its original settings and reopen the gas valve.
Professional Water Heater Services in Northeast Ohio
If you live in northeast Ohio and prefer a professional to flush your water heater, contact our expert water heater maintenance and repair team at Blind & Sons. Since 1937, Northeast Ohio’s residents and businesses have trusted Blind & Sons for reliable heating, cooling, plumbing, and electric services. We’re available to provide exceptional service and restore your home’s water heater system as soon as possible.
Request an appointment with one of our certified water heater technicians to extend the life of your unit with a water heater tank flush. Call us at (330) 753-7711 or send us a message to schedule your appointment.
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