Open the hot water tank drain valve. Let the water run out the garden hose. This can take 20 to 60 minutes, depending on how big the tank is. Be careful not to damage or break the drain valve when you open and close it.
Well, it depends on your water heater's recovery rate, which is how long it takes to reheat the water tank once it depletes. On average, an 80-gallon tank water heater can take anywhere from 1-2 hours to recover. However, this is just a ballpark figure.
Why is draining your water heater important? A water heater needs to be properly drained as part of its regular maintenance. Over time, sediment builds up in the bottom of a water heater, which can lead to clogs, says The Family Handyman.
How Often Should I get My Water Heater Flushed? It is recommended that you flush your water heater at least once per year. Doing so will help to prevent the potential problems that sediment can bring over time.
Drain times vary for a variety of factors but a rough range is anywhere from 10 – 20 minutes depending on tank size. If it is taking longer to drain the tank you can try to turn on the cold water supply to the tank to try and flush any impediments.
What happens if you don't flush your water heater? The longer your water heater goes without a drain-and-flush, the more sediment and minerals will accumulate at the bottom of the tank. Eventually, this causes scaling.
Over time, it can cause premature problems. You can minimize these problems and extend the life of your water heater simply by draining and flushing your water heater, a task that takes about 30 minutes and will make a huge difference in the efficiency of your tank water heater.
Continuous Flow - annually. Electric and Gas Storage - Every six months, you should lift the lever on the Pressure & Temperature Relief valve for approximately 10 seconds (Or as recommended by your Owners Instruction information sheet). Then a service every five years.
Starting at the faucet that is closest to where the water enters your home, turn on the HOT WATER at each faucet, including tubs and showers, and let the HOT WATER run for at least 10 minutes for a typical 40-gallon hot water tank (15 minutes for a 55-gallon hot water tank).
First, open up a nearby hot water faucet, and then the drain valve on your water heater. After you have done this, you should open up the hot water side of any faucet. Open up the drain valve on the tank and allow it to empty. Depending on the size of the hose and pressure, you can expect it to deliver 9 to 17 GPM.
Sediment buildup shortens the life of your water heater and adds to your energy bill by reducing its efficiency. Draining two or three gallons of water is usually enough to flush out sediments, but always let the water flow until you no longer see particles in the bucket.
When your water heater won't drain, the most likely cause is a clogged drain valve. This is generally the result of excessive sediment build-up within the tank. When water is heated, the minerals in the water separate and settle to the bottom of the water heater.
Turn off electricity or gas to your unit. Close the unit's cold water supply valve (this is the valve that sends cool water into the tank). Attach a garden hose to the water heater drain valve, located near the bottom of the tank. Run the garden hose outdoors or into a bathtub for water drainage.
However, many homeowners don't know that flushing a water heater every year can remove a build-up of sediment from the bottom of the tank.
It can also be ammonia or acids or anything else near the water heater that qualifies as corrosive. If the gas water heater draws corrosive air into the burner, then the fumes created will also be corrosive, and corrode the water heater. This can lead to premature tank failure.
As the build up becomes more severe, sediment can displace water in the tank, clog up the drain valve, block the water lines or even cause a premature tank failure. Flushing the tank periodically can prevent these problems.
Brown water happens because rust becomes dislodged from the water pipes and finds it's way into your home water supply. The pressure in the pipes change during repairs.
Reset and refill: To get your water heater back to operational status, turn off the drainage spigot, remove the garden hose, shut the pressure relief value, turn off the tap you turned on in step 5, and turn the water tap from step 3 on one more time. Wait for the tank to refill, which may take a little bit of time.
Experts generally recommend that you drain and remove the sediment from your water heater at least once a year. This helps to ensure the greatest supply of hot water to your home, and also prevents the sediment from corroding the water heater's components.
Related Content. WAPT spoke to four plumbing companies that all said that homeowners should turn off the water heater if the water is not running for more than 24 hours. Residents can go to the breaker box in the home and throw the breaker to the “off” position for the water heater.