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W. Grababrewski
Joined: 11 Dec 2006
Posts: 8
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 Posted: Sun Feb 18, 2007 8:22 pm Post subject: Draining Hot Water Tank |
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How often should a hot water tank be drained? Would twice (2) a year be suffecient?
Next question is, If a water tank has never been routinely drained, how old would it have to be before you would NOT drain it? I've heard that if you drain an older tank you could cause a leak by loosing up the corrosion. Any thoughts? |
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W. Grababrewski
Joined: 11 Dec 2006
Posts: 8
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| Posted: Tue Feb 20, 2007 2:26 pm Post subject: |
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| Not a real fast responce time on this site. |
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sf340dvr
Joined: 05 Jul 2005
Posts: 57
Location: Appleton, WI
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| Posted: Wed Feb 21, 2007 6:13 am Post subject: Re: Draining Hot Water Tank |
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| W. Grababrewski wrote: | How often should a hot water tank be drained? Would twice (2) a year be suffecient?
Next question is, If a water tank has never been routinely drained, how old would it have to be before you would NOT drain it? I've heard that if you drain an older tank you could cause a leak by loosing up the corrosion. Any thoughts? |
I would do a full drain and flush biannually, and then a partial drain annually. Partial should be to just check for sediment (run 'til water is clear).
It depends on your home though. City water doesn't have much, if any, sediment. Though local hydrant flushing could cause some. Well water is more prone to more sediment, and homes with whole house filtration won't have any.
Also, even though you may not have any sediment, you may have hard water, which can cause sediment or will build up mineral deposits in the tank over time. The deposits you can't really combat, you'll just need to replace the water heater or heating element in time.
I could see a leak possibly happening on an old unit. The only way I could see a leak happening, as a result of a flush, is the gate valve not seating correctly when the hose bib is closed, or the relief valve not seating correctly when it gets exercised. This would probably only be a slight drip if anything. Any other leak would indicate to me that this old bird needed to be replaced. |
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goddess girl
Joined: 17 Jun 2006
Posts: 29
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| Posted: Wed Feb 21, 2007 6:33 am Post subject: |
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| W. Grababrewski wrote: | | Not a real fast responce time on this site. |
Try giving RonThePlummer a private message, or catch him at www.diychatroom.com
Edit: Opps! Looks like someone got to it! |
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Newhomeowner09
Joined: 24 Nov 2010
Posts: 5
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| Posted: Tue Nov 30, 2010 12:13 am Post subject: |
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I have a 17 year old hot water heater, and I should not have drained it. Somehow some of the sentiment got in the pressure relief valve and put 6 inches of hot water in my crawlspace. I had extreme condensation on the inside of my windows and had mold develop in a few places. I was very lucky that I didn't have more damage, and it was an easy fix. However, you have to pay attention to your appliances as they are telling you something when they are not working properly. A hot water heater is a pretty delicate and expensive thing! Make sure you understand your water heater before trying any maintenance.
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