How and Why To Flush Your Water Heater

10/16/2019 (Permalink)

Flushing a water heater in Wallingford, WA

As a homeowner in Wallingford, WA, you can save a lot of time and money on water damage repair simply by practicing preventative maintenance on some of your vital systems. Hot water is something that nobody wants to go without, so don't leave your hot water heaters out. All it needs is a flush every now and then to clear the sediments out of the tank.

Preparation

To prepare for your water heater flush, you'll want to begin by gathering some supplies. You don't need much, and you should already have everything required around the house:

• Work gloves
  
• Garden Hose
  
• Screwdriver
  
  

After putting on your gloves, turn off the heater itself. Then you can attach the hose to the drain valve. Make sure to place the other end of the hose near a drain or somewhere that you don't mind water and sediment accumulating, like outside.

Draining

Next, open the drain valve and let the water run for a few minutes. To help the water along, turn on the hot water faucet in your kitchen. After another couple minutes, turn off the water supply valve until the flow of water stops. To be thorough and give it one more rinse, turn on the water supply valve one more time for a couple of minutes, and turn it off again.

Filling

Now that everything is flushed out of the heater, you can fill it back up again. Close the drain valve and turn the water supply line back on. Keep an eye on the faucet in the kitchen. You'll know the tank is full when the water coming out of the faucet is smooth and steady- that means all the air has been pushed out. Once the tank is full, you can turn the heater back on. Don't forget to turn off the faucet at the end!
You water heater is an important part of your home. To give it a good, long life you should flush it out regularly to avoid damage or malfunctions, or total replacement. It isn't hard to integrate regular flushing into your home maintenance routine.