My HW heater has never been flushed…it’s been at least 9 years. Still runs well, no leaks, rust, or wear visible on the outside (I know, it’s really the inside that will show it.)
I would like to flush it out but just wondering if there are drawbacks or concerns at this point? It’s a gas water heater.
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Replies
The sediment #### may be fairly hardened by now -and it reduces efficiency - 1/2" of sediment/scale increases gas usage by about 70% per industry sources.
Might well pay for a new heater pretty quickly.
In my area 10-15 years is about the typical life for NG water heaters.
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> 1/2" of sediment/scale increases gas usage by about 70% per industry sources.IMO that's gotta be a lot of bull. Most of the heat transfer should occur in the vertical heat exchanger, not the bottom, so even if the bottom is coated with a couple of inches of muck it shouldn't seriously reduce heat transfer.
The modern conservative is engaged in one of man's oldest exercises in moral philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness. -John Kenneth Galbraith
is heater electric?
I went 12 years without flushing mine (replaced it at 18 years still not leaking.) had an inch or so of crud in the bottom.
My electric's over 32 years old. Last flushed it maybe 10 years ago. I'm sure it's got 4-6 inches of crud (rust and silt) built up in it by now.
The modern conservative is engaged in one of man's oldest exercises in moral philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness. -John Kenneth Galbraith
i have seen year old electric heaters with a burned out lower element due to crud buildup touching the element
That would imply the water is awfully dirty.
The modern conservative is engaged in one of man's oldest exercises in moral philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness. -John Kenneth Galbraith
to do list ..
check insurance for leaking water tank coverage ..
replace 32 year old tank
buy a lottery ticket ...
the tank with the burned out lower element was in a spec house i built
the home had a drilled well & we seemed to have hit a old vane with lime in it
after replacing the element there was no problem with the heater for years
all the ones i drain for customers i carry a cap for the valve , saves a lot of trouble
When draining a tank for replacement, I've found that most of the time sediment will lodge in the drain valve and is difficult to dislodge. That causes the valve to leak water as we remove the tank from the house. I'd have a cap on hand to screw onto the drain before I tried to flush it.
wouldnt regular flushing prevent poor draining, when needed
It's a gas water heater. It has a hose connection so I'll see if I can find a cap for it at HD or Lowes. I was planning on draining it into my sump pump. I don't have a sink in the basement. The thought of carrying a 5 gallon bucket upstairs and out the front door doesn't sound fun.Any reason why draining into the sump pump is bad?Any reason why draining it at this point is a bad thing to do? I vaguely remember reading something a few years back that mentioned some drawbacks but I can't find the article or recall what the drawbacks were.
Drain valve not closing after you opening it can be a concern if it hasn't been touched in years.
Standard draining will not hurt the WH, if your were to power flush it, that can create problems just like a radiator in a car.
"Any reason why draining into the sump pump is bad?"Your sump pump might like it and get to expecting a nice warm bath every six months or so as a reward for all that hard cold work it does otherwise."Any reason why draining it at this point is a bad thing to do?"Nothing quite like having a rusted, corroded drain valve break off in your hand and not knowing where the next upline shutoff is to ruin a good day. Unless it is doing the same when you wife is just ready to take a hot shower before taking you out to dinner and the movies.
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Thanks for the advice regarding the wife. I'll make sure to start this on a Friday when she hasn't made any plans for us on a Saturday or Sunday..oh wait, that may take another 10 years then.
Yeah, that's one of the rules - always start a DIY plumbing job on a friday night so the plumbers won't be available to help you out until monday AM! That way your wife is more motivated to make sure you do it rightLOLSeriously now, after ten years, i'd not worry about it.I do drain mine every six months, but on jobs, I'd say a good half of them had problems with the drain not closing again, and most of them never do get flush attention, when in a year round home.
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I prefer starting Saturday night, about an hour before all the stores close. With luck you just miss finding an open hardware store by five minutes.
The modern conservative is engaged in one of man's oldest exercises in moral philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness. -John Kenneth Galbraith
i drained one with alot of stuff in it into a sump pump. the hard calcium deposits locked up the pump.
can you get the hose out a window,even for the first 5 minutes ,thats when most the ***** comes out.
like it was said ,50% chance that valve won't reseal.YOU ONLY NEED TWO TOOLS IN LIFE - WD-40 AND DUCT TAPE. IF IT DOESN'TMOVE AND SHOULD, USE THE WD-40. IF IT SHOULDN'T MOVE AND DOES, USE THEDUCT TAPE.
The water is exceptionally hot. It could damage the pump if you don't mix it with cold water.
The modern conservative is engaged in one of man's oldest exercises in moral philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness. -John Kenneth Galbraith
wouldnt regular flushing prevent poor draining, when needed
It would, but who among us, except Piffin, regularly drain their hot water heater?