Awesome Maintenance Advice

[Mtneer]

Figured it's time to flush our water heater after a decade. So checked the manual to see if there was anything special I needed to know.


A water heater?s tank can act as a settling basin for solids suspended in the water. It is therefore not uncommon for hard water deposits to accumulate in the bottom of the tank. It is suggested that a few quarts/liters of water be drained from the water heater?s tank every month to clean the tank of these deposits.

Dang, missed that when we did the replacement. I'll get right on that, 12 times a year. Thanks for the advice.

What other valuable tips from manufacturers have you seen? Want to make sure I follow their suggestions.

[BPTactical]

Who doesn’t do this??????*






* wife’s family is in the plumbing biz- learned this hack 30+ years ago

[ray1970]

Hmm. I just replace mine every twenty years or so as needed.

[Sawin]

I’ve replaced the anode rod in mine and drained it twice, but never more than once a year… once a month? Really? Good luck with that.

[buffalobo]

Hmm. I just replace mine every twenty years or so as needed.This.

If you're unarmed, you are a victim.

[flogger]

Probably good advice from the mfr. since they have no idea what the water is like where it is being installed. I'm due to replace mine, 17 yrs. old, never drained it and they can be bad news when they fail. I have seen plumbers actually use small electric pumps to help drain them due to the settlement, when they replace them, otherwise it would take hours to drain!

[eddiememphis]

I’ve replaced the anode rod in mine and drained it twice, but never more than once a year… once a month? Really? Good luck with that.

That's amazing. Most people have no idea what the anode is or does, let alone replace it.

It should be inspected annually and replaced as necessary. Much easier on some tanks than on others.

[O2HeN2]

Requirement to bleed the tank every month? It sounds like a method for the manufacturer to get out of warranty claims.

O2

[Scanker19]

If you have hard water the what will also cause excessive build up. Draining helps to keep the silt and stuff out, which also makes it more efficient too. When I replaced mine the build up was so much it would not drain. Our plumber said every six months. When you change the smoke Detector batteries, drain the heater.

[Hummer]

I installed a gas water heater when I built our Palisade home. The water is good with very little mineral content. At about 7 years in, we had low water flow and clogged faucets. I removed the anode and found it had broken down and was the cause of the clogging. I think it was cheap chinamade junk that GE put in their heaters. Never had the problem again until I replaced the heater after 20 years and went with an indirect tank that uses the boiler. It provides unlimited hot water.

The gas heater at the cabin is the original March 1965 Montgomery Wards unit. I drain it every few years when I need to work on the water system. I collects some rust particles but not enough to cover the bottom of the glass tank. The main problem is the drain valve which needs a new seal and packing from time to time. The more often one drains the tank, the more likely it is to get leaks from the gate valve.

[newracer]

If you have a demand water heater you should flush with vinegar at least once per year.

My cloths washer has a cleaning cycle that should be run once per month.

I run the dishwasher with a small bowl of vinegar once a month.

I clean the coils on the refrigerator once a year.

I put an enzyme cleaner down the kitchen drain once a month.

[BPTactical]

"This one little hack"

[Scanker19]

"This one little hack"

—Lizzy Borden

[ray1970]

If you have a demand water heater you should flush with vinegar at least once per year.

My cloths washer has a cleaning cycle that should be run once per month.

I run the dishwasher with a small bowl of vinegar once a month.

I clean the coils on the refrigerator once a year.

I put an enzyme cleaner down the kitchen drain once a month.

What are you? Retired?

[Zundfolge]

Hmm. I just replace mine every twenty years or so as needed.

The problem is, newer ones are not as robustly built as your twenty year old one, so its becoming "I just replace mine every 3-5 years or so as needed".

[eddiememphis]

What are you? Retired?

He is the president of a vinegar consortium.

[FoxtArt]

I pull out the fire extinguisher every week from the camper like the instruction book tells me and I test the valve.

In truth, I don't have enough time to perform recommended manufacture maintenance on myself, let alone everything else.

I expect them to do what I do, ignore the pain and keep working, those SOB's.

[newracer]

What are you? Retired?
I wish. When we moved into our new house I became aware of the water heater maintenance. With all new appliances I looked into other recommendations.

Other than the water heater each only takes a few minutes.



He is the president of a vinegar consortium.
[ROFL1][ROFL3] It does take 4 gallons to flush the water heater.