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.