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InspectAPedia ® Home WATER HEATERS AGE of WATER HEATERS AIRBOUND HEAT SYSTEM REPAIRS ALTERNATIVE HOT WATER SOURCES ANODES & DIP TUBES on WATER HEATERS ANTIFREEZE for BOILERS ANTI SCALD VALVES APPLIANCE EFFICIENCY RATINGS AQUASTAT CONTROL Functions BACKDRAFTING HEATING EQUIPMENT BACKFLOW PREVENTER VALVE, HEATING SYS BACKFLOW PREVENTER, HEATER WATER FEEDER BACKUP HEAT for HEAT PUMPS BLEVE EXPLOSIONS BOILERS, HEATING CARBON MONOXIDE - CO CHECK VALVES, WATER SUPPLY CHEMICAL CONTAMINANTS in WATER CHIMNEY INSPECTION DIAGNOSIS REPAIR CLOGGED DRAIN DIAGNOSIS & REPAIR CLOGGED SUPPLY PIPING CROSS CONNECTIONS, PLUMBING DEBRIS in WATER SUPPLY, Water Heater DRAIN a WATER HEATER TANK ELECTRIC WATER HEATERS FLOODED HEATING EQUIPMENT REPAIR FLOODED WATER HEATER REPAIR FREEZE-PROOF A BUILDING FROST HEAVES, FOUNDATION, SLAB GALVANIC SCALE & METAL CORROSION GAS BURNER Flame & Noise Defects GAS FIRED WATER HEATERS GAS PIPING, VALVES, CONTROLS HEAT TAPES, Heat, Insulation prevent Freeze-Up HEATING COST FUEL & BTU Cost Table HEATING COST SAVINGS METHODS HEATING SYSTEMS HOT WATER SUPPLY HOT WATER IMPROVEMENTS HOT WATER DELIVERY SPEED UP HOT WATER EFFICIENCY IMPROVEMENT HOT WATER PRESSURE EXPANSION RATE HOT WATER PRESSURE LOSS HOT WATER PROBLEM DIAGNOSIS HOT WATER QUANTITY IMPROVEMENT HYDROGEN SULFIDE GAS INDIRECT FIRED WATER HEATERS MANUALS & PARTS GUIDES - HVAC MIXING / ANTI-SCALD VALVES NO HEAT - NO HOT WATER: HEATER DIAGNOSIS NOISE / SOUND DIAGNOSIS & CURE NOISE CONTROL for HEATING SYSTEMS NOISE, PLUMBING CHECKLIST NOISE, WATER HEATER ODORS GASES SMELLS, DIAGNOSIS & CURE ODORS IN WATER PIPING IN buildings, Clogs Leaks Types PLASTIC HEATER VENT PLUMBING FIXTURES, KITCHEN, BATH PLUMBING VENT DEFECTS & NOISES PUMPS, CIRCULATOR PUMPS, HEAT PUMPS PUMPS, OIL BURNER PUMPS, PONY PUMPS PUMPS, SEPTIC PUMPS PUMPS, SEWAGE EJECTOR / GRINDER PUMPS PUMPS, SUMP PUMPS PUMPS, WATER PUMPS PUMPS, WATER REPAIR RANGE BOILERS RELIEF VALVE LEAKS RELIEF VALVES - TP Valves on Boilers RELIEF VALVES - STEAM TP VALVES RELIEF VALVES - Water Heaters RELIEF VALVES - Water Tanks SAFETY, HEATING INSPECTION SCALE REMOVAL, WATER HEATERS SEWER GAS ODORS SOLAR HOT WATER HEATERS SOOT on OIL FIRED HEATING EQUIPMENT SPILL SWITCHES - Flue Gas Detection TANKLESS COILS TANKLESS WATER HEATERS THERMOSTATS, HEATING / COOLING THERMOSTATS, WATER HEATER TIMERS for ELECTRIC WATER HEATERS VALVES, PLUMBING WATER CONTAMINANT LEVELS WATER HAMMER NOISE DIAGNOSE & CURE WATER HEATERS WATER HEATER ALTERNATIVES WATER HEATER ANODES, DIP TUBES WATER HEATER AIR INLET WATER HEATER DEBRIS FLUSH WATER HEATER EFFICIENCY WATER HEATER FLUSH PROCEDURE WATER HEATER NOISES WATER HEATER PROBLEM DIAGNOSIS WATER HEATER PROPERTIES WATER HEATER SCALE - De-Liming Procedure WATER HEATER SCALE PREVENTION WATER HEATER SAFETY WATER HEATERS for HOME HEATING USE? WATER ODORS, CAUSE CURE WATER PIPES, Clogs Leaks Types WATER PRESSURE & FLOW MEASUREMENT WATER PRESSURE GAUGE ACCURACY WATER PRESSURE LOSS DIAGNOSIS & REPAIR WATER PRESSURE REDUCER / REGULATOR WATER PRESSURE PUMP REPAIR GUIDE WATER PUMPS, TANKS, TESTS, WELLS, REPAIRS WATER PUMP REPAIR GUIDE WATER PURIFIERS WATER QUALITY TESTS, CONTAMINANTS, TREATMENT WATER QUANTITY IMPROVEMENT WATER SOFTENERS & CONDITIONERS WINTERIZE A BUILDING More Information |
Here we explain just how to drain the water out of a water heater tank. This step is a necessary first step for several water heater maintenance and repair procedures such as water heater flush-out, water heater scale removal, or replacement of the water heater pressure-temperature relief valve. This series of water heater maintenance and repair articles describes how to inspect, operate, diagnose, and repair electric hot water heaters.
The articles at this website will answer most questions about water heaters as well as many other building plumbing system inspection or defect topics. This page contains links to in-depth articles on inspecting, testing, and repairing problems residential hot water heaters of all types, including their parts, controls, and alternative sources for hot water as well as tips for improving hot water temperature, hot water pressure, and hot water quantity. Reproduction of this web page electronically at other websites is prohibited. If you cannot find information you need here or if you have comments, questions, suggestions for inspecting and diagnosing water heaters Contact Us Green links show where you are. © Copyright 2013 InspectAPedia.com, All Rights Reserved. Author Daniel Friedman. How to Drain a Hot Water Heater TankQuestion: Can I Drain My Water Heater Myself?We have a gas water heater. I’m a rather handy man. Would it be possible for me to flush it myself? What is a typical cost for this kind of service? - K.S., Seattle Reply: Sure, if you're handy and careful, it's not difficult and not many tools are needed. ButWatch out: it's easy if nothing goes wrong (we list some things that can go wrong here and at WATER HEATER DEBRIS FLUSH. And there are a few safety things to get right: avoiding being scalded, avoiding damaging a pressure/temperature relief valve, and avoiding flooding the home because of a snafu.
More details about draining and cleaning or de-scaling a hot water tank, including the removal of mineral or lime deposits and silt, are provided at WATER HEATER NOISES where we describe water heater flushout and water heater scale removal. If plastic water piping is installed, such as polybutylene water supply piping, it should be at least 18" from the water heater. Water heater vacuum relief valves are required at water heaters in some communities, to protect against collapse of the water storage tank and to prevent backup of hot water into the cold water piping should cold water pressure drop. Here is Carson Dunlop's sketch of a vacuum relief valve. What Goes Wrong When Draining the Water Heater Tank?Watch out for these common problems that occur when you try to just drain a hot water heater tank: Don't forget to turn off water coming into the water heater tank or you'll certainly never get it drained. The water heater tank drain valve may be defective, may fail to open, or may fail to shut off, or worse, may break so that water comes blasting into the room where the heater is located. If this happens you will have to be able to turn off cold water coming into the water heater, and even so, water that is in the water heater tank and in building piping above the heater will drain backwards through the heater and onto the floor. Don't force any parts, especially parts on a plastic water heater drain valve. Water heater tank drain valves are a pretty standard plumbing part. If your valve is worn or damaged, or if you just want to be extra safe, buy a replacement valve at a lumber or hardware supplier before starting your project. Most valves are standard 3/4" male pipe thread. You'll also need teflon tape or teflon pipe dope for the pipe threads. The water heater cold water supply valve may not shut off: especially as that valve may not have been used for quite some time. Or you may not be able to turn the valve. Do not force the valve - you may break it. Sometimes we can loosen a recalcitrant water shutoff valve by a combination of a little squirt of WD-40 or a spray used by mechanics to free frozen nuts and bolts. Don't get these chemicals inside the water heater. If your water heater supply valve won't turn off fully and is just dripping into the hot water tank, you can live with that during a water heater drain and repair project. If the valve won't turn off at all, you may have to turn off another supply valve upstream from the water tank, or possibly you'll need to turn off water supply to the whole building before starting your project. If you run into trouble you won't want to have to leave the whole building water supply shut down, so having a few spare parts on hand to be able to close off the water heater itself (relief valve, tank drain valve) may be necessary. The water heater relief valve may leak: often we use the test lever to allow air into the water heater tank during draining, as that will speed up the water heater tank drain process. But lifting the test lever can allow a bit of debris or even a damaged relief valve seat washer to flow out. At WATER HEATER DEBRIS FLUSH we discuss dealing with this problem. Where should the water heater draining garden hose drain-to? If you are routing a water heater drain hose to an indoor floor drain, be sure that drain is not clogged before beginning the project. Try pouring a bucket of water into the drain. If you are routing the water heater drain hose to outdoors, the water leaving the water heater tank should empty far enough from the building that it won't leak back into the structure through the foundation wall. At WATER HEATER DEBRIS FLUSH we discuss dealing with this problem. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)... Ask a Question or Search InspectApediaUse the search box below to ask a question or to search the InspectApedia.com website. Ask a Question or Enter Search Terms in the InspectApedia search box just below. Technical Reviewers & ReferencesRelated Topics, found near the top of this page suggest articles closely related to this one.
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