Sediment can also make your water heater less effective by reducing its hot water output over time, making it less energy efficient and costing you money. The sediment sits in the bottom of the tank and gets in the way of the heating system, keeping it from heating efficiently.
Water Heater Maintenance Tips
Flush your water heater every six months or so. If you have harder water, or water that contains more minerals, you may want to flush it more often. If you leave town, change your water heater to its vacation setting.
To flush your hot water tank, simply turn on the cold water spigot leading into your hot water tank. Let it run for a few minutes until the water exiting your hose runs clear. This may take a bit. While the water might be running clear and isn't brown, you may still have some sediment.
Expect a pro to charge you between $75 and $200 to come to your home to flush your water heater, depending on where you live. While this cost deters many homeowners from performing this annual maintenance, it can extend the water heater's lifespan by years, making it worth the additional cost.
While draining your water heater once a year is the minimum recommended maintenance, flushing it twice a year is ideal. If you live in an area with high mineral content, more frequent flushing may be necessary to prevent mineral buildup in the tank.
The best way to protect your investment is to have your water heater serviced annually by a licensed plumber. A good plumber will conduct a full inspection for rust, leaks and other problems, test the thermostat and valves, replace the anode rod to prevent corrosion and flush the tank.
Open the hot water tank drain valve. Let the water run out the garden hose. This can take 20 to 60 minutes, depending on how big the tank is.
If not regularly flushed, your water heater can corrode more quickly. The sediment can also block or clog the pressure and relief valve (which helps keep your water heater from exploding).
Simply mix hot water with laundry detergent powder or liquid to make a cleaning solution. Scrub the inside of the tank. Use a bristle brush or abrasive sponge to scrub the inside of the tank, with or without your cleaning solution.
The sediment that gathers at the bottom of your tank creates a layer of insulation between the water and the tank's heating element. This makes it more difficult for your water to heat up, which can lead to a lower water temperature at the tap and lead to an upward trend in your water heating bill.
If you are handy, you can pretty easily see the sediment coming out of the drain valve, unless the sediment has already clogged the valve. Experts generally recommend that you drain and remove the sediment from your water heater at least once a year.
Get in there with a broom: After draining the tank via the bottom sludge gate, get in the tank and sweep out the sludge. While the temptation is to make it spotless, it's not recommended to clean out all the biofilm material on the floor and walls as this acts as a natural filtration system.
Sediment can be easily removed from a water heater through regular flushing. This process is just as it sounds: you will drain the water from your water heater, and the sediment will flush from the heater along with the water. This can be completed yourself or by a professional.
By running the cold water for 40 minutes, you ensure that it flows through the hot waters pipes and flushes the sediment out through the water heater drain hose. Repeat these steps with all other water connection, such as the laundry connection. At this time, you can remove the plugs from the faucet and garden hose.
If you are going to do maintenance on your water heater such as flushing your water heater, you should turn off your pilot heater to prevent heating an empty tank or if you are leaving for vacation or leaving the house vacant for a long time, it may be beneficial to turn of the pilot light to save energy cost and to ...
In the most simple terms flushing means you are actively washing the old fluid out using some sort of other liquid (such as a detergent or solvent) rather than passively draining which is just allowing as much as you can to flow out of the system unaided.
It only takes about 15 to 30 minutes to completely drain a water heater. A typical 40- to 60-gallon residential tank found in most homes will take no more than 15 minutes. However, larger tanks (80 gallons or more) found in homes with larger families can take longer, usually from 30 to 60 minutes; sometimes more.
It is recommended that you flush your water heater at least once per year. Doing so will help to prevent the potential problems that sediment can bring over time.
Typically, draining a 40-gallon water heater takes somewhere between 30 and 45 minutes. The overall time is heavily influenced by the size of the unit and the rate at which the water can exit the tank through the drain valve.