Useful links:

www.hotwater.com 

www.waterheaterrescue.com

First and foremost.........you have to shut off your water heater whether it is gas or electric.

If gas, Move the gas valve control from "ON" to "PILOT". This keeps you from having to relight the pilot. ***If you have a powervent water heater, click the switch from "ON" to "OFF" on the blower unit at top of heater.

  

 

For ELECTRIC water heaters,  SHUT BREAKER OFF AT THE BREAKER PANEL.

This will protect the heating elements inside of the tank.

 

 

Here are the simplest steps for draining your water heater once you know the power is off:

1. Hook hose to drain valve at bottom of tank.

2. Open valve to blow out dirt from valve; establish good water flow.

3. Shut cold water inlet valve off.

4. Open all hot side valves in the house (to break vaccum)

5. Drain tank completely, push on tank to check for emptiness.

6. Turn cold water inlet valve off and on quickly  to purge remaining dirt/sediment out of tank before refilling.

7. Turn water on at cold inlet valve above heater; shut drain valve at bottom of tank.

8. ***LEAVE ALL HOT SIDE VALVES OPEN IN THE HOUSE WHEN REFILLING UNTIL STEADY WATER RUNS FROM ALL HOT SIDE VALVES IN HOUSE.***

9. When steady flow is established, turn off all hot side valves in home.

10. Relight pilot (GAS) Turn switch back on (POWERVENT GAS) and turn breaker back on to water heater at breaker panel (ELECTRIC)

 

Just like a metal garbage can, if you leave buildup in the bottom of the can and never clean it you will eventually thin out the bottom of the tank. Same goes for your water heater. And water heaters are not cheap by any means for the cost of tank and the labor to install.

 

Follow the above instructions to get the same efficiency of your water heater as the day it was first installed.

If you have any questions, feel free to email me at Steve@DunbarPlumbing.com   859-359-4833