Whether you’re a homeowner or a renter, regular maintenance of your water heater is essential for ensuring it runs efficiently. One key part of this is draining the water heater, which can be done yourself with just a few simple steps. Doing this on a regular basis can help to remove sediment build-up that can decrease performance and even lead to costly repairs down the line. In this article, we’ll explore why it’s important to drain your water heater, as well as step-by-step instructions for safely doing so.
Why You Should Drain Your Water Heater
Over time, minerals such as calcium and magnesium will accumulate in the bottom of the tank from heated water passing through it. This sediment accumulation has several consequences:
- Higher Energy Bills: The sediment essentially acts like insulation between the burner and the water, meaning it will take longer for your hot water to heat up since more energy is being used to heat up the sediment instead. This translates into higher energy bills each month as there is less efficient use of electricity or gas.
- Loud Annoying Noises: The sediment gradually builds up into hard chunks that can move around in the tank during operation. This causes loud knocking noises when it rubs against other components in the tank which is both annoying and disturbing – not only at night but also during daylight hours when you want peace and quiet!
- Leaks Due to Corrosion: Submerged metal components are exposed to rusting due to increased corrosion caused by sediment build-up over time. If left unchecked, corrosion can cause serious damage to the structural integrity of your tank and make it necessary to replace sooner than expected.
How To Safely Drain Your Water Heater
If you notice any of these issues occurring with your unit, draining your water heater could be a good solution for restoring its performance back to normal levels. Here are three easy steps for safely draining it without causing any damage:
- Step 1: Begin by turning off power or gas supply before beginning any work on your unit – no matter how minor! If you can’t or don’t know how to do this, call us or any reputable plumber! Depending on whether you have an electric or gas-powered model, find either its electrical breaker box or shutoff valve near its base and turn off its supply source before proceeding with any further work. If you’re not sure where these are located then refer back to the owner’s manual or give us a call.
- Step 2: Find an appropriate area where you can safely drain all of the hot liquid from inside the tank without making too much mess or hazard (such as outside next to a curb). Once you have identified an area for receptacle placement where hot liquid won’t come into contact with people or animals nearby then place one end of a garden hose into this space before connecting its other end securely onto an outlet located near one side of your unit’s bottom (this varies by model so again refer back to owner’s manual if needed).
- Step 3: Now all that’s left is opening up an outlet valve located near underside base of unit while keeping garden hose securely attached throughout entire process until liquid starts flowing out freely (again depending on model this may require some additional tools such as wrenches which should already be included in owner’s manual). Keep drainage going until nearly all liquid has been drained from inside tank before finally turning off outlet valve completely at end when finished (be sure not let any solid chunks escape through hose because those could potentially clog pipes downstream!).
Draining your water heater might seem like a daunting task at first but following these three simple steps should make it quick and painless every time. Not only does this help improve efficiency by reducing mineral buildup within tank but also helps keep noise levels down due lower chances for sediment moving around inside during operation periods! So if you haven’t done so recently then now might be perfect opportunity start taking proper care of yours today.