How to Drain a Water Heater

A water heater is something that everyone is familiar with. Almost every urban home has one. But most of us tend to ignore the fact that regular cleaning and maintenance of household appliances is necessary in order to ensure that they continue to function efficiently. It is the same with water heaters. If not serviced regularly, their efficiency reduces and they tend to become redundant very soon. Draining your water heater is an important step in the direction of helping it live its complete lifetime. This article will tell you how to do it.

*The steps given below are extremely basic. Every appliance may be different. It is recommended that you seek professional assistance to get the job done.

A water heater is one of the most important appliances in your home and you need to ensure regular and proper upkeep of it. This is the only way you can have an uninterrupted supply of hot water. Not doing so leads to clogging up of the water heater. And to unclog it, you need to know how to drain it first. That's exactly what you'll learn to do in the next paragraphs.

You need to take necessary precautions before you set out to drain your water heater. The water that will drain out will undoubtedly be hot. So you need to:

• wear protective clothing
• keep children and pets away from the area
• switch off the cold water supply to the heater ('pilot' if it's a gas heater)
• turn off the pressure valve that is present at the bottom of the heater

Turn on a hot water tap in another part of the house. Doing this will ensure that when you begin the draining process, there is no vacuum formed in the pipes.

The next step is to get a garden hose and connect it to the drain valve on the heater. The other end of the hose should be left in an area that can absorb the hot water: either a garden or a big water tub. Keep people away from the end to avoid scalding or blistering.

The next step is to turn on the drain valve on the heater. Keep it on till all the water from the tank has been emptied out. The water may be a brownish color in the beginning as the gunk from the heater flows out and it will then turn clear. If there is a clog, wait for the water to cool down, open the drain valve, take a set of thin pliers or a long screwdriver and pull out any debris that has deposited itself inside.

If there is no clog, after all the water is out of the tank, turn the cold water supply into the heater tank on. This will flush out any matter that is still left inside. After the last remnants are out, you can remove the garden hose and turn the drain valve off. Don't forget this, or else you'll have a leaky heater on your hands. You might have to do it rather tightly to ensure that it is shut completely.

Lastly, check the drain valve once again to see that it is off, switch on the pressure valve, and switch on the main switch of your heater.

These were the most basic instructions on draining a water heater. Read the manual that came along with your heating system for model-specific instructions. If you do not succeed, then hire someone with a valid plumbing license to service your water heater.