Flushing a Water Heater
Schaefer Inspection Service has 40+ years of experience in providing a wide variety of inspection services.
In this video, we show you the proper way to flush a water heater.
STEP 1
Connect a garden hose to the drain down valve. Run this hose to a nearby drain or outside for discharge. If you have an electric water heater make sure to shut off the power. If you have a gas water heater turn the setting to pilot.
STEP 2
Open the drain down valve, after one to two minutes, close the supply valve.
STEP 3
At a nearby sink turn on the hot water and leave it on then return to the water heater.
STEP 4
Once the water heater is drained, you can turn the supply valve back on and let the heater flush for one to two minutes.
STEP 5
Finally, close the drain down valve and let the heater refill to capacity. Return to the open faucet and wait for all air to be purged from the tank and from the lines.
STEP 6
Once the air has been bled shut off the faucet if you have a gas water heater be sure to change it back from pilot to the previous setting. If you have an electric water heater turn the power back on.
Be sure to consult with your owner’s manual in some instances if the water heater is old or maintenance has not been kept up with. Flushing could cause more harm than good. To find out if your water heater could benefit from a flush please contact us