Most homeowners should flush their water heaters every six months or so, but if you have extremely hard water, you may want to do it more often.
If you need to turn your water off for any reason, it's always safer to turn your water heater off, too. While many water heaters will be fine for a while without a water supply, reduced water pressure or a low water level inside the tank could cause the heater's components to overheat and burn.
The water in your water heater is extremely hot. To help prevent injury, it's a good idea to let your water heater sit overnight so the water within the tank cools down before you drain it. (BobVila.com says you should wait a few hours at the very least.
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. The pilot light will stay on, but the water will not be heated.
Whether your water heater is gas-fired, oil-fired, or electric, if it was exposed to flood water, the unit should be replaced. In a gas unit, valves and controls will likely corrode. In an electric unit, the thermostat and controls will likely corrode.
What Kind of Bacteria Grows in Water Heaters? There are a few bacteria that are likely to grow in your water heater, but the most common is legionella. Legionella is the bacteria that causes Legionnaires' disease. You can get Legionnaires' disease by inhaling microdroplets of legionella-contaminated water.
The longer your water heater goes without a drain-and-flush, the more sediment and minerals will accumulate at the bottom of the tank. Eventually, this causes scaling. Ever noticed that hard, mineral buildup on your sink faucets and shower heads? That's scale: accumulated mineralization.
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).
Signs of Sediment Buildup in a Water Heater
Water temperature fluctuates, going back and forth between hot and cold. The water is taking longer than average to heat up. There is no hot water at all. You hear popping or rumbling noises from the water heater's tank.
Water heater manufacturers suggest flushing your water heater every year to get rid of sediment build up inside of it. The water in your tank can bring in minerals that solidify on the bottom and sides of your water heater and, unless flushed out, can cause your water heater to fail.
Generally, for most standard water heaters, a flush will cost between $80 and $100. However, if the plumber identifies a bigger issue that needs to be resolved then you may have to pay additional amounts for that.
Depending on the severity of water ingress, it can take anywhere from a few days to a few weeks to dry a wet property out.
Run Hot Water and Open the Drain Valve
Run hot water from a nearby tap, upstairs if possible. This allows hot water to drain from the tank and relieves pressure in the system. Open the drain valve and make sure the water is flowing out of the tank.
Remember to shut off the main water supply to your home any time you're planning to be away for more than 24 hours. Yes, that includes weekend breaks. It's the best way to avoid serious water damage in the event of a plumbing failure.
Over time, sediment can build up in the bottom of the tank, where the burner usually is. This can lead to slower heating or poor efficiency in your water heater, meaning lukewarm water rather than hot water. The solution for this is to drain the tank and to use a water softener.
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.
In general water heaters are not self cleaning. Our Hydrojet® Total Performance System helps reduce harmful sediment build-up by the turbulent introduction of cold water into the tank.
If your water smells odd or has a rotten egg smell, it is usually caused by sulfate-reducing bacteria growing in the tank. These bacteria can make you sick. Maintaining your water heater temperature is key to preventing bacteria growth.
Water Temperature and Safety Risks
60 degrees C is often the default factory setting on hot water tanks. 60 degrees C (140 degrees F) is hot enough to ensure that dangerous bacteria like Legionella cannot survive.
Legionnaires' disease is a potentially fatal type of pneumonia, contracted by inhaling airborne water droplets containing viable Legionella bacteria. Such droplets can be created, for example, by: hot and cold water outlets; atomisers; wet air conditioning plant; and whirlpool or hydrotherapy baths.
Most people call in a plumber to flush the water heater, but you can do it yourself if you are up to the task. You need to turn off the water heater and the water supply to the tank. Attach a hose to the drain on your water heater and drain out all the water from the tank.