How To Flush A Hot Water Heater To Remove Sediment
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- Опубліковано 31 тра 2024
- Check out how easy it is to flush a hot water heater! This is important annual maintenance that will extend the life of your water heater, and help make sure you always have hot water when you need it. The process is very easy, and I show you every step of the way exactly what you need to do and how to do it.
• Materials needed:
🛒 Garden Hose: amzn.to/4aq1WtA
🛒 Small Bucket: amzn.to/4aq1WtA
• Tools required:
🛒 Basic Screwdriver Set: amzn.to/3TZfC9N
(by clicking a link above this channel earns a few pennies, but it does not cost you anything)
Is your drain clogged and too small to get the chunks out? • How To Replace a Hot W...
Does your T&P valve leak after this procedure? • How To Replace Pressur...
During an annual flushing is also a great time to check your anode rod: • How To Replace Water H...
0:00 Introduction
0:54 Turn off The Heat
1:50 Turn Off Cold Water Supply
2:10 Connect Drain Hose
2:30 Allow Air Into The System
2:57 Open Drain Valve
4:18 Inspect Draining Water
5:05 Flush In Bursts
6:25 Inspect Water Again
7:00 Completely Fill And Drain Once More
8:45 Final Fill
10:00 Final Steps
10:32 Conclusion
#HotWaterHeater, #FlushHotWaterHeater, #WaterHeater
Need some of the tools or other items I used in this video? Clicking these and buying something will send a few pennies to help this channel, and does not cost you anything extra:
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Small bucket: amzn.to/2q20tsK
A kind viewer used screenshots of this video and wrote up a set of written instructions to print out and keep by his water heater. He offered to let me share them with everyone, so if you prefer written instructions, here's a link to his guide: amplifydiy.com/shared/WaterHe...
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Ok internet, I get it. It's not a HOT water heater. It's just a water heater. I suppose I've always called it that because that's what I've always heard it called.
Me too. I was working in a house one day and gave the little boy an ice box magnet. He looks at me and says , what’s an ice box.
Same here. It's a water heater not a Hot water heater. Why would you heat hot water?
I’ll bet it all comes down to local vernacular. I grew up in the Midwest of the US, and everyone called it a Hot Water Heater there. Though, yes, it is probably redundant, plenty of people still call it that.
Too true.
@@AmplifyDIY A small study from a company I worked for in the past showed that customers responded well to, and also preferred "hot water heater" over " water heater". So don't sweat it. Also, to answer the question above. "why would you heat hot water?" Well, obviously so it wont go cold....Duh
5 YEARS LATER AND THE BEST VIDEO ON THIS SUBJECT! As a first time homeowner I can't tell you how valuable I found this video! You did an amazing job explaining and showing absolutely every process needed to due this safely and thoroughly. Thank you so much for taking the time to document this so completely. It is saved as a favorite to this ladies videos so that I can easily retrieve it for the next time. Thanks again! FANTASTIC VIDEO!!
Thank you so much for the feedback! I'm glad it's been helpful for you. :)
First time homeowner here. Thank you for taking the time to walk us through this process. Much appreciated, good sir.
Very welcome!
Agreed! 2nd time homeowner, 64yr mother of 3 adults (somehow), still a virgin flusher but feeling braver! I just found out about the anode rod too. So much to learn out there.....
Worked exactly like you said! Thanks
This is by far the best tutorial for anything I've ever seen on UA-cam. It was easy to understand, and you explained it in good detail without making the video too long
Thank you!!
Agreed!!
This was the best video I've seen on draining a water heater. Thank you.
Wow, thanks!
GREAT VIDEO! Very well explained BUT . . .
just 1 thing, at the end when you think you're done, open ALL the hot water faucets in the house and after they stop burping air let them run for another minute to make sure all the air is out. What's called water hammer can destroy your plumbing. Super important to get all the air out
Great tip!
Thanks for the tip! My husband and I are under contract for our first home so this video and your extra tip are most helpful.
10:13
That little tank on top of the water heater is there to prevent water hammering.
Positive comment: This video presentation was nicely put together. Right amount of detail, well paced and easy to watch.
Thanks, John! That means a lot!
Totally agree!!
I agree very helpful. Really enjoyable and educational video to watch. Thanks..
Completely agree. Getting ready to do this the first time and figured I would double check what I thought it would take to do this. Video confirmed my thinking and I still learned more. Great video. (BTW...I also call it a hot water heater ;))
For real! Others are super slow and you get right to the point even worth watching the extra clean out steps! I was trying everything and then saw this video and you're like "open the pressure release valve", water started flowing!!
I have to crawl under the house & fix a hot water line to the kitchen (elbow is leaking).
Great video! 10/10!
Very clearly explained. Also, the sound quality is excellent, and the background music was not overpowering. Overall, a very pleasant and well done video.
Hey thanks, Kris!
For those that don't know, as he correctly points out, you have to shut off the water because fresh water coming into the tank will mix and disturb the sediment so much, that most of it won't settle to the bottom to get drained out. I experimented with this, and indeed, the sediment didn't come out until I turned off water going into the tank. Only then did I get some particulates appearing. So the author of this video has done it exactly right.
This is exactly right. Think about using a squirt gun to rinse out a sink. How well would that work if the sink was full of water?
Thanks for watching, and for the clarification!
Thank you so much! I'm a middle aged woman who is alone as my husband has passed and I wouldn't have known how to do this. You have done a great service for myself and others like me. Great video! Very helpful and informative!
Sorry for your loss Kate
Sorry for your loss mrs.kate
Sorry for your loss. May God bring you peace and joy in his memory and everything else.
wow, this is one of those rare videos that deserves a dozen gold stars
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
@@SomeBuddy7775 gelltras for u
This will be lost amongst the thousands of comments, but I also wanted to say thank you for you presentation.
Our set up was a little different as it's in the basement, so I purchased a hot-water-rated pump (only $50) and attached it to the tank using the connector hose from my clothes washer. Drained faster than you spoke of (for obvious reasons), but every step you mentioned was spot-on. Local plumber wanted $200 to do it, so you've saved me money now and in the future!
Lost or not, Sean, I saw this comment, and was grateful to hear that this video was helpful for you. So, thanks!
I’m a first time homeowner and I’ve never lived in a house before. Thank you for clear instructions!
Thank you so much! I just successfully flushed my water tank by myself. I’m a 30 year old woman with ZERO experience and I completed this in an afternoon after work. I would say that my water tank has never been flushed. I got out probably 1/2 cup of sediment. Insane! Thank’s so very much.
Great job!
@@dewalt4594 lmfao that was solid.
@@dewalt4594 it so is. Could have gone either way but it actually made me chuckle.
what if the sediment already caused some minor damage to the bottom of the tank , do the flush will make the tank immediately has water leak ?
@@dewalt4594 I do think it was quite offensive and insensitive and disrespectful.
Good instructional video, covers most all of the important points. One thing I might add.
**In the case of an electric water heater, DO NOT turn the power back on until all of the air has been flushed out of the tank through a faucet. The elements need to be surrounded by water before being energized, or they will overheat and burn out**
Very good tip. Thanks!
⚠️ 🚨 This above instruction is so important and needs to be pinned at the top of this comment thread please ! 🙏🏻 ⚠️🚨
Its by chance I saw this comment and would not have known to do this as sequencing the steps to safely turn on the water heater is not common knowledge to some of us. 👍 🙌
I loved this video as it’s very easy to follow along, audio is very good and newbies like me appreciate simple concise instructions.
Also, Thank you so much Springtime Plumbing as your comment probably saved me mucking up my water heater! ✊
This. We bought a cabin once and in the spring we filled it up (or so we thought) but did not bleed the air out and burned out both elements.
They aren't expensive at all but it was definitely a newbie learning the hard way!
Definitely. I would even bleed the air out before I turn the natural gas heater back on.
Not sure I would turn it all the way up to desired temperature at first. ( At least I don't)
Thank you, very nice of you to add this advice ... I'm getting ready to do this flush for the first time and don't want to mess up my heater!
I’m a first time home buyer and have been living here for 3 years and never knew I was supposed to flush it. 😮
Knowing is half the battle, as they say. Good luck!
Had a water heater die a few years after we bought our house. Never knew we had to flush the heater. And all of a sudden a few months ago the hot water comes out dirty for a few seconds. Today it’s the whole time the water is running. So I get to do this tomorrow 🤞🏻
I hope it went well for you!
You don’t have to apologize for what you called it anybody that is here to watch you know what you were pointing at and working on and helped us with thank you very much for taking the time to teach us
Oh you know how it is, there are some people out there that have to be taken by the hand and explain everything very carefully and you cannot deviate from the script for one second,the lady that set the RV on cruise control and went to the back to make a sandwich is a good example of that,lol
Thank you! Flushing the water heater is one of those easy things that makes the house safer and more efficient, but we forget. My 82-year-old mother just reminded me to do it. :) Depression kids take care of what they have.
You are correct as opposed to ignorant Millennial's.
@@jimdandy6121 yeah ignorant cause the boomers never taught us any of this shit but think we wanted participation trophy's instead.
I never knew I have to drain water heater. My water heater hasn't been drained minimum 13years.... I'll do it immediately tonight. Thank you so much.
God Bless youtube for droping an 11-minute walkthrough before I attempt doing it myself. Just enough for the coffee to finish brewing. :)
Pro tip: hook your garden hose up before shutting off the cold supply and run it for 15-20 seconds first to blow out all the sediment that accumulates at the bottom of your tank... that the entire purpose of doing a flush on a tank anyways... otherwise 9/10 times your tank won’t drain right due to the sediment blocking up your hose bib..
Great quality video
This is a great tip. Thanks for sharing!
Sorry, I don't understand this tip, can you elaborate? I've never done this before and want to understand how this step works and when to do it. Thank you.
Thx for the tip. But if shut off the cold supply then what are we running for 15 seconds to blow out sediment? 🤔. Sorry I don't follow :(
@@monad.6742 Hi Mona - here is what Eric is suggesting:
Step 1) Attach hose to drain valve.
Step 2) Open drain valve for 10-15 seconds *BEFORE* you turn off the cold water inlet. This will clear your drain valve of any clogs.
Step 3) Close the drain valve again, then proceed with the procedure as I outlined in the video.
Hopefully this makes more sense. Thanks for watching!
@@AmplifyDIY Should this be done before you turn the heat to pilot?
Also, later on, when you open a hot faucet to allow air into the system, do you leave that faucet open for the whole procedur? I noticed that at then end of the video you open a hot faucet again which made me think you had maybe closed it. Thanks for the great video!
Great video. Ive been doing this twice a year for over 26 years. Same water heater. I did one thing different. I have a short hose with 2 female ends and once its drained i put a hose from an outside faucet and run it backwards into the tank to stir up calcium deposits. Only a couple of minutes and then drain again. Ive got as much as 1 gallon of additional calcium out by doing it this way. For the future im going with small tankless water heaters where needed instead of a central unit.
As a second language speaker I am impressed by how clear and straightforward this tutorial video is. Just like some of other comments mentioned here, this is by far the best How-To video I have ever seen from UA-cam in my limited watch and learn DIY life.
Thank you!
Nice video. I just flushed my water heater. 1st time in several years. My tank had so much sediment that the sediment impeded the flow of water from the drain. During the quick 15 second water then drain cycles, I used a wire / coat hanger to stick up through the valve in order to unblock the drain. Its also useful to use the largest diameter garden hose you can.
Thanks man I got stuck at this step and your advice sure helped!!
This one damage the drain valve?
Can you teach me how to change my brakes too? 🤣 The Info, pace, detail was all perfect.
Great teacher
One of my cars is just about due for new brakes... what kind of car do you have? The process of changing brake pads will likely be similar.
Loosen lugs on wheel, Jack car up. Remove wheel, loosen or remove caliper, remove and replace pads. Adjust calipers, place back on, place wheel back on, put on lugs, lower car, tighten lugs.
Yole blocked toilet
Blocked toilet
How do I unblock a toilet
Here's a few suggestions.
1) shut off the gas line. 2) Turn the pilot off. 3) IMPORTANT: Turn on a hot water faucet to get the tank water temperature down by draining the scalding water out of the tank, and mixing in cold water. When the water coming out of the tap is no longer hot, close the tank cold water line and leave the hot water spigot open to let air into the tank. 4) Hook up the hose and drain the tank 5) When empty, shut the tank valve, remove the hose and place a bucket under the tank spigot. 6) Fully open then immediately close the cold water valve. Sediment will flow into the bucket. Empty bucket and repeat until most sediment is washed out. 7) Close the tank spigot and open the water valve to fill the tank. Leave a hot water faucet open to allow air from the tank to escape. Leave the water faucet on for 3 full minutes after water comes out to ensure there is no more air in the tank. 8) Open the gas line and light the pilot light.
No way will a bucket fit under the drain valve on my electric water heater. Older gas water heaters aren’t on stands either.
After watching the video- these instructions are excellent, almost essential, additions/ adjustments. I am adding a transfer pump to drain tank because it is in the basement and because it will be much faster.
Best tutorial on UA-cam .
Never would have thought it would be about a water heater. Thank you !
Awesome explanation, really helped me understand what to do with clear instructions and precautions. Thank you 🙏🏼
Glad it was helpful!
+100 points for clear audio and AvE shirt.
Ha ha ha. I noticed that right of the hop as well. Skookum as Frig wah?
Release the schmoo 💦
Another thing to remember after draining your plumbing is that you might want to remove your aerators from your faucets so they don't get clogged. I like the double flush idea.
Great tip, Vincent. Thanks!
I have not flushed ours after 2018 install. I’ve agitated it over ten times and there is still white specks in the water. Will they ever go away or is this tank shot already? Is it necessary for it to be clear?
I use a bathtub facet for this reason
@@Akiffxiv202 great tip. Thank you!
Or let it settle prior to opening taps. ?
I know this is an older vidjeo but I just wanted tip my hat to you sir, from a fellow AvE fan. Great vid & explanation, and no safety squints even needed! Lol
Opening pressure relief valve was key for me to get the water tank to drain fully. But I also had to wait for the water to drain at least below the relief valve level, otherwise water would gush out. Also, when doing the last drain, for me the water pressure was strong, so I had to close the cold water inlet valve before opening hose valve. Made a huge water mess opening hose valve first like he does. Anyways opening relief valve was not told in other videos so this was very very helpful!!
Hey Joe - I'm glad you were able to get your heater flushed. Great job!
So I just finished talking to my neighbor about that pressure valve and a company told him never touch that valve because there’s a seal in there that can break. I think they just told him that so that he won’t touch the tank.
@@AmplifyDIY So for those of us who need to use the Pressure Relief Valve to get the water to drain, is it safe to open that valve when the tank is full....our valve does have drain plumbing connected, so will this mean that the level of water above the relief valve in the tank would have to empty through the relief valve plumbing or would it most flow through the open tank drain port? Thank you!
@@bh6984 Yes, it's fine to open it while the tank is full, but be sure you have already a) opened the drain valve at the bottom and b) closed the cold water inlet to the tank. As long as you have done that, and your drain valve is not completely blocked, when you open the valve rather than water pouring out of it - air will flow in. At most you may get a few drips out of the valve, but mostly you should just hear a gurgling noise as the air rushes in to allow the water to drain out the bottom drain valve. Good luck!
@@AmplifyDIY Thank you...I can confirm that what described is exactly what I encounted. Opening the pressure relief valve finally allowed me to drain the tank slightly and swap out anode rods.
After you are through doing this, remember to write down the date you did this on the tank. One year from the draining, you will not have to rely on you memory to know when was the last time you drained the tank.
Great idea!
I keep all my car and household maintenance plus personal medical checkups dates and details on my phone and sync with all my iOS machines. It's like centralize their record for everything need to be done year round
The manufacturer recommends draining my electric water heater to get rid of sediment once a month (The recommendation used to be once every three months with the same model). I see that the video host tells people to shut off the cold water supply valve and open the hot water faucet or the safety valve for draining. However, I like to get rid of the sediment by keeping the cold water supply valve open and both the hot water faucet and safety valve closed. The power switch has to be off, of course.
By keeping the cold water supply valve open, the high water pressure from the cold water supply allows me to get rid of the sediment in high speed of about 10 seconds. Actually, what I do is not draining but flushing out the sediment. I can collect almost two table spoonful of sediment each month within 10 seconds. From the very small amount of sediment collected by the video host after using the hot water for one year, I think a lot of sediment is still inside the tank and could not get out because the speed of the water that came out was too slow. So I think flushing to get rid of the sediment is faster and easier than draining.
Since I still think it's too much work to connect a hose to the tank to flush out the sediment, I have decided to change to flushing out the sediment once every three months. It is more satisfying to see about 6 spoonful of sediments than just two.
@@simon6071 Hi Simon - Once a month is pretty excessive, unless you are in an area with VERY hard water and/or a LOT of sediment from your municipal supply. Your method of flushing is actually not as effective as you may think, due to the Bernoulli effect on the relative velocities of the water inside your plumbing and water heater tank. In short: If you do not turn off the cold water inlet, the tank and all the plumbing remains pressurized at the same pressure. As the water flows through a relatively small diameter pipe (i.e., the cold water inlet or the drain pipe) it moves VERY fast due to this pressure. However, as soon as the water enters the tank, it slows down to an absolute crawl. Your method will only flush out the sediment which has collected very near the drain - like within an inch or so of it. Beyond that distance, the water is simply moving way too slowly to stir up any of the sediment at the bottom of your tank.
The method I demonstrate (empty the tank first, then repeatedly flush for about 10-15 seconds until no more sediment comes out) will stir up the entire bottom of the tank, since the fast moving water coming in from the cold water inlet does not hit a huge mass of water already in the tank: It can spray / swirl across the entire bottom of the tank. I think if you try my method you'll be surprised at how much more sediment comes out than with your method alone.
Finally, my tank did not have much sediment in it because a) I flush it regularly, b) I have a water softener, and c) I have a whole-house sediment filter that prevents much junk from getting into my tank in the first place.
Thanks for watching!
@@AmplifyDIY question. My tank is pretty old and has not been flushed at all (to my knowledge). What do you recommend since there is probably a ton of build up at the bottom?
Flushing the water heater under constant water pressure does a much better job. Downside is you use a lot of water. Thanks for the video. Very thorough.
With all water-saving appliances installed in our house we don't even consume minimum water company ( city) bills us. Normally we run like "2 units" with supplier minimum billed usage of "3 units". So, flushing tank under pressure, what we do every few months doesn't really "burn our money".....
Out of all the videos i watched this one was the best, thank you for a clear and straight video of DYI... Thank You
Nice, easy to follow step-by-step directions… one thing I do different is: turn the temperature knob to “pilot” then go take a nice long hot shower…this will use up all the hot water in the tank so the water draining out the garden hose isn’t steaming hot…
Fantastic advice, Craig! Thanks for sharing!
As a single mom, and first time homeowner, I found this tutorial extremely helpful. Thank you for the assist!
If u need help call me
I did it today, thank you! I have two fifty gallon water heaters (large house), and one of them was full of silt. I bought the house three years ago, so it may be that the owner before me also had never done it, at least for one of the units, or maybe one of the units is newer than the other. I had to flush that one (the siltier one) out with cold water about twenty times to get it clean. The other took about six times. But they're clean now!
jesus is there any other way to clean these large tanks without flushing it 20 times? what a waste of water..?
Thank you. Tons of white flakes. Very little black flake. Will do it again in a about 6 months to see how much white flake is still present 👍
Great instructions and audio. I never knew I needed to drain my hot water heater until recently. No one shall convince me to call it a water heater!
Dude, what a teacher! Thanks!
Took 40 years and the internet for me to learn preventative maintenance is for more than just vehicles. Such as:
Washing machine
Garage door
Dishwasher
Heat pump
Etc.
B.B. Queen what is it for dishwasher?
Figris Tek o
There's a "Tube" for more DIY'S than you can shake a stick at. If you want to know how....Tube it !! 😁
Remember to do this regularly. I have a gas heater that hasn't been flushed for 5-10 years. Recently, it has gotten so bad that the hot water doesn't flow as fast anymore. It has initial good pressure, then it slows down to almost a trickle (but not stopped entirely). After watching a few DIY tank flushing, I came to the conclusion that the sediment has become so high that it touches the pipe opening that feed the hot water to the house and almost close it entirely. When I first opened the flush valve (after opening the hot water faucet), no water comes out. The sediment has become so thick that it doesn't allow water to go out that hole. I had to use stiff wire and prod the opening to losen the sediment build up. After water start coming out, I closed the valve and put the hose back on and proceed to flush it. There are so much gunk coming out. After repeat flushing and refilling the tank, we tested that faucet again and it shows good flow.
Clues that this is happening (that I didn't know of before): slow hot water flow, dirt accumulating on your laundry after a wash, blue detergent that you use for your dishwasher doesn't get dissolved.
Glad you were able to get yours flushed! You may also want to consider upgrading your drain valve so future flushes are much easier: ua-cam.com/video/OBPJYg0o_o0/v-deo.html
That was a very good walk through, brother, thank you. Good job. May God bless you 🙏
Glad you enjoyed it!
Very clear for understand to him. Great Video I recomend to the Home owners to learn. This
Thank you for a very clear way to drain and flush the water heater. I live in an area with sever drought and could not bear to waste so much water. I turned the heater off the evening before and was able to take a shower and wash dishes. In the morning, the water was warm, not hot and I used it to water trees. All of the water for flushing also went to trees and plants.
With your method, a 6 year warranty tank becomes a 15 year tank easily! Thanks for the knowledge and the savings!
This is a great tutorial (better than the others I watched). He not only tells you what to do, how to do it, but very importantly WHY you do each step. Clear & succinct!
I agree; I watched several times and wrote down step-by-step.
Thank you!
This is really helpful; thanks so much for sharing this video. A couple years ago a neighbor had mentioned that her handyman recommended a water heater flush annually & we both realized we had NEVER heard this before! When my husband and I discussed it he said the same thing :) So we did the flush and our water came out hotter than ever (we have lived in this house for 10 years) ! We had purchased the house we'd been renting and neither the previous owner nor we had this practical knowledge. Since learning this I have thought of all the people in my life who've experienced water heater emergencies (which sometimes included flooding from the water heater breaking and damaging flooring or something stored near the water heater) and had to replace their water heater . In some cases the emergency occurred over a week-end or holiday which means SUPER EXPENSIVE! One friend came home from vacation to discover that her water heater had broken while she was away and, well, that was a mess! I took the time to make notes of all the steps from your video and then noticed your description where it says another viewer did the same thing. KUDOS! I'm going to share the link to your video with everyone I know. I'm certain you have saved many from the expense and headaches of having to repair or replace a water heater or at the very least extend the life of their water heater. Great video!!!
Absolutely great! Thanks! Being in my 80's I can't afford the $100's people want to do this for me. I'm on very little social security. Below poverty so this is really a wonderful thing you have done!
@@caroloneill4760 I'd do it at no charge if I lived close to you. I don't want to ask you to post your address here in the public space. I think if you look at my channel there is a way to message me that way. If you live somewhere near me I would gladly do it for you at no charge. We've done this so many times now we are good at it. It saved us replacing our water heater.
@@cassandraconroy563 Thank you Cassandra. I live in Lake Havasu City AZ. The thought alone of you offering brought tears. There are still good people like you. Thanks again!
@@caroloneill4760 darn it; I live about 8 hours away. Do you know of any community services locally for seniors? or perhaps on Facebook there might be a community page and somebody or more than one volunteer could help out (hopefully). Sorry I wish I was closer and could assist. 🤗
@@cassandraconroy563 this is a town that takes, takes, takes. Got to have lots of money here because these businesses are extremely expensive and definitely can't trust handymen!
Great video. Informative, clear and SHORT! Sometimes the presenter gets in the way with too much talking. You are spot on.
Glad you liked it!
Just another first time homeowner here whose hot water is running out super quickly and this is my first troubleshooting step and I am scared. 😅 So thank you!
You've got this!
Thank you for this. I have one thing to add: A plumber cautioned me about quickly opening the right-angle ball valve at the end of the procedure. He said if you open it quickly, the water can begin flowing too fast to the house and blow a faucet seal or trap a big air bubble in the system that can cause problems with shower diverter valves. (Ask me how I know). Instead, he said to open it up slowly over 30 seconds or so to mimic the slow opening of a normal gate valve.
Interesting. Thanks for the tip!
Thanks for taking the time out of your day to record and educate those of us who did not know how to do this. Very informative and helpful!
Very good video. easy to follow. I learned something new today and saved myself a plumber visit
Glad it helped, Boomchucks!
@@AmplifyDIY The flush went well but I'm still losing water pressure in my hot water lines. I can't locate any leaks so my next guess is mineral build up. Are there any steps I can take myself to clean out the pipes/tank or should i call a professional?
Great video Thank you so much, I would have missed a crucial step if I hadn't watched.
Glad it was helpful!
The AvE shirt gives me 100% confidence in this guy’s advice 😎
New homeowner here. I'm just learning all of the little maintenance jobs for upkeep. Thanks for this!
Thanks for letting me know it was useful, and thanks for watching!
Dont follow this nonsense. Leave your tank alone. Sediment will cause NO problem
I like this. The part of the video "turn on the inlet valve for about 10 seconds to agitate the bottom of the tank. Then repeat a few times" is a good tip.
Thank you for this. Simple, informative, well spoken and presented. I appreciate it.
Thank you!
I've watched several of these videos and yours was by far the best. You give very clear instructions, have good pacing in the video, good voice modulation and so on, making it easy to listen to you. You're a really good teacher!
Hey, thank you very much, Eric!
I agree with this comment too! Great and easy to follow video.
I’ve seen other videos suggesting checking the anode rod. When should I check that or what should I look for when checking?
Just happened on your video, never even considered flushing the HOT water heater (suck it internet!). Will be doing this in the near future! Very descriptive and helpful video, thank you!
You need to give instructions on everything! Dude thank you for explaining everything in detail .
Thank you!
Whoa that’s a lot of wasted potable water. Imagine every household in North America doing that. But, it has to be done. Thanks for the video!
It uses around 150 gallons of water the way I do the flush. Yes, this is a lot of water, but it's a drop in the bucket compared with the impact of manufacturing new heaters all the time, and the cost of replacing a failed one earlier than really needed. Thanks for watching!
Thanks so much. I'm one of those people who learns best by watching, not reading instructions. I've had written instructions for months and was afraid I'd mess it up. Now I'm headed out to my water heater with confidence. Love your gentle instructions, you're a born teacher.
How did it go??
You should open your pressure relief valve anyway every time you flush it while it is draining to make sure water comes out and there is no buildup and also, turn the gas to pilot and then take a shower so you save money and the water cant scald you if it accidentally sprays on you
U right i open it from get -go till end of it when i done with & wanna fill back the water tank .is not really good touch it more then once a year one time that presser Vale is really flimsy cheap made anyway , so have to be carful
Just wanted to comment and say..we’ve owned our home for 6 years now (bought it brand new) and have used this video to flush our water heater for the past 6 years (I always do it the week before NYE)
Awesome, Tim! I'm so glad it's been helpful for you. :) Happy New Year!
Awesome video . Something every parent should make their kids watch .
Another winner! I’ve learned to do this maintenance stuff around my house just by following along with your patience in explaining. Thanks again!
Awesome! Thank you!
First of all, THANK YOU!!! As an FYI. I flushed the tank many, many times as white particulate matter kept coming out. After awhile, the floor became wet. I thought a leak had developed. I talked with a plumber. Turns out the water heater was "sweating". It appears as if the water is coming from under the heater, but NO LEAK. If this happens to anyone, be aware and don't panic....
Eric Shay it’s because your tank was hot and now it’s filled with ice cold water. Like a glass of nice water on a hot summer day.
That was awesome tutorial made super easy and safe for first time homeowners like myself !
Appreciate your effort in educating us !!
Glad it was helpful!
I have never heard of draining a hot water tank but makes perfect sense. My hot water tank is 18 years old and never been cleaned. Wish I would have known this years ago! Great simple steps even for a single female. I now have an emergency. Thanks for the video!
With an 18 year old heater that has never been serviced... I'd honestly recommend that rather than mess with trying to flush it, start saving for a new heater. You are already on borrowed time. If a heater is properly serviced from the time it's new, they will easily last 30+ years, but generally fail around 8-10 years if they are never touched. Best of luck with yours!
Yes I was on borrowed time:) I now have a Rheem 12 year warranty installed. I will try to drain it at least once evey two years. Thanks again for the video! It was very helpful!
@@AmplifyDIY
Very instructive video for me. It's really a great help for my project. Thank you for taking your time to explain the process with all the details and pace. Great job. Just subscribed to your channel. 👍
Well done!! Simple, direct and to the point. I do not understand how you get any thumbs down ever. Ahhh, the world we live in which currently upside down for a variety of reasons. I will stop there.LOL
Four years later, your's is the top video! Thanks!
Probably the best step by step video on how to maintenance a gas water heater I have found. Very nice job.
Wow, thanks!
@@AmplifyDIY You're welcome.
Best explanation I've seen on how to do this
Thank you, nicely done, practical advice and something many of us have never done. The water heater mystique is dispelled.
Thank you for this tutorial. Helped me out today. Started to drain my water heater then realized I didn’t quite know what I was doing. Yours was the first vid to pop up and it was perfect. Very clear.
Glad to hear. Great job getting it done!
Great instructions. We bought our first house & had our first child 6 years ago. Going to flush ASAP- I hope I'm not too late catching up!
Thanks for the very nice video, just what I was looking for. I don't understand why there are so many dislikes, unhappy plumbers perhaps?
That’s my assumption. Thanks for the feedback!
Super easy to follow. Thanks for taking the time to explain everything!
Glad it was helpful!
I just flushed mine following your directions. Thanks
thank you this is such a great video - super thorough and also doesn't make me feel stupid.
As a HVAC contractor who install/services water heaters, this is a great DIY video. The only thing I'd recommend differently is to purge the air BEFORE you turn the power/gas back on. More so with electric water heaters...if that upper element isn't fully submerged you could burn it out in short order. Also by not draining the water heater as shown in the video, you don't get the high pressure jetting action of the water breaking the scale up. Drop a penny in an empty glass of water and then a full glass of water..... which one did the penny hit the bottom harder?
David Colligan, can you help me understand which step you mean? It's my first time attempting to drain a 10 yr. old gas water heater (40 gallon) , water's been coming out brownish each morning, I have to run hot water awhile, catching about 10 gallons in before it stops looking brownish. My water heater is in kitchen area. I can drain it out kitchen door ( using water hose ) but am worried. I'm an older gal but maybe can still learn how to flush water heater without blowing myself or tank up. Am concerned all the sediment, while I'm draining it, may clog up valve or hose.
Can't afford a plumber at this time...any suggestions will be greatly appreciated. BTW this video was super! Best one I've seen yet. I just hate to mess up my water heater, but also hate that sediment has built up in it. TIA !
Hi Dancing - David is referring to the very last step, when I filled up the tank again, I didn't wait until it was COMPLETELY full to turn my heat source back on. His point (and it's completely right) is that on an *electric* tank you should wait until the tank is completely full before turning the power back on so you don't melt the heating elements. This is not a concern with a gas heater such as yours.
As to your concerns: Flushing a hot water heater is usually a good idea, but I'm not certain it is the source of the brown in your water. A few things to test:
Is the water brown ONLY when using hot water? It is also brown when you open a cold tap?
Is the water brown at ALL fixtures (shower heads, sinks, washer, dishwasher, etc) in the house? Or only some of them?
If the water comes out brown when you are only using cold water, or only at one fixture, then the issue is not likely to be your heater.
Assuming you do proceed with flushing your heater: In your case I would definitely replace the valve at the bottom of the tank (where you hook up the hose) with a much better ball valve. You can pick one up easily at a local Lowes, Home Depot, or other hardware store for around $10. The reason I recommend changing it is because a ball valve has a much larger opening that will let larger chunks of sediment out without clogging. There are some other videos on UA-cam that show how easy it is to replace the valve, and I'm sure that you can get free specific installation advice wherever you purchase the replacement valve.
Roughly, your steps would be:
Follow my video steps until the point where the tank is completely empty of water. Then, remove the hose from the drain valve, remove the old drain valve, and install the new one. Then proceed with the steps of flushing with short bursts of water from the cold inlet.
At the point when you have the old drain valve removed, grab a flashlight and look into the hole it came out of to see what you can see inside the tank. Hopefully that will give you an idea of how your tank is holding up.
I'm happy to try to answer any other questions you have. Good luck!
@@AmplifyDIY Thanks so much for the response and the good question re: brownish water. OK what I've noticed is only the hot water, in each of 3 hot water faucets ( kitchen, bathroom sink & tub) comes out brownish almost every day. I keep white bowls and a white pail under each and run hot water until I see it's clear. I'd say almost 10 gallons this morning. That's one reason I jumped online and found your excellent video. :-)
But must add I've had issues with plumbing since I bought old house over 15 yrs. ago. Main water line 'blew' barely 2 mos after buying. Kitchen & bathroom had to be gutted & a few but obviously not all pipes were repaired or replaced. The plumber in charge was in his 80's then ( only plumber I could find in remote area ). He's long gone, 2 yrs later I had no water in house for 3 months. No joke. It took that long to find a plumber to replace main water line & valve outside. A few mos. later the old 30 gal. water heater 'blew' while I was gone, got home to see flooded floor & water still coming out of heater. Got a new one.
One yr. ago when temps were single digit I left 3 faucets ( cold water ) dripping but pipe(s) froze again, I went outside armed with hair dryer by the main water valve & was able to thaw that pipe. It's barely 4 inches off ground. Pipes froze twice in the past. So last July meter readers let me know they suspected a leak. I shut off main valve & called plumber. Took a few hrs for him to find a busted pipe under house. It was repaired. ( not replaced ), what I noticed just before learning of Major leak ( 10,000 gals. leaked ) was the Cold water was running brownish. It no longer does, though.
Sorry this was long, but it sounds like you may have ideas that may help me out. If I could move I'd do it tomorrow. In July I told plumber hot water was running brownish, asked what he'd charge to flush it, he told me to hook a hose up to it & do it myself. ( again, living in remote area has big downsides )
Another question, single digit temps due this wknd. in this area, do you know a good way to keep pipes from freezing? I leave faucets running, leave cabinets open etc. Problem seems to be under house, pipes too close to ground maybe, hardly anyone can fit under there to do much. Thanks Again! I watched your video again, read a few comments and anyone who said negative about it I think you're right, they may be plumbers who don't want 'regular' folks to know how to flush their water heaters. Ignore 'em. You've provided excellent service to lots of us. Let me know what you think, if it may not be water heater or ?
Dancing von sounds like you have old rusted pipes that need to be completely replaced. Probably galvanized. When you touch one, the ones next to it break, so on and so forth until they’ve all broken like dominoes. I was a plumber for about 5 years and I refused to touch galvanized pipes without homeowners signing a form that said I was not responsible for more pipes breaking if I tried to patch a leak.
Replacing all the pipes with PEX is surprisingly affordable vs copper, etc but yes, still not something those of us can shell out for who live paycheck to paycheck.
Yes, Dancing, it sounds like you have bigger issues than just needing to flush a water heater. Probably time to call a pro. Good luck!
Excellent tutorial! Perfect camera work and everything explained clearly. Thank you! Now I know how to do it the right way.
Golden video!!! Simple instructions, fast and not wasting anybody's time, kind of like talking to a friend that kind of just "gets" me. You probably just saved me $2,000 from a plumber on the phone that just asked "well, do you want to just replace it so you don't have to worry about it any more?". Yep, you just saved me from that!
Great video! Exactly what someone like me needs. I’m not good with DIY stuff around the house but companies are charging waaaay to much for cheap inferior work
This was the best and most thorough video on flushing a water tank I could find. Kudos!
Beautifully organized with clear instructions. Thank you for the titled subsections that show up in the progress bar as well
Glad it was helpful!
Absolutely the best video on You Tube for Flushing a Water Heater. Well done. Anyone who wants to do it.....THIS is the video to watch.
Our hot water heater [HWH] had not been flushed for more years than I want to admit. Following the directions in this video I got next to no where. Blowing cold water in from the washing machine cold water point 6 times into the HWH didn’t do the trick. So I shut off the HWH drain valve and let my drain hose [laid outside the house] drain until empty. Then I stood on a ladder and using a funnel that fit inside the hose shut off valve on the end of it - I filled the hose with white vinegar. When the hose was full, I shut off the valve on the end of the hose and reconnected it to the cold water hose for the washing machine. I then turned on the cold water to pressurize that hose, opened the valve at the end of the drain hose and then the drain valve on the HWH. In this sashion I blew about a pint of vinegar into the HWH. I did this twice and now the sediment has been disolved enough that water is flowing strongly out of the drain hose.
Nice job!
DUDE! You rock! That was an awesome explanation and even knew to answer a 'what if' question in the normal explanation of it all. Awesome man! THANK YOU for taking the time to help all of us out with this vid. Going to 'yearly' mark it on my cell calendar to remind me to do it each year. Great job!
Pretty much covered all the questions I had in my mind before watching this video. Thank you.
I been in my house 8 years and you are just now telling me I should do this once a year ? Great video, will have to do this soon.
Hey DJM - yeah, annually is best. Given the age of your heater with no maintenance, you should also check/replace your sacrificial anode: ua-cam.com/video/OIMz1rwx_jc/v-deo.html
And you may also need to replace your drain valve: ua-cam.com/video/OBPJYg0o_o0/v-deo.html
Don't worry, both are pretty easy and cheap to do yourself. Good luck!
@@AmplifyDIY After having watched this video, I had ordered the anode rod, I ended up ordering the 44 inch flexible one, as my water heater is in the master bedroom closet behind a wall. When ordering it, I forget how much room was in the space for the heater, so didn't want to take a chance on getting the single unit one and then need the flexible rod. I will flush the heater when I replace the anode rod, saving some time.
Just got it from amazon two days ago, so will replace it soon, can't be to hard, considering last year I replaced the lower heating element, thinking I should replace the upper one as well.
PS: the house was built in 2014, so the water heater is almost 8 years old. Again thanks for the great video
@@overkillkiller I'll never understand why builders / architects design houses such that the appliances that need regular maintenance are crammed away in the back of dark closets with almost no space around them. Sounds like you have thought through what needs to happen for your situation, and I bet you'll have little to no trouble getting your heater into tip-top shape. Good luck!
@@AmplifyDIY So when i had to replace the lower element, I paid no attention to above the water heater, I removed the panel covering the heater and there is a ton of room above it, but its still in a hole in the wall big enough to have about 6 inches per side so it fits, maybe a tad more.
Luckily the rod i ordered came with the socket and thread tape, I will end up replacing it tomorrow, do you think while i'm inside, should I go ahead and replace the upper heating element as well? I mean its been almost 8 years and the lower one just went out last November or so.
Thanks for the info again.
@@overkillkiller Yeah, I'd go ahead and replace the upper element while you are in there. You may also want to consider replacing the drain valve with a full port one like I show here: ua-cam.com/video/OBPJYg0o_o0/v-deo.html
Good luck with the anode!
I watch this video once a year when I have to do this job. And I just finished BTW. Thank you, Thank you, Thank you !!!!!!
Wonderful!
Hard water areas, remove your pressure relief valve and soak it in vinegar while your draining the tank. Not doing so means the water that crossed your threads will leave minerals. Yes, small but they will create a microscopic gap that over the months will allow additional minerals to congregate. It will keep building and eventually create a gap and then you start having leaks. A new valve is only 20.00, but a jug of vinegar is 2.00, and the time it takes is about 10 minutes to remove the minerals
If hard water is still a problem, open the top, add 5 gallons on vinegar,with the power off, let sit for 4 hours, drain to remove particulates. FILL and then turn your faucets on hot, with power still off...hot vinegar stinks, and let the sinks run for 10 minutes to flush out the rest of the vinegar and clear your faucet heads.
You cann add 5 to 10 gallons of vinegar after you've drained, and then water, and let your hot water side flow for an hour to help clear minerals from pipes and faucets
Check your elements 1 time a year as well. Turn power off, unscrew them, pull them out, and check for lime scale
This was an extremely helpful video for a first timer, thank you so much for posting! Positive vibes to you for sharing and making it SO simple.
Nice job! Harder the water supply is simply equates to more diligence needed to do this!
THank you very much - saved us $75 for a house call...and educated us.
I'm thrilled to hear it was useful. :)
I will be doing this to my 3-year-old water heater this Spring. I appreciate the detail you provided.