Have you ever even thought about why your water heater could stop working early or how you can improve the life span of your water heater? By learning how to drain a water heater, you can add years to the life cycle of your tank, which means saving a great deal of money over time on replacement and repair.

Among the reasons to learn how to drain a water heater are the fact that sediment builds up in the tank over time, causing blockage, and corrosion from this build up can also lead to leaks in your tank. By draining the water heater at least once a year, or preferably every three to four months, you can save yourself a world of trouble.

How to Drain a Water Heater

• To avoid disaster, turn off the water supply to your water heater. You’ll also want to turn off the power to the tank, whether killing the thermostat for a gas unit or flipping the breaker switch for an electric model. Be sure to close the supply of cold water coming to the tank.
• Inside your house, choose a hot water source and turn on the faucet so you won’t have a vacuum effect when you drain the hot water heater. Then, take the far end of the hot water hose and place it somewhere like a driveway so hot water won’t damage anything.
• Open the valve to drain the water from the water heater.
• When the draining is complete, turn the supply to the water heater back on so that you can flush out any sediment that has built up inside the tank. When the water runs clear of sediment, close the drain valve and the tap inside your house off so the water heater can refill.
• Once full, you’ll want to test the pressure release valve. To do so, turn the power back on to the water heater and let the water heat. Follow instructions per the manufacturer’s recommendations for testing the pressure release valve.

Learning how to drain a water heater can be quite beneficial, since you can add years of life to your tank by doing this on a regular basis. You’ll get better performance and a longer life span for your water heater, both of which will save you tons of money on repairs and replacement in the future. However, if you have found draining your water heater is a bit more difficult then you want to tackle yourself then it may be time to call in a professional plumber.