Draining a water heater can make it last longer and function better for you. Doing this prevents your heater from damages by removing the sediments that were built up in the heater while in use.

Sediments built up in a water heater can reduce the efficiency of the heater, cause cracking and noises when the heating is going on by interfering with the burning efficiency in a gas water heater. Heaters should be drained annually if it has to perform at its best.

How to drain your water heater

To drain a water heater, you need a garden hose and a bucket. The hose will be used to connect the water to the bucket. When these materials are in place, you can then proceed to drain the heater. Follow the following steps for safety sake:

1. Cut off the supply of water. There is a valve that supplies cold water to the heater; this should be turned off before anything else.
2. Turn off the gas and put off the pilot light.
3. Turn off the electric heater by removing it from the socket to disconnect it from the power supply. Most water heaters are connected directly to their circuit breaker; if yours is this kind, turn off the circuit breaker switch. This switch can be found in the main electric panel.
4. Allow the water in the heater to stay for sometime before continuing with this procedure. This will ensure the water is completely cold to prevent burns during the process.
5. Attach one end of the hose to the drain valve and the other end to the bucket you provided. Some models of heater usually come with covers over their valves. If your model is one of them, carefully remove the cover.
6. Open the valve you connected your hose to and the pressure relief valve; allow the water to drain through it quickly till the tank is empty. If the sediments build-up is much, it will delay the outflow of water. In this case, you should call our water heater installation experts at the Emergency Plumber Fulham.
7. If you had no obstructions and your tank flowed out completely, open the cold water valve and allow fresh water to run through the tank to clean it up.
8. When the tank is cleaned, close the outlet and remove the hose and allow the tank to refill. When this is done, turn off the freshwater supply.
9. Turn on your gas water heater and put on the pilot light and if you are using an electric water heater, switch on the circuit breaker or reconnect the plug the socket.

Who do I run to?

If you are facing difficulties in draining your water heater or you don’t just want to do it yourself, you have no reason to worry. Emergency Plumber Fulham can help you out. We respond to emergencies and specialise in solving problems like yours. We are simply one of the best.