What’s your advice/ experience?

Signed-In Members Don't See This Ad
KenB259

KenB259

Member
Joined
Dec 24, 2017
Messages
4,147
Location
Michigan
Last week we just had a new water heater installed. When the last one was installed, the installer, said that draining some water off every couple of months, to reduce sediment, was a waste of time. The technician that installed the new one a few days ago said the same thing. The owners manual says it's a good idea to do it. So my question is it necessary or not? Do you all do it?
 
Signed-In Members Don't See This Ad
Ken, over time sediment (minerals) will come out of solution and collect in the bottom of the water heater. Draining and flushing will certainly extend the life of the tank and can help prevent the occasional discolored water. This advice comes from 30 years of experience in the drinking water industry 😉
 
I'm on heater #2 after 44 years in our present home & have never drained them once, and we have very hard water. I'd say we got about 25 years off the first one & the house was 8 years old when we bought it.

I have no advice on the matter - just sharing my personal experience. FWIW, we have a gas heater.
 
I drain mine every couple of years, you can see about half a cup of sediment come out of the hose at the very end. I don't know if it helps or not but I've never had a failure. It sure as heck doesn't hurt.
 
The one I just had replaced was 7 years old, we use natural gas. From what I read, 7 - 10 years is about how long they last.
 
I tend to agree with Rick Herrell - it doesn't hurt (unless the drain valve won't reseat - been there, done that).

Our first house had an electric water heater, and I had to replace heating elements fairly regularly. Eventually, we put in a water softener and that seemed to improve performance of the water heater significantly. We typically got 10-12 years on a water heater, but didn't have to replace elements nearly as often.

The new house came with a gas water heater, and we also put in a water softener even before we moved in. We never drained the water heater, nor did we replace the anode rod. We did proactively replace the water heater two years ago - after 18 years of service - our furnace had to be replaced in the middle of the previous winter, and I didn't want to have to deal with another crisis appliance replacement. We put in one of the tankless units, and I have been having it professionally serviced. That service routine does include draining a small amount of water, but I think the fact that there is no storage tank means that there is no where for sediment to accumulate.
 
Although it likely reduces the life expectency, I refrain from touching the dump valve. I'm too afraid that the valve wouldn't re-seat, especially if sedement gets stuck in there. (I would rather loose a few years than have to go through that headache)! - Dave
 
As my hot water heater was in the attic, I was always leary of the dreaded leak. After an inspection a few years ago revealed the then 10 year year old appliance was rusing in several areas, I asked for options from several plumbing outlets. My solution was to ditch the water-filed heater for a tankless system. The old HW heater was drained, the gas line capped off and the new tankless system was installed on an exterior wall. Now I have virtually endless hot water and zero chance of my ceiling falling through due to a leaking HW heater. And ... no need to bleed off a few gallons of water and/or sediment every year.
 
egnald said:
Although it likely reduces the life expectency, I refrain from touching the dump valve. I'm too afraid that the valve wouldn't re-seat, especially if sedement gets stuck in there. (I would rather loose a few years than have to go through that headache)! - Dave
Click to expand...
I thought about that too
 
We built our house and moved into it exactly 34 years ago (Feb 19, 1988). I am on my original Natural Gas Water Heater (AO Smith). I can't claim cause & effect, but I do attached a short length of hose to the drain valve a couple times a year, open the valve and let it run to the floor drain for a couple minutes. When we first moved in, I knew nothing about maintaining stuff in the house, but someone told me that was a good thing to do, so I have been doing it for 33.5 years.

I have replaced almost everything else in the house (Furnace, AC, Water Softener, Windows, Dishwasher, Garage Door, Roof (2x), etc. but still the original water heater. I've probably jinxed it now.
 
I would think it has a lot to do about your water quality. I also have never drained mine. Original one went 20 years Replaced it as I didn't want to push the envelope.
 
KenB259 said:
I thought about that too
Click to expand...
Same here. I can only imagine the debacle it would be if you couldn't close the valve with all that water in the tank... I think mine is 25 years old. I've never touched it, outside of adding some insulating sheath around the hot pipe up to where it entered my walls from the basement. Outside of that...literally, I don't think I've ever touched it. Seems to do its job quite well!
 
walshjp17 said:
As my hot water heater was in the attic, I was always leary of the dreaded leak. After an inspection a few years ago revealed the then 10 year year old appliance was rusing in several areas, I asked for options from several plumbing outlets. My solution was to ditch the water-filed heater for a tankless system. The old HW heater was drained, the gas line capped off and the new tankless system was installed on an exterior wall. Now I have virtually endless hot water and zero chance of my ceiling falling through due to a leaking HW heater. And ... no need to bleed off a few gallons of water and/or sediment every year.
Click to expand...

We have a tankless system in our new place and also at the cabin. On the new one we actually bought one that has a re-circulation feature that gives you instant hot water anywhere in the house. It does have a drain line that goes to a sump in the floor of the mechanical room so that if it ever does leak it goes into the sump and is drained out into the leach field. We did have a standard gas water heater in one house that leaked. Cost me around $3,000.00 to fix the mess after our insurance paid for most of the damage. But I never drained it and it lasted about 20 years.
 
one other thing that is in the mix is the anode in the water heater. depending on the minerals and things in your water, the anode becomes more of the thing that keeps a water heater lasting longer, due to the ionic nature of the water with the anode. Sediment may build in a water heater potentially causing issues, but once the anode has dissolved and can no longer fight the corrosiveness of the water and chemistry of the heating process, the tank typically will fail soon after that. Depending on your water chemistry, an anode may disappear quickly or slowly, but usually when its shot, failure soon follows. The anode can be changed if the water heater is still in good shape. They are normally threaded into the top of a vertical heater tank. Some have one anode, some two. If you are lucky, the anode matches the chemical corrosiveness of the minerals in your water and your tank lasts a long time. If not.......
 
We are in a modular home that about 30 or more years old... we had to replace the water heater shortly after we moved in... the house was about 12 years old at the time... it's a little 30 gallon electric unit and located behind a wall in the master bedroom closet... not looking forward to replacing it again. The unit now is about 16 or 17 years old and seems to be going strong. I've never drained it since its installation. It did get drained once when a fitting under the house broke, drained it under the house, burned out the heating element...

Actually I had never heard about draining them as a preventive measure...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom