How to Prevent Water Heater Sediment

You’ll want to flush your water heater every one to three years in order to get the most use out of it. If you don’t flush your water heater regularly, you run the risk of water heater sediment building up, which can compromise the efficiency of your water heater as well as the life of your water heater. At Daniels Plumbing, we want to do everything we can to help our customers get as much use as possible out of their plumbing system, and a proper plumbing education is a big part of that.

Shut Off the Power– The first thing that you want to do is find and shut off the power source. There might either be a circuit breaker or a fuse that you have to remove. Next, you’ll want to attach a garden hose to the valve, which you can find at the bottom of the heater. Once that’s done, you’ll need to extend the garden hose to a drain, driveway or anywhere else that it can safely drain.

The next step in preventing water heater sediment is to fully open the valve and release the water. Make sure that you give the water enough time to cool to keep from burning yourself. Fill a bucket with water from the heater and check the bottom for sediment. If you do see any sediment, you’ll want to keep draining your heater until the water runs clear.

Finishing Up– Shut off the valve and remove the garden hose before you close the pressure-relief valve if you had to open it. Next, switch on the water supply and let the tank fill up before closing the water heater drain. Make sure that you don’t turn the water heater back on before it fills up or you run the risk if damaging the heating element.

For more ways to prevent water heater sediment or if you are ever in need of professional Houston Area Plumbing Services, Contact us at Daniels Plumbing. Call us at 281-351-6661 today!