Why Should I Flush My Water Heater?
You might not be aware of the importance of flushing your water heater regularly, or you may omit this task altogether. But, flushing your water heater is one of the most important household chores you can do, as this minimizes the chances of experiencing some horrible side effects such as mineral scale buildup or heater failure!
At Caldwell Plumbing, we aim to help you get the best out of your plumbing equipment. To ensure your water heater is functioning, we’ve compiled this guide to why you need to flush your water heater, how often you need to flush it and the different methods you can choose to flush your system.
Why You Should Flush Your Water Heater
Before we get started, let’s discuss some of the main reasons why you should flush your water heater:
It Extends the Lifespan of The Heater
If you wait too long before flushing your water heater, you may experience limescale buildup. This buildup acts as insulation between the heating source and the water, causing your heater to fail over time.
This stresses the tank as the water at the bottom of the tank becomes much hotter than before. As you can imagine, this results in leaks, electrode failure and no hot water! Flushing the system regularly will reduce the likelihood of facing expensive replacement costs!
Noise Reduction
No one likes a noisy water heater, so it’s very important to flush your tank to prevent this from happening. Leaving your tank too long will cause the scale inside the tank to start making peculiar popping, banging or cracking sounds.
Although this isn’t something to immediately worry about, you should fix this issue before it becomes a more significant problem. Excess noise signals that the scale inside the tank has solidified, meaning that water can’t heat evenly throughout the tank.
Operational Cost Reduction
In these trying times of surging energy prices and high inflation, we all should be doing our bit to cut household costs here and there. While your water heater might not be the first thing you think of when cutting costs, it can significantly contribute to high energy costs.
Flushing regularly means that your heater can heat your water evenly, maintaining a good temperature throughout the tank. This uses less energy and keeps those bills low. Frequently flushing your system will also cut back on costly replacement bills.
Flushing the Water Heater Yourself VS. Getting A Professional To Flush It For You
If you plan on doing it yourself, there are lots of ways you can learn how to flush your water heater. A simple YouTube video or step-by-step guide should be enough to help you get through the process. Here’s a quick guide on how you can do this:
1. Turn off the gas or electrical supply to the tank and turn the thermostat to the pilot setting.
2. Turn off the cold water supply valve (if the valve is cold to the touch, you’ve selected the correct valve. If the valve is hot, you’ve chosen the wrong valve.)
3. Find the tank drain valve and attach a hose to the drain.
4. After attaching the hose, place the end of the hose in a drain, a bucket or in your driveway, so you don’t flood your home. When doing this, ensure the hose’s end is at a lower level than the tank so the water can easily drain from the tank.
5. Alleviate pressure in the tank by turning on a hot water tap near your tank.
6. Open the drain valve and wait for the water to drain from the tank. Be careful, as this may be hot!
7. Close the valve, turn on the cold water supply and wait for the tank to fill. Once cold water flows from the hot tap, turn the gas or the electricity supply back on.
Before you do any of this, try to think back to the last time you emptied the tank. If you haven’t done so in many years or you’re unsure about any of the steps above, you should consider contacting one of our licensed plumbers at Caldwell Plumbing to do this for you. You should consider this because you might have sediments at the bottom of your tank and risk activating leaks in your system by conducting a DIY flush.
How Often Should Homeowners Flush Their Water Heater?
The best way to ensure you get the most out of your water heater’s 10-12 year life span is to conduct a flush every six months to a year. This will help to remove all of the grit and mineral buildup from water supplies and keep your tank running at an optimal level.
However, if you live in an area with hard water where the mineral content in your water is higher than usual, you should conduct a flush every few months. Extremely hard water can lead to build-up that can cause your tank to fail.
For Excellent Plumbing Services in The Pickering Area, Call Caldwell Plumbing!
If you’re looking for exemplary customer service and high-quality plumbing, look no further than Caldwell Plumbing. We’re proud to offer residents in the Pickering area with a large list of plumbing services to keep your systems running at an optimal level. Contact us today to see how we can help you!
