So what do you think? :) Do you agree with this method or disagree? Or if you have further suggestions or some corrections, we would love to hear them!
Well, you got me, when you said "That's it, thanks for watching" lol. I said out loud "What the Heck! Then you said "Just Kidding". You're the best. Also I loved the M&M part, that was so cool. Thanks for sharing.
Haha thank you! At least I got a few people with that ;) Glad you liked the M&M part! If you leave the M&Ms in the water for a few more minutes, the Ms start to float up to the top as well.
I did it today, thank you! I have two fifty gallon water heaters (large house), and one of them was full of silt. I bought the house three years ago, so it may be that the owner before me also had never done it, at least for one of the units, or maybe one of the units is newer than the other. I had to flush that one (the siltier one) out with cold water about twenty times to get it clean. The other took about six times. But they're clean now!
Jay, you're such a joy to watch brother! I never thought about vinegar backpour in the tank - clever! That was super useful and I'll be doing this myself soon. You've become a ritual in my home. I always like to start a morning off with some coffee and Jay with a Word of Advice. Thanks again sir! My very best to you and the family.
Jay, nice to see you posting again. I was wondering if you were okay. This quickie-flush method is usually sufficient. I would recommend using spring clamp to secure hose to bucket or sink wall so it does not flip around and spray water everywhere. Don’t ask me how I know. Haha
Thank you Ma Ma! I appreciate the concern. There are some issues but I would rather not go there :) Thank you for commenting, haha don't worry, I actually asked my wife to film the bucket and hold the hose at the same time while I opened up the drain valve. The tip is appreciated though!
That method works as well. I add a hose cap after I flush water heaters just in case the valve doesn't fully close after opening to prevent call backs. Don't forget to exercise the T&P valve when you flush it as well. Those will build up corrosion over time and cause issues later. Also why is the t&p line going to the floor instead of outside? If that ever has to open it can cause damage to finished basement floors.
I've seen a few videos suggesting this same method. I've successfully drained my old water heater, and saw a good amount of scale in the bottom of it. So my question is, is this method safe? I'm just worried that if I open the valve, the pressure might be too great to close it up? Is it safe for us DIY'ers to do?
What do you do when that screw head at the top of the drain valve breaks off as you are trying to loosen it? It basically disintegrated and now there is nothing to turn. Appreciate any info/advise. Thanks
I turn the heater to pilot light only, preventing it to fire up. Then I take a good relaxing shower until the shower is lukewarm or cold. I get out n dress, With a short hose already connected to the drain outlet n a 3 gallon size blue water bottle standby., I opened the valve n allow a gallon or two sediment water to flush out. Then I shut the valve. I leave the short hose connected n dump the sediment water. Oh lastly I switched the pilot light back to the regular temp setting. I find my way to be easily carried out with so little efforts, allowing me to do this every major American holiday. Hope this procedure help your subscribers!
Your actually closest to manufacturer recommendations. They seem to suggest doing a flush ONCE A MONTH! No one is doing that. You seem to be tho. Bet your tanks last 50 years. Im trying the once a month with my new rheem.
Good video. You should make one that shows your vinegar trick too! I usually leave my pilot light on and turn heat all way down when flushing my tank. is it OK to do it the same way if I let Vinegar sit in the tank for a few hours?
@Jo Tu Hey Jo Tu! That's a great idea :) I should make a video on that, thank you for the suggestion! And I'm sure it will be fine. That pilot light does not heat the tank at all.
I heard you should change your dip tube and anode rod if you are not getting water pressure and your hot water runs out quickly. Unfortunately on my water heater My anode rod in one of the feed pipes like the dip tube. If the dip tube is broken this could cause some issues flushing it.
Great Video. My water heater cold side working good, but hot water side water running very slow and weak for whole house faucets ? Thank you for sharing ^_^
@ZE KENZY Thank you! And that is a strange problem you got there.. So the cold water in all the faucets has good pressure but all the hot ones are barely flowing? I don't have a good answer off the top of my head but perhaps some plumber subscribers will have a good idea of what's up. I wonder if the cold water shut off valve going to the water heater is not open all the way or perhaps the valve itself is bad.
Check the airaters on your faucets. You may have hard water and it's building up and clogging the supply lines/cartridges. Home Depot has free water testers. Also if you well water instead of city water you may want to look into a water filtration system.
Hey I just to appreciate the job that you do, it’s very helpful, I think for everyone,l work as a maintenance service person in the Utah Satate,Salt lake city, I HAVE A QUESTION FOR YOU,IF YOU CAN HELP WITH THAT, WHEN WE HAVE TO REPLACE A WATER HEATER,WE USE A AIR COMPRESSOR TO DRAIN THE OLD HEATER, WE DRAIN THE WATER HEATER IN ABOUT 5 OR 10 MINS, MY QUESTION IS COULD I USE THE AIR COMPRESSOR TO DRAIN A GOOD WATER HEATER THAT I JUST NEED TO DRAIN IT AS A REGULAR MAINTENANCE? I UNDERSTAND THAT THE METHOD WE USE IS BECAUSE WE ARE REPLACING WATER HEATER,AND I LIKE BECAUSE IT DOESN’T TAKE TOO LONG TO DRAIN IT, THANKS SO MUCH, YOU ARE A REALLY GOOD MAN , GOD BLESS YOU AND ALL YOUR FAMILY. HAPPY NEW YEAR BY THE WAY!!!!!
If you leave the source water on for the tank you’ll be fine, the source will push the water however high it needs to go. If you’ve turned the water off and are draining the tank, as long as you keep the hose beneath the height of the water tank you’ll be okay.
Can you put a recirculating pump with vinegar in a 5 gallon bucket and flush it through the cold water inlet and recirculate it through the drain valve to clean and break up any calcium or sediment in the tank? With the cold water shut off of course.
I have never seen anyone do that but that would likely get the job done a few times over! :) Since I have no experience with that I really can't give you a good answer though..
Ok so I've got the w h with the plastic valve on the bottom. When opening the thing leaks around the shaft. It closes fine What did you find ? Any ideas to fix ?
With those plastic ones there is not much you can do for it. If I had a plastic valve on my water heater, I would replace it before it gets worse. Most of the drain valve problems/leaks I come across involve those plastic drain valves. Sometimes the valve will actually break off when you try to take it out tool. So if you do decide to replace it, I would suggest draining the water heater first.
What happens if you have no floor drain, sump pump or laundry tub in your basement, and the only place to drain to (back yard) is 5 feet above the water heater drain?
I used to drain my hot water heater but never got anything out of it but clear water, so I stopped doing it(waste of time)and the last hot water heater lasted 24 years. Tip: If you don't flush often I would never open that drain valve, because you might find it does not close all the way afterwards!
When that valve doesn't close or for those that develop a drip, go to the local hardware store and get a garden hose cap. It helped me and prevented having to replace the entire valve.
My hot water tank is two years old with no Anode rod ,had my furnace cleaned last w/e and when the guy looked at he said they dont make that model anymore it's disposable !! trying to figure out how to get it clean, we have heavy metals in our wheel water
Well that's an odd one... I was under the impression that all water heaters have an anode rod. Although some of them are hidden pretty good and you have to "unearth" them from the top of the water heater lol. Sorry, this is the first time I hear of a "disposable" water heater (aren't they all disposable in a way?) so perhaps a plumber subscriber will have a better idea of whats up and answer you later..
I would suggest to homeowners to install tankless water heaters in their properties. That way you have hot water right at the moment you open the hot water tap and save some 💰.
Tankless water heater compared to standard unit... much more expensive (for unit), more expensive install (especially if you don't already have one), more parts to break. And hot water "right at the moment you open the water tap" means that you have to have the heater close to the point of use. Otherwise, unless you circulate the water back to the heater (if new install, add more $), you still have water that has chilled in the pipes between the heater and point of use, and thus not "instantaneous" hot water.
@@neverenoughtime3151 Oh yes. The waiting time for hot water is just matter of seconds and this happens with both, standard water heater and tankless heaters. The problem with the water heater tank is that the gas has to be feeding a flame ( at a minimum range, I know) all the time. Unless you turn on the water heater with enough time before you take a shower to say something. Anyway it is up to everyone to select what type of water heater install in his property.
My friend- "4 Reasons why water might not come out" : #4 - relief valve closed, no air (counterpressure)...leaving it on/water on...brave man- read the manual. Thx LOL :-)
Every 3-6 months with my well H2O !!! Flushed several weeks ago in December. I have a Richmond 50 gal/6yr that I installed in 4/2009. Knock on my wooden head...I'll probably need a new one soon after bragging about it here !!!
@Adam Shaiken That's what I often hear! Well water has much more mineral deposits and sediment. Your water probably does not come out as clean looking as mine did either ;)
Word of Advice TV also, unfiltered well water can lead to pinholes in copper supply lines due to reaction with some hardened minerals/metals in your well water that may attach or get stuck on pipe walls. Over time, pin holes may occur usually on horizontal pipe runs. Highly recommend anyone with well water, use good quality whole house water filter. You will prevent potential problems, and the filter is inexpensive.
@@WordofAdviceTV No. Indeed, mine looks like rusty/orange koolaid for 10-15 minutes until it begins to sorta clear up from the down tube turbulating the remaining sediment in the unit. Not really clear just well stirred !
So the problem with this method one is your not getting all the minerals out of tank. Hence the reason to drain the whole heater. Second you never blow into hose this not recommend unless you want to burn yourself. Like he said water valve is still open stirring up debris which will allow debris to go to top of heater and not flush out your heater. Stupid thumbs down on video.
I just drained mine and it was stopped up because the sediment was above the valve. It took me 6 Hrs to get it drained using a piece of wire. I got about 2-3 gallons of sediment out.
My tank was so clogged that I had to drain it and use a shop vac to suck out all the sediment (which was up to and partially covering the lower element), after removing the lower element, the shop vac hose was able to remove most of the scale. The tank has been working great since. Now to replace the anode rod!!!!
@@WordofAdviceTV i didn't have the money for a new one so i did what needed to be done. If it hadn't have worked, then i would have beed forced to replace the tank. It is now going on 20 yrs and still going strong..... except to replace the anode rod when i can get an extra person to be on standby!!!
@@teresafarley4033 Glad to hear you were able to get it done! If your water heater is 20 years old, it may be a better idea not to touch that anode rod.. There's a good chance that the threads are rusted and it may start to leak if you disturb it by replacing the rod. If you read some of the comments under my anode rod video, you'll see what i mean: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-qLzoikQ7gWg.html
I wouldn't call myself an expert plumber so I am not sure about making a video like that.. :) But if I end up replacing my mixing valve (which actually is something that needs to get done..) perhaps I will do it with sharkbite fittings instead of solder and film a video of the process. Thank you for the suggestion!
Yes, it might be a good idea to blow back into the hose but maybe you should warn people to be ready to get that hose away from their face BEFORE they get scalded. Thanks
Description, How to flush a water heater without draining it. Me: hold up let me check this out, sounds interesting. Video: @:56 all you need is a water hose to drain it. Me: @:57 hold up let me go back to the video I was watching before this s***.
what we see is when DIYERS even so called professionals (professional is a very interpretive word) turn off the water valve (cold) at the water tank that has a cheap CPVC ball valve - or a "potential" (there are signs to look for) stuck gate valve (when I see this I turn water off at mainvalve at muncipality entrance). Thus said if its a quality all brass (lever) water shut off valve- we throttle the cold water to stir up scale and flush- finalize with a drain depending on scale output. More important is changing out the anode last year of the warranty of the water heater then inspect every 3 years.- which replacement isnt always an easy task without the proper tools (maybe a future vid for you). We have a rheem natural gas water heater on our service account that's original going on 26 years. The replacement anode rods are flexible sections (make sure you get the appropriate alloy) tinyurl.com/tv7kvox Lastly not all manufactures are not using a nice brass drain valve like yours in the vid- suggest changing the plastic out (most you can) to brass.
