What You Need to Know About Draining Your Water Heater
Water heaters are fairly low maintenance as far as appliances are concerned, but they still need a little bit of care to function well. Flushing your water heater is fairly straightforward and is something you can usually take care of on your own. Here’s what you need to know to drain your water heater.
Why Should I Flush My Water Heater?
When you flush your water heater, you get rid of sediment that builds up inside it. You want to get rid of sediment because it can:
- Clog your pipes
- Impair heating element function
- Cause other water heater malfunctions
When Do I Need to Drain My Water Heater?
Flushing your hot water heater is an important part of water heater maintenance that you can do whenever you want. There’s no one time of year, day, or date that is better than the rest.
Whenever you drain your water heater, set yourself a calendar reminder to do it again in a year (or in whatever interval you choose). That way, you won’t have to guess at when you did it last.
If you’re not sure when your water heater got drained last – because you can’t remember or simply don’t know because you’ve recently moved into a new home – do it now and start the count from here. At worst, your water heater will get flushed an extra time, which will not hurt it.
If you notice sediment coming out of your faucets, it’s time to flush your water heater immediately. You may also want to call a plumber to make sure the water heater is the source of the problem.
How Often Should I Drain My Water Heater?
Drain your hot water heater at least once a year. If you live in an area that tends to have hard water, you might want to drain it twice a year or even quarterly. If you’re not sure how often to flush your hot water heater, one of our expert plumbers can take a look and let you know.
If you have questions about how to flush your hot water heater or you don’t want to do it yourself, our team would be happy to help. Call us at Wimpy’s today!
