One of the main reasons water heaters get damaged is the accumulation of contaminated water inside the tank. For this reason, you need to drain the unused water, which you won't be using anymore. As the water will get drained, you can use a bucket to collect it to avoid letting it go to waste.
However, the main problem is the lack of knowledge about draining the hot water from a water heater. If you aren't aware of the steps to follow to drain the water, you might accidentally injure yourself if it touches your skin due to its high temperature. So, to help you out of this mayhem and make you aware about the whole process of how you can drain your water heater, here we have crafted a step-by-step guide.
Step-by-step Guide On Draining Water Heater
Step 1: Shut off the inlet water supply
The first thing you need to do is shut off the inlet water supply as soon as possible. Since the heater is connected directly to the water tank connection, you won't find any stopper tap along with that connection. Modern-day heaters have a shut-off valve that allows the entry of the water into the tank. To turn off the water supply, you need to switch off this valve.
Step 2: Switch off all electrical connections or power source
Once you are sure that the valve is closed tightly and the water has stopped flowing into the tank, you will have to switch off all the electrical connections. Subsequently, take out the plug to avoid any accidents due to electrostatic charge accumulation along the body of the heaters. If the water heater gets power from any other source, you need to turn it off. The overall aim is to cut off any power supply responsible for the heater's operation.
Step 3: Allow the standing hot water in the tank to cool down
As the hot water tank will have water at quite a high temperature, you need to allow it to cool down. Wait for about half an hour till the water cools down completely, or at least the temperature comes down to a tolerable level.
Step 4: Attach a long water hose with the drain valve
Find out where the drain valve is in your water heater model. If you can’t find the valve, consult the instruction manual. Once you find the valve, take a temperature-resistant hose and connect one of the ends to it. Make sure the connection is tight so that there is no leakage of water during the draining process.
Step 5: Turn on the tap for hot water
The next step of this process is to turn on the hot water tap. It can be any tap that dispenses the hot water like a kitchen sink faucet, the fixtures in your bathroom, the shower, and others. Once you turn on the hot water outlet, the pressure inside the tank will build up.
Step 6: Open the water drainage valve
After this, open the drainage valve located under the heater, usually to drain the water from the tank. As the pressure within the tank is at a high level, the water will drain quickly so that you won’t have to wait for long.
Step 7: Enable the main water supply to flush out the tank
Once the tank is drained off all the hot water, turn on the shut-off valve at the top of the heater and allow the main water supply to enter the heater. This will flush out the entire water tank and remove all the impurities or any other debris inside the tank. You can use a screwdriver to open the shut-off valve.
Step 8: Close the drain valve and remove the hose
Subsequently, you need to close the drain valve and remove the hose you have used to drain out the hot water from the tank.
Final Words
Draining off the hot water from the heater doesn't sound too complicated right now. Well, the process is indeed relatively more straightforward, and you won't need a professional. But make sure to follow the steps and open or close the valves properly so that nothing will go wrong.
