Water heater help

[Boxcar Wllie]

We purchased a house this past year and I don't think that any maintainence has been done on the water heater. What is the easiest way to flush it (to clean the "stuff" out of the bottom of it)? I've heard that it helps it be more efficient. Have any of you done this before? Can I just run it directly into the basement drain? What should I be careful of before I try this? Thanks for any help you may have.

[WallEYES]

If the water heater has not been flushed before, I would advise not doing it now. It probably won't do any good because the sluge/debris is hardened/caked to the bottom depending how old it is. The drain valve may not work and if it does work, you may not be able to close it tight again.

If it is 10 years old or more I would suggest to replace it. Look at serial number,call the manufacturer and they can tell you the age of the unit....hope this helps.

[MNice]

WallEYES?? You still alive & Kicking??

[WallEYES]

Yep Jeff, still going...I ended up breaking my other wrist last week while ultimate fighting with a extension ladder about 9 feet off the ground. Lucky, no surgery this time. I have broken so many bones I can't name them all

How you doing and are you guys busy like we are?

[Archerysniper]

Normally on water heaters the first two numbers are the year like 94xxxx is a 1994 heater

[MNice]

Dave, ya, we're pretty good, new high school to the tune of about 100 mil., lots of major remodel & new homes are really picking up. We'll have to have a "meeting" again sometime.

Take care.

[SkunkedAgain]

I was thinking about flushing my water heater until I read further into this post. So I guess my 1964 heater is a little old for this maintenance.

[Tom7227]

To more directly answer your quetion - yes you can run it into a drain. If it is an electric heater you can consider taking the lower heating element out and scooping the crud out. As indicated you run a risk of causing problems if the until hasn't been dealt with or is more than 7-8 years old. If you do it be sure to turn off thte gas or electricity before you get going. Flushing it will cause it to turn on if you don't and you don't want that to happen if you have your face down there by the burner.

In my opinion it makes a whole lot more sense to replace a water heater BEFORE it starts leaking. I would say 15 years is about the max you really should expect from one. You know the sucker is going to leak on a Saturday night, just before you're supposed to leave on vacation, or even worse while you're on vacation. Peace of mind is worth more than the savings you may get by having one limp along.