Home Page link

Water Heater Flushing: Good idea or bad idea?

Home| Search | About
Login Password
Register Now! Lost Password?

Home Repair - - If it ain't broken, don't fix it. Otherwise look here. 

Page 1 of 2       1 2 > last >> Bookmark this page:  YahooMyWeb Yahoo!  Google Google  Windows Live Favorites Windows Live  del.icio.us del.icio.us  digg digg  Add to Netscape Netscape
Subject Author Date
Water Heater Flushing: Good idea or bad idea? VQ 11-11-2007
If you were  Registered and logged in, you could reply and use other advanced thread options
Posted by VQ on November 11, 2007, 12:56 pm
Water Heater Mfr: American Water Heater Co
Model: G62-40T34-3N
Capacity: 40 gal, gas-heated, 34000 BTU/HR
Installed in 1998, Souther California, Very Hard Water, No Water
Softening system.
6 year Mfr warranty.
Never maintained.


Currently makes gurgling sounds (like marbles rolling around in tank)
when hot water faucet downstairs is turned on.
Is draining/flushing the water heater now (something that should have
been done every 6-12 months) a bad idea?


PexSupply Save 10 468x60
Posted by Nate Nagel on November 11, 2007, 1:03 pm
VQ wrote:
> Water Heater Mfr: American Water Heater Co
> Model: G62-40T34-3N
> Capacity: 40 gal, gas-heated, 34000 BTU/HR
> Installed in 1998, Souther California, Very Hard Water, No Water
> Softening system.
> 6 year Mfr warranty.
> Never maintained.
>
>
> Currently makes gurgling sounds (like marbles rolling around in tank)
> when hot water faucet downstairs is turned on.
> Is draining/flushing the water heater now (something that should have
> been done every 6-12 months) a bad idea?
>

I can't imagine it would be a bad idea, although it may not help/cure
the problem (although it sure sounds like a sediment issue; it's hard to
get it all out of a neglected tank.)

I would buy a couple caps for garden hose fittings before you do this,
regular readers of this group will recall that I just replaced the drain
valves on all my water heaters with ball valves last month as the POs of
my house apparently never used the drain valves, and they all leaked
after they were opened. So I needed to cap them off to keep my basement
from getting all soggy :( In fact, you may wish to do the ball valve
thing anyway (use a 3/4" dielectric nipple, found in the water heater
section of your local Big Box, a 3/4" pipe thread ball valve, and a 3/4"
male pipe to garden hose adapter to make your own) as a ball valve
allows far greater flow than a spigot, for better flushing action.

more reading here:

http://www.waterheaterrescue.com/pages/WHRpages/English/Longevity/sediment-in-hot-water-heaters.html

At 6 yrs. you might want to check the anode as well; that's a typical
warranty period for a HWH so the anode may be due for replacement.

good luck

nate

--
replace "roosters" with "cox" to reply.
http://members.cox.net/njnagel

Posted by Nate Nagel on November 11, 2007, 1:08 pm
Nate Nagel wrote:
> VQ wrote:
>
>> Water Heater Mfr: American Water Heater Co
>> Model: G62-40T34-3N
>> Capacity: 40 gal, gas-heated, 34000 BTU/HR
>> Installed in 1998, Souther California, Very Hard Water, No Water
>> Softening system.
>> 6 year Mfr warranty.
>> Never maintained.
>>
>>
>> Currently makes gurgling sounds (like marbles rolling around in tank)
>> when hot water faucet downstairs is turned on.
>> Is draining/flushing the water heater now (something that should have
>> been done every 6-12 months) a bad idea?
>>
>
> I can't imagine it would be a bad idea, although it may not help/cure
> the problem (although it sure sounds like a sediment issue; it's hard to
> get it all out of a neglected tank.)
>
> I would buy a couple caps for garden hose fittings before you do this,
> regular readers of this group will recall that I just replaced the drain
> valves on all my water heaters with ball valves last month as the POs of
> my house apparently never used the drain valves, and they all leaked
> after they were opened. So I needed to cap them off to keep my basement
> from getting all soggy :( In fact, you may wish to do the ball valve
> thing anyway (use a 3/4" dielectric nipple, found in the water heater
> section of your local Big Box, a 3/4" pipe thread ball valve, and a 3/4"
> male pipe to garden hose adapter to make your own) as a ball valve
> allows far greater flow than a spigot, for better flushing action.
>
> more reading here:
>
>
http://www.waterheaterrescue.com/pages/WHRpages/English/Longevity/sediment-in-hot-water-heaters.html
>
>
> At 6 yrs. you might want to check the anode as well; that's a typical
> warranty period for a HWH so the anode may be due for replacement.
>
> good luck
>
> nate
>

Forgot to mention, that noise may also be a heat trap nipple, in which
case it's nothing to worry about, but you won't make it go away unless
you remove it and replace it with a regular nipple - in which case you
should replumb the inlet and outlet of the tank with an S-curve in the
pipes to act as the heat traps you've just removed.

nate

--
replace "roosters" with "cox" to reply.
http://members.cox.net/njnagel

Posted by Joseph Meehan on November 11, 2007, 2:51 pm
Flushing now may extend the life of the water heater, or may not. If
you break the valve, not uncommon with the cheap ones that come with the
water heater, then you will have a bit of a mess on your hands and a cheap
repair.

If you do flush it, I would expect it will fail in about two years and
you will blame the flushing, if you don't it will fail in about 18 months
and you will blame that on not flushing. :-)

> Water Heater Mfr: American Water Heater Co
> Model: G62-40T34-3N
> Capacity: 40 gal, gas-heated, 34000 BTU/HR
> Installed in 1998, Souther California, Very Hard Water, No Water
> Softening system.
> 6 year Mfr warranty.
> Never maintained.
>
>
> Currently makes gurgling sounds (like marbles rolling around in tank)
> when hot water faucet downstairs is turned on.
> Is draining/flushing the water heater now (something that should have
> been done every 6-12 months) a bad idea?
>

--
Joseph Meehan

Dia 's Muire duit




Posted by hallerb@aol.com on November 11, 2007, 3:10 pm
wrote:
> Flushing now may extend the life of the water heater, or may not. If
> you break the valve, not uncommon with the cheap ones that come with the
> water heater, then you will have a bit of a mess on your hands and a cheap
> repair.
>
> If you do flush it, I would expect it will fail in about two years and
> you will blame the flushing, if you don't it will fail in about 18 months
> and you will blame that on not flushing. :-)
>
>
>
> > Water Heater Mfr: American Water Heater Co
> > Model: G62-40T34-3N
> > Capacity: 40 gal, gas-heated, 34000 BTU/HR
> > Installed in 1998, Souther California, Very Hard Water, No Water
> > Softening system.
> > 6 year Mfr warranty.
> > Never maintained.
>
> > Currently makes gurgling sounds (like marbles rolling around in tank)
> > when hot water faucet downstairs is turned on.
> > Is draining/flushing the water heater now (something that should have
> > been done every 6-12 months) a bad idea?
>
> --
> Joseph Meehan
>
> Dia 's Muire duit

the noise doesnt effect operation or heater lifetime, its just
annoying unless you decide to ignore it. theres a great chance of
breaking the valve or having to remove it altogether and replace with
ball valve, the sludge will clog a regular valve.

Heaters are cheap simple devices I would leave it alone till it fails,
or buy a new heater, and trash the old one.



Page 1 of 2       1 2 > last >>
Similar ThreadsPosted
over-the-range microwave good idea? October 6, 2006, 3:45 pm
over-the-range microwave good idea? October 6, 2006, 3:45 pm
Room air conditioner + ducting: a good idea? October 1, 2005, 2:49 pm
buying used french doors--good or bad idea? January 19, 2008, 12:04 am
Travertine Tiles in Shower Good idea? April 14, 2008, 12:16 am
Re: Roofs as a good idea when selling a home May 30, 2008, 11:26 pm
Ends Of Outside Wood: Coating A Good Idea ? July 27, 2008, 8:49 am
are the septic assist garbage disposals a good idea October 26, 2008, 2:30 am
Nstar Offers Natural Gas at Contract Price (MA)- Good Idea? November 1, 2007, 6:20 pm
Contactor buzzing on condensor unit, was $128 replacement a good idea/price? May 19, 2006, 7:27 pm

Contact Us | Privacy Policy

XML SitemapXML Sitemap