How To Flush a Water Heater
Plumbing Service How-To Videos
Flushing a water heater can help it to perform better. When you flush your water heater, you’re letting the water pressure from your house push through any debris (in the form of mineral deposits) that might be sitting in the bottom of your water heater. This debris can make your water heater work harder and shorten its life.
Follow these steps to flush your water heater:
- Use a basic flathead screwdriver to open up the drain down valve
- Use tongue and groove pliers, or a channel lock, to open the drain
- If the drain is screwed down, you will need to unscrew it
- Put a hose down the drain, hook the other end up to the drain down valve, and make sure it is stuck down the drain securely
- Slowly open up the drain down valve, but do not fully open it (a quarter open is good enough)
- Let the water run for up to 5 minutes to flush all of the debris out
- Note that the water heater is not turned off; we’re not draining it, just pushing water through it
- Shut off the drain down valve
If you need help flushing your water heater, or there is a problem with your water heater, please contact at 303-571-5114 Garvin’s and we’ll provide a Speedy Fast Quote.
