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Do Water Heaters Need to Be Flushed? Why?

A professional technician performing maintenance on a residential water heater.

When you arrive home after a tiring day, you don’t care where your hot water comes from—just that you have hot water for showers, cleaning dishes, and prepping meals. It’s common to not spare a single thought on your water heater. However, an overlooked water heater becomes more prone to failure and malfunctions.

So, do water heaters need to be flushed? The answer is a resounding yes. Regular water heater maintenance services are essential to ensure the longevity and performance of your water heater, as well as consistent water pressure. During maintenance, a technician will inspect and flush your water heater.

In this blog, we will go over why water heaters do need to be flushed, as well as how often to flush water heaters depending on your household’s size.

The Importance of Flushing Water Heaters

Sediment found in hard water settles at the bottom of the tank over time. The last thing a homeowner wants is for these deposits to collect and sit in their tank for extended periods since they can calcify and be challenging to remove. If you neglect to flush the system regularly, this sediment buildup can cause several problems for your water heater.

Here are the top three benefits of flushing your water heater:

1. Enhance Performance

Do water heaters need to be flushed? Yes—especially if you want to avoid taking cold showers.

The deposits in your water tank can drastically decrease your system’s capability to heat water, which can lead to a dreaded, ice-cold shower. As a result, your water heater’s heating element will have to work extra hard to heat the water and sediment gathered in your tank.

2. Improve Energy Efficiency

When shopping for appliances, many homeowners prioritize energy efficiency. Unfortunately, sediment buildup can wreak havoc on your water heater tank by making it a challenge for your water to heat correctly. As a result, your water heater may work two times harder than it should have to, which can vastly lower your system’s energy efficiency.

You will waste more energy with decreased energy efficiency, resulting in higher energy bills. As you can see, water heaters do need to be flushed to maintain energy efficiency.

3. Avoid Property Damage

When it comes to evading water damage, safety risks, and calling a Hicksville, NY, plumber for a repair, water heaters do need to be flushed regularly.

Draining your water heater during a maintenance service can help prevent the system from rusting. This is significant since no homeowners want to replace their hot water heater prematurely.

Additionally, regular flushes are vital to prevent pressure and relief valve clogs—two components that prevent your tank from exploding.

When to Flush Your Water Heater

When figuring out how often to flush a water heater, remember that it’s recommended to schedule a flushing service at least once every year. However, you may want to consider your household’s size. The larger the family, the more hot water is used.

If you aren’t sure how often to flush your water heater, take the size of your household into account:

  • 1-2 residents: Flush the tank every year.
  • 3-5 residents: Flush the tank every eight months.
  • 6+ residents: Flush the tank every six months.

How to Flush a Water Heater

Now you know how often to flush a water heater. But did you know you can drain a traditional water heater yourself? Here are the steps:

  1. Turn your water heater off. With a gas water heater, you can do this by turning off the thermostat located at the bottom of the tank. With an electric water heater, you will need to turn off the power at the breaker box.
  2. If you own a gas water heater, turn off the gas supply line.
  3. Shut off the cold water supply to your water heater. This will prevent water from entering the tank while it’s draining.
  4. Open all of your hot water faucets.
  5. Attach a garden hose to your water heater tank’s drain valve. Have the hose drain into a bucket or somewhere outside your home.
  6. Open the drain valve and fully drain the water.
  7. Switch on the cold water supply and allow your water to run until there is little to no sediment in the water.
  8. Close the water heater tank’s drain valve.
  9. Remove the garden hose and use a wet/dry vacuum to remove sediment from the valve opening.
  10. Turn off your hot water faucets.
  11. Reset the water heater thermostat.
  12. Reopen the gas supply valve and relight the pilot light of your gas water heater or restore power to your electric water heater.

Schedule Water Heater Services

Traditional and tankless water heaters should be flushed to ensure their longevity and high performance. We work with gas or electric water heaters and are familiar with all makes and models. However, if your water tank is on its last leg, contact Gold Star for a water heater replacement in Hicksville, NY, you can trust!

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