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How to Flush a Hot Water Heater

1. Turn off the heater
2. Connect a garden hose to drain valve at bottom of tank
3. Close the cold-water inlet valve at top of tank
4. Open the pressure relief valve neart the top of the tank by raising the lever
5. Open the drain valve, letting water drain out
6. close drain valve
7. Close pressure relief valve
8. Open the cold-water inlet valve, wait for tank to fill
9. Open the hot tap in your bathtub and run it until no air bubbles come out
10. Turn on the heater

The drain valve may be or become clogged with chunks of sediment. If so, try to flush the sediment out by:

1. Close the pressure relief valve
2. Open the cold-water inlet valve
3. Wait for sediment to be stirred up enough to flow out the hose
4. Close cold-water inlet valve
5. Open pressure-relief valve
6. Continue with the original step # 5 above

If that does not work:

1. Close pressure relief valve
2. Open cold-water inlet valve
3. Open the hot tap in your bathtub until the water runs cool
4. Remove garden hose - note that the water in the tank is now likely to flood your utility room
5. Use a long thin implement to break up the clog
6. Re-attach garden hose
7. Continue with the original step # 6

If you are installing a new water heater, or replacing an existing one, consider the possibility of placing it on a platform a foot or so higher than the floor, to make it easier to drain the tank in the future.

Also consider draining the tank before sediment begins to show up in the hot water line. Say, once a year or so.