As routine maintenance I drain and flush my electric hot water heater 1-2x a year to flush out any sediment (whether it needs it or not).

Here's a tip for you who might do the same. Turn OFF the circuit breaker BEFORE you drain the tank otherwise you might burn out a heater or two.

Not that it has ever happened to me. I'm wayyyyy to smart to have a brain fart like that.

I'm just sayin'... Just a little friendly tip.

P.S. I now have a big note pasted to the hot water heater warning me of such a brain fart along with the proper wiring for a replacement heating element. The elements can be found as an off the shelf item at the big box stores and heating and plumbing stores for under $20.

Again, I'm way to smart to not have tripped the breaker. When the element burns itself up, the breaker will trip on it's own.

The newer Rheem electrics are self-cleaning.

And you can change the elements on a full tank if you are quick.

Question: Are you on a well?

Quick answer - yes.

Our well water is high in iron prior to it running through household water treatment/softener.

You should be able to get some kind of filter system to help remove sediment which would reduce or eliminate the need to clean the tank--always a shame to waste 30-50 gal. hot water!

Chief, when you say "self cleaning" what do you mean? Do they back flush themselves periodically?

(OK peanut gallery, get your minds out of the gutter).

Re #4

Interesting. Might be something I'll look into and ask the well guy down the rad.

Do you have any links or anything that might give me some more info or point me in the right direction?

Mine is 'self-cleaning' from 2001. Should I still be doing this?

^

only as long as your eyesight will hold up...you should be fine.

Mine is from 93 (origonal). It's an A.O. Smith, I don't even want to bump it cause I have no idea what has or hasn't been done to it. I will replace it soon, it's up there on the list. Not gonna wait for it to break.

I was tempted to test the overpressure valve, then I though better of it. It might never close again.

The next time mine goes, I'm going with the European style heat as you go unit.

Why the hell do you need a Hot Water Heater??

I prefer to heat my cold water to make it hot. And I've got a Water Heater to do just that.

You are indeed a newb...

I tried to do mine the other day. I think I did something wrong. I turned of the water to the tank and opened the valve at the bottom. Nothing came out. I was expecting 50 gallons of water.

^mebbe that's a joke, lol!

If not, then the reason nothing cme out is 1) you did good by closing the valve on the cold water side, but 2) in order for the tank to drain correctly, you need to loosen and lift one of the supply lines to allow air into the tank.

And don't forget to turn off the breaker first!

7. Author: FuzzNJ Date: 09/22/2009 03:38 PM Reply

Mine is ’self-cleaning’ from 2001. Should I still be doing this?

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Fuzz, if you are on a well, it might be a good idea to clean it now and then, I would think/guess every couple of years perhaps. If you get some stuff in your water at the taps, more often.

If you have municipal/community water, you might consider contacting somebody there and inquiring if sediment/sand is in the water to enough of a degree to require draining the W/H.

Bucky, 5 and 6.

Ask the well guy down the road re: filters.

And I don't know how they 'self-clean'.

and Fuzz, #10,

Don't jump in head first with the 'on-demand' water heating system. It sounds good but has some drawbacks unless you spend large.

In most of the units I've seen, the water is in contact with the heat source very briefly, and may only be able to do one of two things: 1) make water Hot enough to bathe in, but not enough of it; or 2) make a BUNCH of water that's not very hot. Basically, the higher the temperature rise desired, the less volume will be produced.

The 'under counter' units do seem to work fine for such things as hand washing, though there would be some opportunity cost/cost-benefit considerations.

I admit that it has been about 12 years since I researched these things, and notable advances may have occurred that I am unaware of.

chief,

Check out the Rinnai tankless water heaters. Freaking phenomial units. Unfortunately, they aren't cheap.

TG, I will look.

I don't recall the name of the units I looked at that actually seemed they might work for 'whole house', but they were foreign-built and a $2k+.

16: I'll look again, I'm hoping I won't have to for a number of years of course. But from what I've read on the subject they have made vast improvements and instead of having to keep a 50 gallon tank of water constantly warm, adding up to unnecessary energy costs, the on demand heaters save a lot of money in the long run and require less maintenance.

#13

2) in order for the tank to drain correctly, you need to loosen and lift one of the supply lines to allow air into the tank.

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in addition to flipping the breaker, closing the water intake valve before loosening the supply line is a good idea.