A storage type water heater is one appliance that often does not get the regular maintenance it needs. Water heaters usually last about 10 to 12 years before corrosion eats through the tank and the water heater starts leaking. Water heater installation and repair can be expensive. However, along with changing the sacrificial anodes when scheduled, flushing the sediment out of your water heater annually will help it last longer and can even reduce the amount of energy you use to heat water.
No matter how good your municipal water supply, there will be a very small amount of sediment suspended in your tap water. Unless you have a whole house filtration system that removes the sediment before the water goes into your water heater, this sediment will slowly accumulated at the bottom of your water tank. In some cases, so much sediment accumulates over the years that it noticeably reduces the capacity of the tank.
The sediment layer can also act as an insulator that makes your water heater work harder to heat up the water and maintain the temperature. In all cases, the sediment and minerals accumulating at the bottom of the water heater tank will accelerated corrosion and cause the water heater to fail prematurely.
By flushing the water heater annually, you remove the sediment build up and avoid such problems. Water heaters have a drain valve at the base of the unit for just this purpose. You can hook a garden hose to the drain valve and drain out the sediment from the tank. Be sure to turn off the electricity or gas to the water heater before beginning and follow your manufacturer’s instructions to avoid getting scalded by hot water.
Flushing the sediment out of your water heater annually and changing the anodes when scheduled can help your water heater last 20 years or more.
