Drain Water Heater Faster

Learn how a how a water heater works to better understand how to flush your tank.

Drain water heater faster.

This usually involves manually turning the valve 90 degrees. Shut off the gas to your water heater or shut off the power if it is an electric heater. Turn on the hot water from a nearby faucet inside the house to prevent a vacuum from forming in the lines and flow air into the water heater allowing it to drain easier. Close the cold water supply valve to the water heater.

By flushing sediment out of your water heater you can save money and heat your water faster. This alleviates pressure in the system allowing the water to drain quickly from the tank much like removing your finger from the top of a drinking straw filled with liquid. Open a hot water tap nearest to the water heater preferably on the floor above. Go get your hose ready.

Once the water in the heater has cooled turn the cold water intake valve off and run some hot water from a faucet in your house to empty out excess water in the pipes. Turn on the hot water. Opening up your drain pressure relief valve and faucets can all do the trick. A 40 gallon tank would logically drain faster than an 80 gallon tank with all other variables the same.

Easy to follow steps for draining your water heater if you have a gas hot water heater turn the burner control knob to pilot. Turn the water heater off if you have an electric water heater turn off the power switch. To drain your water heater faster the airlock that gets created inside the tank will need to be broken and atmospheric pressure will need to be maintained. If this valve is clogged with debris the size of the outlet will be greatly reduced.

Open the drain valve. To drain a water heater start by turning it off and let the water cool for a few hours. Turn off the water heater. We want to let the water tank cool so that we aren t working with the extremely hot water is now.

You can learn more about why you should flush sediment out of your tank here. Often a water heater is drained for repair. Steps for draining a water heater perform a quick flush.