A NEW & FUN Way to Flush a Water Heater
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- čas přidán 13. 02. 2023
- If you're like most people, you probably just take your water heater for granted. But have you ever stopped to think about what happens when it's not working right? In this video, I show you a fun and easy way to flush your water heater - so you can avoid those pesky problems and keep your hot water flowing!
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Water heater companies love this video. Anyone who does this will need to buy a new tank a lot sooner than if they hadn't
Master plumber for 40 years and wouldn’t put that thing in any water heater at all ever! No way, too aggressive!
I love this thing..!
I’m going to have sooo much work replacing smashed up heaters if this gimmick ever takes off… 🎉
Oh cool I'm not the only one who's not ignorant as a fuggin brick
How about a Cherry Bomb to loosen sediment?
How about an ultrasonic wrap around cleaner to break away the scale. I should sell one. It doesn't have to work. As a matter of fact the less it works the less liability of the scale clogging anything. PT Barnum approved.
Magnets! @@don2deliver
Well, he did say he was helping you make more money, in the trades.
1. Turn off the heat before the last shower taken before working on the water heater.
2. That tool looks like it would destroy glass lined water heaters.
3. Try pulsing the water inlet on and off to disrupt the sediment.
4. I have problems with grit clogging the connected garden hose if it's long enough to go outside. Any suggestions? Looked a bit like aquarium gravel.
5. I had a plastic drain valve but (thanks to a You Tube suggestion) replaced it with a brass boiler drain valve with less restriction.
6. While shut down for the flush, it's also a good time to check the condition of the anode rod. Or even spray water in from top to assist flush as suggested by another comment.
Clog ideas (untested, and remember what you paid for them):
1 - DIY settling tank. Get plastic bucket with tight-fitting lid, short length (maybe 5ft / 1.5m) of the largest dia water hose you have handy, and longer length (30' / 10m) of any garden hose. Drill two holes in bucket, one low, one near top. Epoxy end of short hose into the bottom hole (since you'll probably have to cut a hose to get such a short length), so that the free end can screw onto the water heater drain. Either epoxy the long hose to the upper hole, or add a hose bib fitting to the upper hole so you can attach the long hose. Big grit should settle out in the bucket rather than float up to the long drain hose, If the short hose still has clogging problems, cut it as short as possible to reach the bucket and try again.
2 - Big hose. Replace the settling bucket and long hose with 1" - 2" (3-5cm) tubing, long enough to reach outside. Somehow connect it to the short hose, using epoxy, duct tape, scrap PVC bottles, etc, and let 'er rip. The big tubing should be too large to clog, though you'll have to shake the gravel out after. But I think this is the more expensive method.
The longest time wasted was waiting for my tank to drain through the original drain valve. The sediment quickly clogged it and water only seeped out. So I stopped and came back later to drain overnight. Adding later a full port drain valve helps. But the way to get everything is with a flex hose going through the lower element hole, hooked to a shop vac.
You're right. This turbo tank cleaner faucet head may do more harm than good, especially to any older hot water tank whose inside components are usually not as sturdy as new ones.
I prefer to remove the anode rod and use a water hose nozzle to get a high pressure stream. I spray from the top of the tank with a strong water jet moving it around the tank. Then straight down to break up sediment on the bottom. That method removes more sediment from tanks than any other method. I’ve tried multiple methods, even removing both electric elements and spraying from the side, but from the top works best. My method also allows me to check the anode rod. I have never gotten less than 19 years service from an electric water heater.
That thing slapping around inside the tank hits the same limited area over and over. 85 percent of the tank surface is still untouched by that thing slapping around.
Excellent suggestion. Have you considered using a pressure washer or would that be overkill? Are the heating elements sturdy enough to withstand both/either?
@@amerlin388 , a pressure washer is not necessary. The normal house pressure from a water hose with a spray nozzle attached has always been sufficient to remove the sediment from my tanks.
You're right, that device didn't even hit the bottom of the tank where most of the sediment is, it's just slapping on the side. Pretty dumb.
Not to mention any possible damage from slapping around.@@furyofbongos
This question comes from a non-plumber:
How do you open up a HWHTr and get inside it??
I had the same thought about that thing swinging around. Those dip tubes are basically straws. 😂 I don’t know if they can handle wacking like that .
Until it scratches the porcelain coating causing the tank to fail early
Great video like usual Roger! I recently got a call for sand like sediment clogging the faucets and shower heads and I immediately flushed the water heaters into a bucket just like you did and pulled the same exact gunk out I had a few people look at it and we were all puzzled as to what it is, its pretty cool you also ran into the same thing in a video within the same week as me. Love the videos keep up spreading the good word of plumbing.
Sometimes it can even be platics from the dip tubes😢
I can't think of a quicker way to ruin a water heater. Corrosion protection on a water heater consists of a thin porcelain coating on the inside. Chip or crack that coating and your water heater will rust out within a couple of years.
Yes, just show this video to a water heater manufacturer and ask if it would void the warranty with it thrashing around, hitting the glass lining.
I can picture the big red warning on the product package. All written in broken engrish of course.
Just got a plumbing apprenticeship you're videos been really helping me out. Thank you
Great to hear!
Find someone less bought out. Roger doesn't have the integrity he seems to have
I made a large clear vinyl hose to attach to the tank drain (hose bib removed). I took a small copper pipe crimped on one end and a female hose connecter on the other. I used a thin bladed hacksaw to cut a 45 degree slot that water sprayed back toward the drain. I cut a small hole in the top of the vinyl hose to push the copper pipe through. The vinyl hose was long enough to reach outside to a bucket. I controlled the flow with a hose cutoff valve. As the water flowed you can see the debris come out. With the water squirting toward the drain it was like raking the solids out. It worked really well.
A better design would be to install a full port ball valve as your drain valve and then have a sealed pressure hose that can slide in and spray water at angles.
yes
I also would be worried about the thing whipping around in my tank. We need to remember that what we saw was a dry tank for video purposes. If that tank had water in it, it would diminish that whipping action. I agree with those that recommend replacing the drain valve with a full flow valve. Do this when you first get a new tank. A lot easier on a cold, dry tank even if you do break it off. There is a tool used to remove broken pipe. Metal or plastic. I'll never figure out why they use plastic valves.
Besides the water moderating the wild agitation you will probably also have the sediment you are trying to dislodge and rinse out also reducing the fury of that whip the drill is imparting maybe use a variable speed drill/driver and start it slow and ramp up then down until the water exiting flows clear for a while.
To bad you didn't show the additional sediment the device you tested produced after the typical rinse procedure to get an idea of its extra efficiency/effectiveness.
Good stuff none the less.
I know why heater manufacturers use plastic valves. 🤭
But his tank had water in it and this was the second flush. More sediment obtained so worth it for him. 😂
Ridiculous.
You should really do more plumbing specialty tool reviews like this, there's so much new and useful stuff being released all the time that people don't know about.
It is on my radar...thanks biomez
There's also tools created to scam dummies. This is one
I use an adapter to put a plastic hose onto a shop vac and I scrape around inside with it and suck everything out. Close it up, flush it out, drain and repeat with the vac. Gets it really clean. Works great if it is REALLY clogged up inside too. I have saved a few people from needing whole new units by getting buckets and buckets of crud out.
How did you and what did you use to scrape inside the tank ?
@@reccocon3442 Just the end of the hose. The stuff comes off pretty easily once you get going
@@digiprez77 Thanks much !
Yup, use reducing adapters to go from a shop vac hose to a 3/4" flex hose. Shove in the lower element hole and suck. If you have the tools you can also remove the anode on top to look down inside to check progress. Some guys use a borescope. Depends on your tools and what you want to buy.
Great video like always! I know you did a video on making a lead and oakum joint pretty recently, but have you thought about doing a video about removing one to transition cast iron to PVC? Had to do that recently and while there's a lot of great written guides, I didn't find any good videos showing that.
Thanks as always!
Great suggestion Mr Herman... I will look into that
Last time I had to transition from pvc to cast, I shoved the pvc into the hub of the cast fitting and used hydraulic cement to seal it up. Worked like a charm.
I went to a preachers house for a service call o right as I pulled up he was about to pour 6 boxes not one jug not two jugs but he bought 6 boxes full of CLR an he was about to pour them onto the inlet side of the water heater to flush it out . Thank God I pulled up when I did I really belive I saved his families life . I told him he would never ever be able to flush out that CLR an he could have possibly posioned his family . I ended up installing a new water heater because his was 15yrs old an the build up was way to bad flush out.
Holy Cow! A flexible metal rod beating the tank inner walls! From my experience 99% of the sediment lays on the bottom anyway. And unless the tank has a full flow drain valve it can take overnight to drain the tank as the sediment will clog the drain hole. Best to drain then remove the lower heating element and get in there with a flex hose attached to a shop vac. I also pull the anode so I can look directly down in the tank with a flashlight on the lower element hole. An inexpensive borescope works well also if you can't remove the anode.
The nicest guy ever!
Awright, you got me when it said "a FUN way to FLUSH". The other was "I [blank] these freaking hoses!" It is very helpful information to maintain expensive air-exchange water heaters.
Gonna be taking my journeyman test in a couple months can’t wait to have it done. Unfortunately I’ve been a trim guy for my 5 years of plumbing doing new construction. Any advice to bring myself more value and learn new skills while being a trim guy or would you recommend trying to find a new employer and see if they’d let me learn how to rough in even though I’ll be licensed?
As far as I've noticed in my trade and many others if you are only put on one specific task instead of the whole scope of work plumbers have to do for example, you either talk with your foreman or someone higher up and say you want to learn how to do as much as you can. If they fail to do that then go find another company that will actually train you in other areas, it's going to be more difficult for people to take you seriously but if you find someone that's willing to let you try and/or teach you don't waste the opportunity to learn. Just explain what the last company made you do all the time and be honest with what you don't know how to do and what you do know how to do, say you are always willing to learn and you should be able to eventually be the best you can be, sorry to hear that happened though man I'd hate if I spent all 5 years of my electrical apprenticeship just putting in devices and face plates, because that's only like 5-10% of the work that needs to be done barring a lot of service calls and also the easiest part of it.
Did you mention that electric water heaters should be shut off at the breaker to prevent damage to the heating elements when the tank is drained? I might have missed that section.
Hey roger. Great video. Could you do a video on jet pumps and booster pump problems? Common issues of course.
I'll write that down, thanks!
If you close both valves first, opening a hot water faucet in the house will not remove the pressure in the tank. You will still need to open the drain or pressure relief valve to remove the pressure.
THIS! Every time I see someone doing one of these water tank clean out videos and say this after closing all of the valves, it's clear they only kind of know what they're doing. You just closed the valve that goes to the faucet you're opening, it won't relieve anything since the path is blocked by the valve.
If you watch closely, the only hot-side valve he closed was the extra one heading to his bar-sink (man cave above the garage, I suppose) Given him commenting on having the system "vapor locked", I think the long "going and opening a faucet" included opening, waiting for flow to stop, and closing said faucet. Given how little water came out when he pulled the valve, it clearly was not under full pressure.
Great video! I love the turbo tank cleaner. I did the same, replaced the factory tank valve and added a 3/4”nipple and a ball valve with male hose threads so every time I have to flush the tank I just open the valve and insert the Turbo Tank Cleaner and let her rip!
To vapor lock, shutoff the cold water in and the hot water out? I have a similar, maybe smaller heater. Bradford white with the hydro jet. Glad to see the auger part isn't damaging the anode rod or fill tube. That cutaway was very encouraging because i usually break something.
You obviously aren't very observant, that abortion was scratching the blue lining severely in the back. It most certainly was causing damage.
I recently cleaned mine for the second time in 32 yrs. Last time was approx 4yrs ago. This time I drug it out side & hung from a tree. Removed the valve to flush & Reem out the tank to break up all the sediment. Just a simple flush would have left so much in the tank. I spent like hr. & half cleaning. Next time might have to give that cable a try. Thanks
Your water heater is 32 years old 🤔
@@tingokuman , I have two water heaters (both propane/LPG). The first one (50gal) died at 20 years, replaced it in 2008 with a used 75gal from a restaurant - still going strong and now 16-20 years old. The second one (also a 50gal) lasted a few more years and I replaced it with a scratched/clearance new 40gal from Lowe's. It is also going strong, but it's still just a young-'un at about 12 years.
Very nice. Thanks. What is the shape of the inner bottom of the water heater tank?
Roger, it looks great doing it's thing, but I wouldn't use that tool cause it could damaged the glass coating in the heater and make it start rusting out sooner.
Look like the flapping metal tube will chip the glass tank lining, causing it to fail sooner.
I once tried it with a long tube that reached from a top opening, connected to the tank with a flexible few inches of hose so it could maintain pressure. With the drain open and run to the outside, I used the flexible connection to aim a strong water spray at the bottom of the tank. It didn't help much. The problem is, that the sediment has the consistency of wet sand, and it's going to take a lot of flow to get it to move to the outlet.
One way to do might be to vacuum the stuff out through a pickup tube inserted from the top, with an attached camera so you can see what you're picking up For a gas neater, use both inlet and outlet holes to get around the central stack. A shop vac could provide the vacuum. I'd try this, but I replaced my heater less than a year ago and have soft water, so there's not going to be enough sediment.
Good way to break off the dip tube. Just flush it with the pressure on and you’ll be good to go. Change the anode every couple of years too.
Happy Valentines Day big guy!
Back at you brother 👊
Outstanding !!
Would you use this on your water heater?
@@RogerWakefieldhell naw
I have a feeling this could break off a segment of the anode rod, but if it is done on an old tank that might need replacing soon anyway and can potentially extend its life then might as well try it. Of course a good whole home sediment filter and softener system as well as regular maintenance on the water heater in the first place makes this gadget more or less a useless risky gimmick.
Word of advice from people with a septic system and a leech field. Dont flush your HWT down the drain, use a bucket. That water has to go somewhere, and all of that at once can overload your septic tank with bad results. Some lessons are learned the hard way.
If that amount of water overloads your septic system, you had big problems before you started flushing the water heater.
@@MisterTwister88 Dont have to worry about it, I dont live there anymore. It turned out I had the venting for the leech field pipe blocked for rodents, etc. It got clogged, and it caused an air lock. I solved that problem, so if we needed to do it, it wont happen again. Next
Imagin a 15 year old this channel. Yes it’s me 😮😊. Love your content keep up the hard work
I just recommend replacing the restrictive drain valve with a full port 3/4” ball valve. It’ll work way better IMO.
Awesome video!!
I would be very scared of causing damage to the lining, element, or tube. I have an old single element water heater I flush annually. I flush it initially, then vapor lock it and use a brazing rod I rigged together to stick in there a drag any remaining sediment to the opening and turn the water on to push it out. I'll do it a few times until I can't feel or see any sediment coming out. I've given the homeowner a price on a new water heater and water treatment system to prevent the amount of sediment they get. Unfortunately, money is tight for them so i do w.e. i can to keep it going without issue. Before I did this trick, I would just flush it. But the sediment would build back up to the element in about 8 months and burn the element up.
thats what good plumbers do...give the customer options...good, better and best..good on your Patrick💪
If you ever have to replace a water heater at your home, you might want to keep the old one and cut it open to examine the inside of it... You might be a bit surprised with all the sediment that has built up in it over the years...
What do you recommend for cleaning iron out of a water heater? I have well water. And had a breaker trip on my water filtration system. And noticed I had really high iron going on. Fixed the issue with the filtration system. But caught it late. And now all my hot water is going wild with iron. All of my cold is clear as day. Water heater is unfortunately only a few months old. But I feel that it is coated red with iron inside.
VIGOROUS FILL OF YOUR NEW WATER HEATER MAY HAVE CAUSED RUST COLORING TO DISLODGE FROM INSIDE YOUR HOME WATER COLD WATER LINES. TRY DRAIN AND FLUSH, AND A SLOW REFILL
I'm still in the leave sleeping dogs lie camp. If you live where the water gets real sandy sediment build up, get a whole house high capacity filter.
Shop vac works great
Thanks for the work I got a call from that house and replaced water heater where do I send the 10% check of the job to?
Most people buy inexpensive water heaters and they come with a plastic drain valve. I do not recommend trying to remove it because it will more than likely break off in the heater. Also, if you haven't been flushing your heater regularly, that plastic drain valve can get plugged up with sediment and it might not close completely and will forever leak water onto the floor, so if you're one of these people, make sure you pick up a garden hose "Cap" to screw on the drain valve just in case.
I flushed mine yesterday and had an issue with it plugging. I ended up taking out the vale itself a few times and poking a piece of solder in there breaking it up. It was messy but I got it flushed. I had also turned off my water heater and ran enough out of the hot water taps so it wasn't hot anymore.
In 35 years of home ownership, I've never flushed a water heater, and I don't have any stories of death and destruction because of it. I replace 10 year old water heaters because the manufactures recommend it and the one time I didn't - death and destruction!!! Okay, maybe not death but definitely destruction. Whatever grit and buildup might be in the tank goes to the dump with the tank.
As a plumber for 35 years and a licensed plumbing inspector, you are the smartest person so far in the comment section. I have installed, repaired, and replaced hundreds of water heaters. Keep doing exactly what you are doing. Most people never flush their heaters. When you start messing with the shutoff valves, drain valve, and the T and P valve, you can create more problems than you are addressing or trying to address.@@rogermccaslin5963
@@rogermccaslin5963it’s a case of if you flush it you start after year one. If you don’t you leave it alone. You don’t take a 7 year and flush it. Too late. Mine burst. I’m fixing water damage. Good times. If you never flush them install leak detectors. Dumb or smart they make noise if they get wet. Leak detectors for the win no matter what.
The flue pipe or the anode rod or the dip tube can be damaged. Or spring a leak. A water heater must be flushed once or twice a year (depends where you live) from the first year. If not, let it be. If is a plastic drain valve, is imposible to flush.
This looks like a terrible idea.
agree, I can't stand plastic drain valves
My buddy and I who are both plumbers use a long, bent, "T-handle" Allen key curved like a rainbow when dealing with plastic drain valves.. we will put a shallow pan under the drain and remove the packing nut and pull the stem/seat out and shove the Allen key in and out a few times usually resulting in a surge of sediment and water.. we then quickly re install the packing nut. We then screw a 3/4" coupling reduced to 1/4" with an air chuck fitting in it onto the hot nipple (obviously with the cold valve shut) we then hook our air compressor to our fitting and blast the sediment out at as much as 100psi. Usually just the compressor alone does the trick, I just included the trick for plastic drains seeing as we just did that last week😅
@@teemainey2214 Instead an allen wrench I use a wire hanger. Thank you for the idea with the compressor.👍👍👍
@harrytanase1587 nice! A wire hanger is a great idea. Cheaper and easier to bend. Thanks for that tip.
Wouldnt the drill attachment aggregator potential damage the glass lining, maybe damage an electric element.
Yep. 🙃 Not a good idea.
No
We actually used it in one of the cutaway heaters we have. It didn’t scratch the insides or bother the dip tube at all…
Amen
@@RogerWakefieldyeah and that was with an empty tank, that thing wont be slapping around as violently with water in it 👍
i don't think this is a very good product it can hit the heating elemrnt on an electric heater breaking it
"I hate these freaking hoses." I died lmfao
We bought a house with a water heater that was put in 2009. We know there is alot of sediment in it. Has a water recycling system on it and was told not to drain it. It would damage it. Should we just replace the tank?
It seems like the metal snake whipping around most certainly could damage the internal components it makes contact with. Does not give a good feeling. More harm than good sort of thing. Instructive video though.
Cool little gadget. Never seen that one before
Yeah if you want to destroy your heater.
Just changed my original drain valve to a 3/4” ball valve for the ease of draining/flushing my tank.
So much for elements and dip tubes
Ah so no flush after to show if it did anything at all? Premium Wakefield product placement
Cool! Thanks for the vid. Side question: Isn't 80 PSI a bit much?
It depends, water pressure can usually range anywhere from 40-80
I love that 11-1
I think that tool will do more damage than good
That's what Ithought initally, but did no harm to my water heater💪
@@RogerWakefield I’m thinking it might scratch off the lining inside tank and prematurely wear it out. Can you do a camera inspection inside the tank in a few months see if there is rust?
@@RogerWakefield no plumber on earth would be sold on any plumbing product on one use. You're bought. Brother. No integrity at all.
@@RogerWakefield Prove it. It sure did damage to the cutaway tank.
Great video!
Did you try running the drill very slow to prevent the snake from damaging internals? If you did, was there still scale/sediment visible coming out?
In the questions on the Amazon web page, the guy said that tool could be put through an open ball valve if it would fit through there.
Bro you watched the video he went full blast
PNW🇺🇸here❤...just caught ya on the Today Show..yep, I subscribed 👍
Thank you! Hope you found my tips useful
Nice one! I wonder why you guys arent using the pressure fittings and still use the flame to seal copper pipes.
they are waaay cheaper than pro press or shark bite and solder will last much much longer than rubber o-rings which almost always need to be replaced if it works dont mess with it maybe im just old school
@@kenthovind6085 i see your point there, when i learnt the job i did both. But from my experience pressure system is rly rly nice if you have to get alot of pipes into a house.
make one that goes in from the top and is marked (for different tank sizes) so it only wacks the bottom and not everything else way easier to install (unless you have solid lines)
Will the glass coating take the whipping spring? Just a thought. If it will handle it, this could be great for some people.
Did you show what additional sedimate the flapper helped to dislodge and flush? Maybe see the valve upgraded to a full port valve when replacing the origoinal valve and explaining the benifits in layman terms. I'm leary on running the flapper, I like the ideas mentioning forced streams from above. is there ba more cost effective time of the year to do a drain on a large water heater, gas homes verse electric such as spring or fall when the home is less likely to be conditioning air? What is the estimated cost to do this (per gallon) to drain and refill, which is much cheaper than replacing a new unit prematurely and extending the life of the unit.Thanks for sharing and the reminder? Also how long due those anode tubes typically last in a water heater? is it better foe a water heater to get more use with say 3 teenage daughters at home or better after they leave home and 2 elderly users with less steam showers and laundry days?
i clean mine alittle different.
I remove the temp. probe or whatever term it is call, with the water out and shop vac out the debris. An old washing machine hose or seal tight. just something that can move and still stiff enough and shop vac it out while flushing it with the fill in spurts.
The temp probe meaning the thermostat? You remove that then shop vac through the hole?
@Justin Loos
Yes, I remove the main burner pilot tube, and thermocouple, and gas line.
Just spins right out. Shop vac with a flex hose attachment/piece of seal tight me.
@@kranch173 ohhhh you’re talking about vacuuming the grate at the bottom. I thought you were talking about vacuuming the inside of the water heater.
@@justinloos1286
No, the inside of the water heater, removing the sediment from the bottom inside
I installed a Bradford White WH at my house in late 2005 here in SoCal near LA and never flushed it once. It’s still working great. Am I lucky or are these tanks made to last this long? 12 years plus
My original water heater went 13years before it started leaking at the bottom and we replaced. Indiana hard water. No maintenance performed.
They last that long withOUT a water softener. Be prepared, because that's getting a year or so from needing replacing.
@@JohnChuprun It starting leaking out the bottom a few months after I posted my comment!!! I knew it was getting close. Replaced it no problem
@@rogerk1710 Haha, how about that! Oh well, that's a good long life though. Thanks for the update since this was an old comment I didn't realize until after posting :)
1 thank you for posting
2 what stops you from pulling all rods to protect them 1st?
3 slow speed only is recommended in both >> &
I used my Water Pik. Our first well was too shallow and full of minerals, 75' deep. Plugged up so fast the bottom Electric element was buried in minerals and buned out. I removed the valve and was able to get my Water Pik in there and do some blasting. This metal spring looks like it would crack the glass lining?
Remember to turn off the power to the water heater. We a an emergency part way through draining the tank, we’d shut off the cold and the heaters got uncovered. Two new elements later…
Great video if you really want to destroy your Tank. Has anyone ever heard of a Glass Lined Hot Water Heater?? Well, basically all modern hot water tanks are made of steel, with a glass lining within. This glass lining serves to protect the steel of the tank from corrosion due to constant contact with water. What do you think this tool will do to the glass lining inside the tank? Yep, you guessed it. It will crack and destroy the glass lining and lead to premature Tank failure.
I tried it personally on my own water heater and I have no problems...however, I will say i would be careful using it on older style water heaters, but this tools, from my testing, is safe to use.
@@RogerWakefield Well sir, from the clear damage done to the blue coating in your cutout heater showed, you most likely damaged your heater as well.
I have watched many of your videos, you have very high standards and are very professional, but this time you really dropped the ball in a big way.
@@mxslick50 The tank was full of water. The cable would be whipping around at about a third of the velocity of an empty tank. It would be like trying to run under water in a swimming pool. However, this device still doesn't give me the warm fuzzies churning around in a glass lined tank. Probably no harm done, but I'm far too much of a worry wart to be using this tool.
This may make more sense for a gas heater as those seem to build up more on the burner and you wouldn't have an element to wack. Still the dip tube's and anode rods seem likely to break and every electric water heater I have seen fail has rusted out the top or sides regardless of how clean they were kept. The corrosion with the electric tanks is so much worst than the gas heaters and will kill it before the sediment does.
Disconnect the cold water inlet line after draining the tank. Close the drain. Pour in a couple of gallons of apple cider vinegar. Wait for a couple of hours. Reconnect and turn on cold water inlet. Open drain after tank has filled up a bit and flush out the vinegar and the broken down minerals.
Instead of full send on the drill maybe a slower speed is gonna be less harmful to the internals of the waterheater. To me you want it flopping on the bottom breaking up sentiment not flaying around inside the tank.
Cool gadget, but will be a tough sell to your average hometown with having to remove that drain valve to use it
Maybe my next water heater; my current Richmond natural gas one is 16 years old, maybe flushed twice.
“Not sure if it’s good for it or not” 🤣😂🤣😂
Always love the videos but, this tool I do not. I’m with top comment. Full port and a hose adapter.
I'd spend a little extra on a water heater that came with some sort of a sediment agitator built in.
Shop vac with some vinyl tubing that fits in where spigot was.
I never had any luck flushing water heaters through the drain valve. It was always plugged up. The only way I could flush was to remove the Lower element and vacuum the sediment out. I lived in Austin and the water was horrible. The water was very hard and it tasted really bad. The idiots who built my house put the hot water heater on the far side of the attic so it was a major operation to drain the tank and so I did not do it very often. Actually I would only do it when an element had to be replaced. I always replace both elements together but the lower one is the only one that burned out because it was covered with the sediment. After the first time I had to do this I started flushing every year but that did not work so I just let it go until the lower element failed. The first W/H lasted 20 years. Imagine how you would go about getting a new W/H up the drop down attic ladder and over the HVAC unit. I just left the old W/H in the attic until I replaced the roof. I brought my John Deere tractor an front end loader it town and used the FEL as a platform to remove enough siding to get the old water heater through. When I disconnected it the drain was totally plugged do it was much too heavy for me to get over the HVAC and down the ladder.
This is a PERFECT EXAMPLE of why Never to trust/believe/follow CZcams do-it-yourself videos!
Always get professional advice.
Did you solider that ball valve?
Flush twice a year ,get a glass lined "self cleaning" unit , change Angel Rod every 2 years and never use a softener.Also don't jam stuff in the flush valve you can really damage the insides.Las Vegas Resident and my water heater was installed 2003.
I agree that thing whipping around inside may do more harm then good, but that seems to be a result of using a powered drill instead of cranking it by hand. A hand tool or hand crank should be enough to get the spring whipping around the bottom of the tank, without it slapping around in mid-air against the heater element or tubes. The sediment is mainly going to be on the bottom of the tank anyway, and you're just looking to loosen it up, while the water does the lifting to carry it out.
I haven't flushed mine for 20 years.....maybe I should. lol!
Hey I had a customer come into my store the other day with a Tupperware full of gunk that looked light brown turkey gravy and gelled fat. He told me it was coming out of his water heater; what could it have been?
My best guess it calcium build up, sediment, and maybe bacteria growth from a low temp setting on the tank. IDK for sure. I asked if he was on a private well. I told him to keep flushing the tank till the water comes out clear, maybe try to sanitize the inside with industrial vinegar or maybe bleach. Then push come to shove have someone come out and test the water, and/or replace the machine. Let me know if you have ever encountered something like that.
Can you review the Sediment Buster? It that screws onto the existing drain connector, then air is injected into the tank thru the opened drain valve to agitate the water inside the tank. Doesn't seem as aggressive as a metal tube whipping around. I'm not a sponsor, but looks interesting, $40 Amazon.
I will look into it! Thanks
If the house has whole house filter cartridge in use, is flush still needed?
Yes, but I would say not as often. Flush it once or twice and see how much sediment comes out and then you can decide if it's worth it.
I agree thats its probably not good to have that thing beating and bashing around inside the tank. If I was going to use that tool, I would run the drill motor pretty slow. Might take longer but probably still get the same result. Better than beating the tank all to heck and back.
Agreed, use with caution
Why didn't you show how much sediment you got after using the snake?
Question: I have a 20 year old electric Bradford White 80 gal Water Heater that has never been flushed. At this time there are no issues, should I replace it or wait till it has issues? I've read that water heaters are good for about 10 years max :-/
If you haven’t had any problems so far there is no point in flushing it. I would look at replacing it soon before it becomes a problem though
@@RogerWakefield Thanks, that confirms my thoughts.
Bad idea could break the dip tube as they get brittle also could chip glass lining causing tank to leak
I’d mostly be concerned about it breaking the dip tube, they aren’t very sturdy
I’m not a plumber nor really a diy-er. With that said, could a person shut the water off. Drain a little water from the tank. Add some citric acid through the the anode port after removing it of course. Wait a couple of hours to let the citric acid break up the mineral deposits then drain the water heater. Cycle the cold water a few times to flush out the citric acid. Replace the with a new anode rod. Refill the water heater until the next time you need to replace the anode rod again maybe in a couple of years. I don’t know if this would be a feasible solution which is why I’m asking.
You got dripppage up top at 4:20 Roger!
I didn’t see anything 👀
Turbo Tank Cleaner looks like a Turbo Tank Destroyer.....especially on an older tank.
Our hot water heater that we still use was made in 1955 or 1956!!
A. O. Smith Permaglass. We haven't flushed it since we acquired the house in 2007. No telling what is in there...
you have extremely clean,soft water ,.enjoy
Where do you go get one of them tools clean out your hot water
Would drain the pipes and partially drain heater, add 3 gallons of vinegar to water heater heater, refill system and 5h later flush the heater
How are you getting vinegar in there??
Horrible idea. Nobody do this... 🙄
@russelljackson4472 top fill port. Could also use food grade citric acid.
DON'T DO THIS!! Water heaters have a porcelain lining as do some washing machines. The porcelain can resist bases like detergent, but not acids like vinegar which can dissolve the lining. That is why old stone structures, tombstones look eaten away. It's from acidic rain.
My water heater was making loud noises when we were using hot water. A plumber came out and recommended draining about 1/2 the water and adding 3 gallons of vinegar. He didn’t tell me how to drain it or where to pour in the vinegar nor did he mention how to be sure an get all the vinegar and dissolved sediment out afterwards. I would have expected him to do that rather then instructing me to do so. I never did but did end up replacing that water heater a few years later when it started leaking.
80 psi sounds high for home pressure, close to a temp/press. valve opening