For decades, water heaters have provided comfort to many households. When it stops working, you realize how much you rely on it. A great shower will never be the same again. Minerals and elements that makeup water tend to settle beneath the tanks over time. Such build-up could cause damage to your gas water heater, necessitating the need to drain the entire unit.
Although the water heater system has been in place for years and generations, problems may arise along the way. It is always best to be prepared for such occurrences. A basic understanding of home repairs is required. How can a gas water heater be drained without the use of a drain valve? After reading this article, you will be able to drain your water heater without using a drain valve.
Why You Should Drain Your Water Tank?
It’s essential to empty your water heater as part of regular maintenance. Our water heater fills up with sediments and grime over time. Apart from filth, the tank corrodes, and the accumulated corrosion at the bottom of the tank usually causes clogging.
Tools:
The following are the required tools:
Container Or Bucket:
Make sure it has the right capacity for the amount of water inside the heater tank because this is where the water that you will be draining from the tank will end up. Use multiple buckets if you don’t have a single large container. The location where the collected water will be disposed of or stored should be easily accessible for your container to be transported.
Hose Pipes:
A garden hose can be used to fulfill this requirement. The tank outlet will have a hose pipe attached to it so that water can drain into the bucket or container you made earlier.
Also, Read: How To Relight Pilot Light On Water Heater?
Adjustable Wrench:
Make use of an adjustable wrench to loosen the hose pipe to remove it. This will help you to drain the water with ease.
Manual Drill:
With the help of these instruments, you can make a draining opening in case that the drain valve malfunctions. That does, however, rely on the drain valve’s material.
You can use a hacksaw blade on brass or metal drain valves, but a serrated insert works well on plastic ones. You can use a manual drill if none of this works.
Screwdriver:
To do the task, you will require a large screwdriver if you use a hacksaw blade to cut your valve.
Mat:
There’s a chance your disaster could involve spills, so a rug might help keep things neat.
Also, Read: How to Tighten Drain Valve on Water Heater?
Procedure:
Turn Off The Power Supply:
Shut down the main power supply. This could be your natural gas or electricity supply. If you believe the water is still hot, wait for it to cool before proceeding, as you may be burned.
Removal Of A Faulty Drain:
Remove the faulty drain valve and turn off the area of the heater that supplies water to it.
Close The Hot Water Valve:
Additionally, ensure that the hot water valve is off. If the drain valve on your heater is plastic, unscrew it and use a self-tapping serrated insert to obstruct the nipple.
Drill A Hole In The Drain Valve:
Better yet, you may drill a hole in the drain valve by hand with a manual drill. Do not use an electric drill to bore the hole if you want to prevent electric shock from water drips.
If the material of your heater nipple hole is brass, you can use a Hacksaw Blade to cut a cross-patterned opening in it. Next, make a hole in the cut with a screwdriver and spin it clockwise.
Insert Garden Hose:
Next, to start draining, put the garden hose’s other end into the hole and attach it to your bucket. Water spills will be less likely to land on the floor, thanks to the rug.
Remove Any Sediment From Inside The Tank:
Before draining the tank completely, remove any sediment that has accumulated at the bottom. Attach an extension tube to either end of a garden hose and insert one end into the bottom drain hole of your hot-water tank and the other into an open sink drain nearby to remove this sediment (keep running cold tap water for extra flow).
Once all of the sediment has been washed out of the sink drain, turn on both faucets so that there is a lot of pressure coming out of both ends of the hose. This should take a few minutes.
Next, make sure that no more of your valuable hot water is lost by turning off all of the taps! Drain all of the remaining water. After emptying your tank, use a high-flow faucet to continue draining the remaining water until the tank is empty.
Drying Out Of Water:
After removal, leave valves T and P open to prevent air erosion.
Conclusion:
Draining a water heater is a very simple task, but it removes moisture and works as a life extender. By taking these simple steps, you can ensure that your water heater operates as intended without ever having to hire a professional.
FAQ:
Is a hose required to empty the water heater?
Keep the cold water supply running after turning off the water heater. Aerating the water below will occur when the drains are opened, applying pressure from the water supply. Turn off the cold water supply after a few minutes.
Is a drain valve necessary?
The drain valve helps remove the collected water before it causes significant damage to the compressor and calls for an expensive repair or replacement.
