Cold Showers? How to Flush Your Hot Water Tank

Do you like your morning showers to be set at a certain temperature? Some people love to take a cold shower when they wake up each day to get them moving in the right direction, but this is certainly not the way that you like to get things done. In fact, the temperature is so important to you that you can certainly sense when it is not where it should be, and you may have had to turn the dial more and more in recent days. What could be going wrong and what should you do?

Time for Action

If you have turned the temperature dial all the way into the red, and the water is still not where it should be, then you will need to take a closer look at your hot water heater. If it's been some time since you performed any maintenance, then the first thing that you will need to do is to flush it out and see if that makes any difference.

Mineral Buildup

As time goes by, various minerals and other debris may build up on the water heater and around the edge of the tank and this will make it more difficult for the heating elements to do their job. The problem can be particularly problematic if you live in an area where you have hard water, and this type of maintenance should, in fact, a be done a lot more frequently.

Flushing Step-By-Step

To begin this job, you will need to shut off the water supply and turn off the electricity at the breaker. It's particularly important to shut the power off just in case because if the switch was inadvertently activated, you could burn out the element.

At the bottom of the tank, you will find the drain valve. You should attach one end of a hose to this valve and route the other end towards a drain. Before you open the drain valve itself, turn on the hot water tap in the kitchen or bathroom to alleviate some of the pressure in the tank.

When you open the drain valve, it may take some time for all of the water to run out. As the tank drains towards the bottom have a look at the colour or content of the water as it exits to the drain to see how much sediment you're having to deal with.

Next, turn the water on again to flush any of the sediment away from the bottom of the hot water heater tank. Leave the water on until it runs clear, before turning the tap off and re-closing the valve.

Still Not Happy?

Hopefully, this will make a difference and you will be able to enjoy those hot morning showers again. However, if you're still unhappy then you may need to call in an electrician so they can perform more extensive hot water maintenance and have a good look at the condition of the heater.

About Me

Electrics and Floods: Safety, Repair and Tips

Welcome to my blog. My name is Eidie, and a few years ago, I woke in the middle of the night to find our house on fire. Luckily, everyone was able to get out safely, and when I found out what caused the fire, I knew I had to educate other people about the risk. The fire started due to some flooding that caused some electrics to stop working. The flood water got into the fixture and caused serious problems. Now, I have learned everything about how to detect these issues, how to avoid them and how to repair them. If you have leaks in your home or live in an area with flooding, look over these posts. They could save your life.

Tags