It is essential to know how to dissolve sediment in water heater so your appliances will work normally. Sediment buildup inside the water heater can lead to numerous problems you do not want to have. This is why cleaning or even preventing it from happening is essential.
Signs That You May Have Too Many Sediments Build Up
- Less water flow
If you have too much sediment build up in your water heater, then it can block the hot water flow inside the plumbing system. You can see this when the water pressure in your house decreases, or the hot water flow begins to slow.
Read also: How to Prevent Sediment in Water Heater
- Noisy sound
The sediment build-up can pop or rumble inside as the water heater is turned on. This sound comes as the sediment buildup that is trapped inside gets heated. If you leave this for too long, it may potentially damage your water tank.
- Bacteria growth
Sediment can cause bacteria to grow inside the water heater. While they would not be causing you any disease, they can damage the heater. The bacteria can lead to the heater’s lining corrosion, which shortens its lifespan.
- Less efficient
When you have sediment inside the water heater, it has to work extra hard to reach the temperature you set it on. Thus, the sediment makes your appliances work less efficiently, which may increase your bill as it uses more energy.
How to Dissolve Sediment in Water Heater Step by Step
- First, you need to turn off the heater by turning off the water switch for the electric heater or turning the thermostat to the pilot setting for the gas heater.
- Next, you must turn off the cold water valve so no water will enter the heater while you clean it.
- Do not forget to wait a few hours until the water inside the heater cools. The water inside is still boiling, so proceeding to the step without waiting for it to cool down first can be dangerous.
- Insert the garden hose or drain into the drain valve, which is located on the body of the heater water tank. Ensure it is installed correctly so no leak can damage the tank.
- Take a bucket, then put the other end of the garden hose you used earlier inside. Ensure the bucket is heatproof and big enough to hold all water from inside the tank.
- Turn on your kitchen sink hot water faucet and let it open. You would not see too much water running since the other valve is turned off, but removing any leftover water inside the pipe is necessary.
- Use a flathead screwdriver and slowly turn on the heater’s drain valve. Then, you will see water flowing from the tank into the bucket. Let all the water out to drain them and remove the sediment simultaneously.
- Once no water is left, use the flathead screwdriver again to turn off the heater’s drain valve.
- You can remove the garden hose and turn on the cold water valve to replace the tank with cold water.
- Then, you can turn the heater to the previous setting.
- Go back to your kitchen sink and turn it off once the water has flowed typically. You might need to wait half an hour to get hot water.
Read also: Hot Water Heater Beeping
Conclusion
As you can see, removing and cleaning your water heater is straightforward. To prevent the sediment from buildup inside the tank, clean it every 6 months.
