Water Heater Maintenance ?

I had a new 50 gallon, gas powered, Bradford White water heater installed a short while ago. The plumber that did the work said that the unit had some kind of "hydro-jet" action and wouldn't require periodic draining. The manual, confirmed also with a call to the manufacturer, says it's best to drain off a gallon or so monthly to prevent sediment buildup. The plumber said doing this would eventually wear out the drain valve and that it's not worth the effort.

So......is it a good/necessary maintenance practice? I've kind of split the difference and drain a couple of gallons every six weeks or so and don't see any sediment or cloudiness to the water.

Thanks

The plumber has a point. But, ideally, you can drain a gallon or two per month but that depends on how hard your local water is. If it contains more minerals then you may need to drain it more often. What you did is correct to see if sediment is building up. So by this time you now have a feel on when to drain it.

It would keep the drain valve clear.

Thanks. I guess I'll just continue with the program I've started as the water in my area is exceptionally hard. If I wear out the valve to the point that it start tto drip, I guess that's a cheaper thing to replace than the whole unit. Sounds as if the "hydro-jet" turbulance action is largely a marketing thing.

Mort

The turbulence things that mix the sediment with the water do really make a difference. I used to have to clean out water heaters here every 1 to 3 years, and now they're going over five years and have a minimal amount of buildup. A Bradford-White heater I installed about five years ago had a lot of sediment, while several of the Rheems I'd installed had very little. It was not unusual to get as much as five to seven gallons of lime sediment out of a water heater, and the ones with the cleaning spray are more likely to be less than a gallon now.

But there are different kinds of sediment, too. A well can pump some sand or rust and those can often be easily flushed through the drain valve. If you've got clean water and no buildup, then you wouldn't need to flush it.

If you're worried about wearing the drain valve out, why not replace it now before it becomes corroded with a ball valve. That will outlast even a good water heater.

the absolute best approach....

What I tell my customers is far more aggressive
than just a crummey gallon of water....


I say to hook a hose up to that faucet on the bottom of the heater and run it to a drain or sump and turn it on
full blast for a good minute...turning the faucet on and off
a few times while doing it....UNDER FULL PRESSURE......

that certainly turbulates the bottom of the heater and stirs
up any sediment laying around...

I tell them to do it about once every 3 months.

Wow...hadn't thought about the ball valve (smacks himself upside the head). I replaced all the under sink valves and laundry valves with those just last year. (well, actually, I had my friendly plumber do that among other things). That would sure make things easier doing the full hose blast vs the funky bucket struggle too. Great ideas....many thanks.

Mort