Draining Your Water Heater | Chicago Water Heater Maintenance

Isn’t it nice to know that when you hop in the shower, the water will be hot? Did you know that if you don’t take precautions, you can lose that confidence sooner that you thought possible. While most of us know that a household water heater won’t last forever, without proper maintenance, your’s could fail much sooner than intended. No one wants to wake up to a flooded basement and have to purchase a new hot water heater. To keep your hot water flowing in your Chicago home operating smoothly for many years to come, follow the following steps.

First, dig out your manual. Your manual provides installation instructions as well as, maintenance, parts and warranty information. If you can’t find yours, search your water heater’s model number and brand online. Odds are good that you will find a digital version of it. Once you have located the information about water heater maintenance, it’s time to start in.

Drain Your Tank

Over time, sediment can build up in a water heater. This sediment can clog pipes and can lead to the corrosion of the tank. This corrosion will lead to premature water heater failure. This is especially true in Chicago homes that have hard water. Regardless of whether you have city water, or well water, you will have to drain your unit. Chicago area home with hard water will want to drain their tanks several times throughout the year. Fortunately, draining your water heater is relatively easy.

Step 1: Shut it down

Turn off  the pilot, Shut off Gas & Electricity(if applicable) to your unit. Also, shut off cold water connection.

Step2: Connections

Connect Hose to the drainage valve at the bottom of your unit. You can use a re-purposed garden hose, or purchase a hose specifically designed for the task. Place the other end of the hose into a basement drain that can handle large amounts o scalding hot water.

Step 3: Drain Away

With the pressure relief valve open, open the valve at the bottom of the tank. Allow all of the water in the tank to empty out. This will ensure that all sediment has been evacuated. Once finished. Close the drain valve and the pressure relief valve. Turn the cold water intake back on and re-light the pilot.

Simple maintenance on your water heater in your Chicago area home can save you money and grief in the long run. If you are uncomfortable performing the above actions, or you are in need of a new water heater, contact Polar today! We can perform your maintenance for you, or install a new one.