Is There A Way To Tell If I Have Sediment Buildup In My Water Heater?
I have hard water and I have noticed a lack of hot water for showers. The heat is hot enough but there isn’t ever enough water to take 2 consecutive showers, our dishwasher has also had some problems due to the hardwater. Is there any sure way of telling whether we have sediment buildup in our water heater?
Related posts:
- How Do I Get Rid Of The Buildup In My Hot Water Heater And Keep It From Coming Back?
- Does My Water Heater Have To Be Set At 120f?
- What Temperature Should My Water Heater Be At?
- What Do You Do About These Cheap Bottom Drain Valves On Hot Water Heater?
- What Water Heater Capacity Is Needed For One Shower/bathroom?
September 27, 2009 @ 11:55 am
yes, close the water supply to the tank then open the valve at the bottom of the tank and drain out the tank. the last bits of water should contain sdeiment at the bottom of the tank.
September 27, 2009 @ 12:33 pm
Your water heater DOES have sediment build up, all of them do because they store water, so over time, it will collect. You can keep it lower by draining it once a year. Also a good Idea to unscrew the aerators on your faucets and clean them out, the washing machine hoses have a screen before they enter the machine, shower heads, etc. CLR or Lime-away will loosen up anything you can’t get out with a toothpick.
The problem will be scale build up in the water heater inlet and outlet pipes, not in the heater itself. Rust and lime scale will build up over the years on the inside of steel water pipes, especially at elbows or tee fittings, constricting the water pressure and volume. If you are running out of hot water, scale can build up on the elements in a electric water heater and short them out [there are usually at least 2 different elements]. Replacing them might solve the temperature issue.
A sediment filter after the meter or pressure tank will slow, but not stop, the pipes from scaling up. There are a few different methods that seem to work, or at least help [such as a magnetic de ionizers and such], but nothing aside from pipe replacement will solve anything. Copper or PEX plastic pipe will almost eliminate the buildup as, and PEX can be done by a homeowner with little tools by using friction connectors.
September 27, 2009 @ 5:56 pm
attach a hose to the bottom drain and open it slowly into a 5 gallon clean bucket stop at 2 gallons and check for sediment or other crud the harder the water is the more often you should flush your tank simply run hose to drain and run approximately 10 gallons out every 2 months for really hard water
RSS feed for comments on this post. TrackBack URL
Leave a comment