Water Heater Maintenance

Most people don't ever think about their water heater unless it stops working and they no longer have hot water. The most common reason for water heater failure is a leak in the tank itself. By properly maintaining your water heater you can extend the life, efficiency, and performance of your water heater.
It's recommended that you flush out your water heater every 6-12 months especially if you live in an area that has hard water. Hard water minerals can get left behind in your water heater which builds up at the bottom of the tank. This sediment that sits inside your water heater acts as an insulator between the burner and the water you are trying to heat. The more sediment inside your water heater the less efficient it becomes.
There are a few different ways that you can flush out a water heater. The easiest method for most homeowners doesn't actually require shutting off the pilot light or even completely draining the water heater. You actually don't even need to shut the main water supply off. Simply use a garden hose to hook up to the boiler drain at the bottom of the water heater. By using the shortest possible hose the water will usually drain out faster. Once you have hooked up the hose to the old water heater you can run it to the closet floor drain. This also a great way to clean your floor drain where condensation from the A/C can clog up the line.
Once you have opened the drain on the bottom of the water heater you should check for water flow. If the water is flowing out quickly, go ahead and let it drain out for about 15 minutes. Some of the old tanks that have lots of sediment may be stubborn in draining. In this case you may need to disconnect the hose and use a screw driver to try and free and debris blocking the flow of water. For some water heaters this isn't enough to get the water flowing. When you run into this problem you will need to shut off the main water supply as well as the gas supply. Once you have the water and gas off you can unscrew the boiler drain completely either by hand on a plastic drain or using a crescent wrench on a brass drain. If this is the only way to get the water flowing it may be a good idea to just replace the boiler drain which is a universal part that can be purchased from most hardware stores.