I've got a hot water heater that's not draining like it should. I've turned off the breaker and let the hot water run in my bathtub for a bit. After that, I switched off the cold water supply to the heater and waited about 20 minutes before trying to drain it. All I could get out was about 2 gallons, and it came out as just a slow dribble. But when I turned the cold water back on briefly, it flowed out really fast. I'm worried that might just be pressure and not a good sign. Is there something I'm missing, or is there a better way to drain it?
1 Answer
It sounds like you might be creating a vacuum inside the tank. Try opening a hot tap somewhere in your house while you drain it—that should help break the vacuum and get things flowing better!
Thanks for the tip! So if the faucet is helping it drain a little, does that mean my heater might already be mostly empty? Just trying to wrap my head around this.