But if you’re building a new home or adding to an existing one, installing a tankless water heater may make economic sense.Ĭonsumer Reports recently tested several electric and gas whole-house tankless water heaters from brands such as Bosch, Navien, Noritz, Rheem, Rinnai, Tempra, and Trutankless. Switching from a tank water heater to a tankless unit can be expensive because it requires you to retrofit your plumbing and possibly your electrical system. Typically, homeowners replace their old water heater with one of the same type that runs on the same fuel-natural gas or electricity. New storage tank water heaters are required to operate more efficiently, and tankless (on-demand) water heaters are even more efficient than that. If your water heater is nearing the end of its useful life and you’re thinking of replacing it before disaster strikes, you’ll be happy to know that you have better choices, thanks to federal regulations that require water heaters to be more energy-efficient. Despite this expense, water heaters are typically ignored until they break, leaving you with no hot water and, possibly, a flooded basement. And if you’ve been spending more time at home because of the pandemic, it’s likely that your usage and costs have gone up. If you have any questions, call Environmental Public Health.The cost of heating water consumes almost 20 percent of your household budget, second only to what you spend on heating and cooling your home. If this doesn't work, turn the cold water supply to the tank off and call a plumber. You'll see water draining out when you do this. If it's leaking, open and close the drain valve a few times, in case sediment is blocking the drain.
If you have a gas heater, turn the gas valve knob back on.When you see this, turn the hot water tap off. When the tank is full, you'll see a steady flow of water from the open hot water tap. Turn on the cold water valve (at the top of the tank) to refill the tank with water.When you see clear water draining from the hose, close the tank drain valve.This will help remove any water that is blocked in the hot water lines. Leave the hot water tap you opened on while you do this. Repeat steps 1 to 6 until you see clear water draining from the hose.If you aren't sure what to do or have problems, call a plumber. You can also use compressed air to force sediment out the drain and back into the tank. Open and close the drain valve 3 times to get rid of all sediment.Sediment or scale can sometimes plug the drain valve so the water can't drain. This will mix the sediment at the bottom of the tank around and help drain it out the garden hose. When all the water has drained from the tank, turn on the cold water valve at the top of the tank 3 times.Be careful not to damage or break the drain valve when you open and close it. This can take 20 to 60 minutes, depending on how big the tank is. This will create pressure to help force water out of the water tank. Open a hot water tap on the main floor in your house (or on a higher floor than your water tank).If you direct the water outside through a basement window, you might need a pump (unless you have a walkout basement). Direct the hose towards the basement floor drain or outside. Attach a garden hose to the drain valve (water spigot) at the bottom of the water heater.For natural gas water heaters, turn the gas valve on the tank to the pilot position or the lowest temperature setting.If no water is in the water tank and the power is on, you can damage your water heater. For electric water heaters, turn the power (at the circuit box) off before you do anything else.It's close to the top of the hot water tank. Turn the cold water valve (water supply) off.If you have any problems, call a plumber.
Follow the steps below to flush your water heater.
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