How to drain water from a water heater: the pros and cons of different methods + an example of work

In theory, the question of how to drain water from a water heater seems very simple and elementary. However, in practice, not all home masters can immediately cope with the task quickly and correctly.

In order to avoid difficulties and prevent fatal mistakes, it is advisable to have at hand a detailed description of the process and clearly follow all instructions. Then the work will not cause much trouble and will not affect the subsequent operation of the water heater.

We will help you in solving this issue. The article describes common situations that require draining the water, provides methods and rules for emptying the water heater. The information presented will be an excellent help to the home master when servicing the boiler and replacing the heater.

Design features of the storage tank

A water heater is a popular household appliance. For full functioning, it needs proper operation and scheduled maintenance.

Manufacturers and suppliers of equipment strongly discourage users from urgently needing to empty the tank and keep it empty for a long time. In such a situation, the internal space of the tank is occupied by air, which negatively affects the surface of the tank and the general condition of the heater.

The working heating element of the unit with a dry heater is placed in a steatite flask and does not directly contact the liquid. If it breaks down, it is not necessary to drain the water from the tank. It is enough to carefully remove the damaged part through the flange hole, and then return it to its original place.

More expensive units made of stainless steel and equipped with a dry heating element with a progressive ceramic coating are resistant to air, but the bulk of cheap budget models have no protection and, remaining long empty, then breaks down and needs to be replaced.

Therefore, experts recommend keeping them filled and without urgent need not to drain the water.

When to drain: popular reasons

Reason # 1. A water tank needs complete draining of the liquid if the room where the equipment is located does not heat up for a long time.

For example, it can be a summer residence not suitable for winter living, or any other property rarely visited by the owners, where the average temperature drops below + 5 ° С.

In this mode, the water in the drive and pipes may freeze and there is a risk of damage to the internal structure of the tank and piping. Therefore, it is better to carefully drain the liquid in advance, and preserve the system until a more appropriate time.

If the boiler in the warm season is not planned to be used for its intended purpose for a long time, you can not drain the water completely, but simply let it leak and renew once every 15 days. Then the water does not stagnate, and a comfortable environment for various microorganisms cannot physically form inside

If it is assumed that the device will not be used for a long time, then the contents in it can be updated once every 2 weeks by opening the hot tap on the mixer for several minutes. So the water will not stagnate and harmful microorganisms will not appear in it.

Reason number 2. Scheduled cleaning is another good reason to completely empty the boiler. It is carried out once a year where water of high purification level, containing a minimum of impurities, is centrally supplied.

Twice a year, the tank is cleaned with constant use of running water entering the system directly from the tank and not passing through the treatment collectors.

When the heater is covered with a thick layer of scale, the water heater in the process starts to consume significantly more electricity. According to experts, consumption increases by at least 25%, and in some especially neglected cases it reaches 50%

In addition, during operation, dirt and harmful bacteria accumulate inside the boiler, and the bottom, walls and heating element are covered with scale. Settling on the heater, it turns into a kind of heat insulator.

The following situation develops further: the device itself becomes very hot during operation and begins to overheat. At the same time, running water does not change the temperature and enters the system hardly warm.

A water heater that is too clogged with waste generated during operation, deteriorates performance. The load on all key components increases and the equipment wears out much faster than stated by the manufacturer

The efficiency of the unit drops to a minimum with intensive consumption of electrics. To fix the problem, you need to lower the tank, remove the heater and clear it of scale. Then in the near future the equipment will be able to fully work and it will not be necessary to completely change the water heater for a very long time.

The precipitate formed during operation in the storage tank negatively affects the quality of heating water and impairs its full flow. In order for the device to function properly again, you will have to completely drain the liquid, carefully remove all deposits and only then continue to operate in normal mode

Reason 3№. Emptying the tank may be necessary if the unit has already reached the warranty period, but one of the working components has broken.

For self-repair or replacement of heating heater or the magnesium anode will have to completely drain the water, carry out all the necessary repairs, then reconnect the equipment to the system and fill it with fresh water.

Leakage will also require a drain. Otherwise, finding a vulnerability and fixing the problem will be very problematic not only for the home master, but also for the professional

Read more about probable boiler failures and how to eliminate them. this article.

Reason No. 4. Another serious reason to drain the water is the unpleasant odor emanating from the tank. Usually it appears with very rare use of equipment. The water in the tank without regular renewal stagnates, begins to silt and smell.

After a complete emptying and filling of the tank with fresh liquid, the “aroma” disappears and no longer bothers residents with unpleasant fumes.

To prevent limescale from remaining inside the tank, preventing the safety valve from working perfectly, some home appliance manufacturers recommend customers to drain a small amount of water every month through a separate drain pipe

Reason number 5. In addition to all of the above reasons, emptying may be necessary in case of dismantling the tank and moving it to another place, for example, during redevelopment of the premises and ongoing major or cosmetic repairs.

In which cases it is not necessary to drain the water

It is far from necessary to lower the water heater and leave it empty in all cases. When planning to “preserve” equipment for a long time, for example, for the whole summer, it is better to leave a little water inside the tank.

It will prevent early corrosion from forming and will protect the unit from fire in case the owners suddenly return and accidentally, inattentively, turn on the empty heater.

When there is a desire to get rid of stagnant water, which has become stale during the downtime of the equipment, there is no point in conducting a complete drain operation. It is better to recalibrate the tank several times and update the contents of the tank.

By the way, experts strongly recommend that such a procedure be carried out once every 2-3 months, passing at least 100 liters of cold running water for washing through the apparatus.

It is extremely undesirable for a home foreman to penetrate a boiler under warranty service. If you need to contact a service center after a leak in the system, no one will carry out warranty repairs.

The traces of the intervention will be so obvious that when employees notice this, they immediately cancel the grace period and will no longer provide free services.

If you turn to specialists or representatives of a service center, professional craftsmen will leave for the place, assess the level of damage and quickly fix it. The owners will not need to think about the drainage of water and other components of such work.

Do not flush it, just to see the internal structure of the tank or learn in such a way that in the future you can do everything yourself, and not resort to the services of highly paid masters. It is better to carry out work only as needed. Then the equipment will work fully and will not cause any trouble to the owners.

Where to start the process

Regardless of which company the water heater is used for, for the correct draining process, it is necessary to disconnect the unit from the electrical network before starting work. This will protect the equipment from short circuits, and the foreman will avoid potential injuries.

It is strictly forbidden to drain hot water from the tank. Failure to do so could result in burns for the service worker.

Then, using a valve, it is necessary to block the flow of tap water into the tank and leave the boiler off for a while, so that it completely cools. When these parameters are met, you will have to carefully remove the tubes that supply hot and cold water, and only then proceed directly to the drain.

Description of popular methods

There are many ways to drain the liquid from the water heater. All of them are not too complicated and work on a single principle. Minor differences are due only to the structural features of the boilers used.

The work does not take much time, but requires the home master to be careful, meticulous and meticulous. If you approach the issue carefully and responsibly, the process will go smoothly and will not have a negative impact on the design and subsequent operation of the equipment.

Drain through safety valve

The communication system, which includes the initially correctly installed water heater, requires a safety relief valve. Usually it is located on a cold pipe or rod just before entering the tank. This element is intended for emergency drainage of water from the boiler tank.

The draining process is carried out spontaneously when, for some reason, the pressure inside the tank exceeds the set safe level. The emergency valve itself is equipped with a screw handle and a special nozzle, to which it is very convenient to attach the drain pipe.

A health check of the node is done monthly. To do this, open the valve handle and wait a while. The water flowing in a steady stream shows that the valve device is in working condition and fully performs its functions.

If the water flows very weakly or does not pass at all, then the channel is clogged and the valve does not perform its direct safety function. Having received such information, it is better to immediately respond and clean the element for further full-fledged work.

When the part is no longer to be cleaned, it is recommended as soon as possible replace safety valve on new.

Water flows very slowly through the safety valve. In 2 hours, it is possible to drain no more than 80 liters of water. With a clogged valve, this time will increase by another 1-1.5 hours, depending on how badly the valve channel is clogged

Draining water through a safety valve is considered the easiest, most affordable and most affordable. To implement the process, you only need to turn the valve responsible for the emergency device. With a functioning valve, water will immediately flow out of the nozzle or bypass hose attached to it.

The owners will only have to wait until all the water has drained, and then perform all the necessary manipulations with the boiler: preserve for the winter, change the defective parts, eliminate the unpleasant odor, perform a scheduled cleaning, etc.

Empty the tank through the cold water hole

Draining the liquid from the water heater through the cold water outlet is more complicated than the one described above, and requires attention, a responsible approach and some working skills from the home foreman.

To accomplish the task, you will have to arm yourself with an adjustable wrench and unscrew a certain number of nuts, ensuring the integrity of the structure.

Unscrewing the nuts from the water heater, you need to act very carefully and carefully. If the thread is broken during dismantling, the boiler cannot be assembled correctly

A step-by-step instruction created by professionals for home masters recommends that you proceed in the following order:

1. Disconnect the boiler tank from the mains and shut off the supply of cold and hot water to the room.
2. Check if the hot tap is closed, otherwise after unscrewing all the nuts, the water will flow excessively and will certainly flood the kitchen.
3. Place a container of suitable size to drain the working water under the storage tank.
4. Unscrew the nut connecting the safety (drain, return or emergency) valve and the metal-plastic communication pipe (or flexible hose).
5. Using an adjustable wrench, carefully unscrew the nut fastening the safety (dumping) valve and the pipe of the heating unit.
6. Remove the relief valve and evaluate its condition. If clogging is detected, rinse the part thoroughly under running water.
7. Open the hot water valve and allow air to enter the sealed tank.After these manipulations, water from the cold pipe will flow much faster.
8. A hot tap will help regulate the level and flow rate. If the discharge is too strong, the valve can be screwed a little.
9. If a drain valve is installed on the hot connection in the communication system, you can control the drain level using it without using a standard hot valve.

Provided that everything is done correctly, water will flow out of the heating tank completely in 3-5 minutes, depending on the volume of the unit.

Water drainage through hose holes

It is possible to empty the water heater very quickly by draining the working fluid through the hoses responsible for supplying / discharging cold and hot water. However, this method is only suitable for those units that are located directly above the bath. There are no control functions for force and discharge rate in this version.

It is necessary to return the boiler to operation after draining, removing precipitation and cleaning the heating elements very carefully. The container must be filled with fresh water. Connecting an empty unit to the power supply can cause a short circuit and even cause a fire.

To activate the process, it is necessary to unscrew and remove the cold water hose and safety valve from the inlet pipe. Then remove the hose from the hot water pipe.

All the liquid available at that time in the tank drains into the bathtub in just 1-2 minutes and the unit becomes accessible for scheduled cleaning, maintenance and complete shutdown for the purpose of conservation for the winter.

How to remove the remnants of water

Regardless of how the water is drained from the water heater, it cannot be removed completely and without residue. This is due to the structural features of the boiler tank.

To clean everything up to a drop, you will have to almost completely disassemble the unit, clean the inner surface, eliminate the malfunctions, and then either preserve the system until the next use or reassemble the unit, return it to its place and continue to operate normally.

Rules for the complete emptying of the boiler

It is necessary to drain the bulk of the water with one of the most convenient methods described above. Carefully unscrew the decorative cover located at the bottom of the tank.

Holding it with your fingers, carefully disconnect the wires holding the warning light to the surface. Then also remove the electrical wires, having previously remembered their exact location.

In the case when it is required to completely disassemble the boiler, special attention must be paid to the placement of connecting and electrical wires. In order not to confuse anything later, it is advisable to photograph their current position and only then proceed to dismantle

Then slowly and counterclockwise unscrew the flange serving as a support for the heater. Gently loosen the nuts of the structure and allow residual water to flow out of the boiler. At the end, completely unscrew the nuts and remove the flange. Very slowly remove the heater from the recess, trying not to damage either the surface of the tank or the part itself.

If the heater cannot be removed immediately, then it is covered with a thick layer of scale. In order not to deform it during removal, you need to gently swing the part from right to left, while carefully pulling it up

Pour out the remaining drops of water from the boiler, clean the surface, and then reassemble the unit, mount it into the communication system and start using it in standard mode.

Tools required for work

The process of emptying water heating units of different manufacturers according to the basic principles is very similar. The main tools required for proper operation are a traditional adjustable wrench and a rubber hose designed to drain fluid.

You can drain water from a small boiler room not only in the bath, but also in an ordinary plastic bucket.If you plan to empty a large tank, it is better to prepare a wide basin or any other container with a good capacity, otherwise part of the water simply will not fit and at the end of the work you will have to spend additional time cleaning the room

To service some boiler models, for example, firms Ariston, Electrolux, "Termex" and so on. Screwdrivers with different nozzles, a wrench and a hexagon are useful.

It is appropriate to lower the fluid drain hose into the bathtub. If this is not possible objectively, you will have to find a practical and convenient capacious tank, where waste water will drain in the process of emptying the boiler.

Conclusions and useful video on the topic

A simple and affordable way to drain fluid from a boiler. A complete procedure, interesting tips and tricks from a professional master.

A detailed description of how to easily and quickly drain water from a storage boiler in order to replace the old heater with a new one. A step-by-step description of the workflow with all the tools used.

How to properly drain the water from the storage tank and clean the inner surface of the tank and the heater from the resulting scale, dirt and heavy water deposits.

The process of draining the liquid from the water heater is not too complicated, but it requires attention, accuracy and clear, streamlined actions. By strictly following the above instructions, even an inexperienced home master who has never encountered the task of doing such work before will cope with the task.

The next time, emptying the boiler will no longer look problematic, especially since it is recommended not to regularly drain the water from the storage tank, but only in case of urgent need due to the above reasons.

Have experience draining water from a water heater? Or want to ask questions on the topic? Please comment on the publication and participate in the discussions. The feedback block is located below.