When draining your hot water heater....

[Castranova]

Learn from me. Today, I filled the hot water heater to see where the leak is coming from, found the leak at a joint up top where it hooks to a pipe, so went around to  remove the large plug. What I DIDN'T DO was turn on the hot water for a bit, and let the pressure die down inside the tank after turning the pump off. That plug shot out of there like a bullet and hit me right smack in the hip for which I have a nasty bruise! Learn from me folks. I'm a dork. :'(

 

[Ned]

You not only want to relieve the pressure in the tank but run most of the hot water out as well so you don't get scalded when removing the drain plug.

 

[Castranova]

Ned....luckily, I hadn't heated the water, or that would've happened too! Sheeesh!

 

[Mopar1973Man]

Chuckles... This dork done that twice now.  :

Once with just the 60 PSI of air and the other time just as described... (Still chucklin' about it...)

 

[Frizlefrak]

Yeah, nice thing about doing something like this is that a person generally only does it once. 

 

[garyb1st]

Is this the same as the Anode Rod?  I've changed mine twice.  Both times I've run the hose into the opening and flushed the heater until most of the white stuff was gone.  If I'm supposed to do something else, I'd appreciate some info on what and how.  Thanks. 

 

[Jim Godward]

Gary,

You did good. There is a tool that you can buy or make that aids the flushing of the heater.  I attached a 1/4" copper tube to a hose fitting and bent a 1/4 circle bend in the end of it.  I insert the tool into the opening and direct the stream at various angles to flush.  Works well and I don't get as wet as just using the hose.