Electric Water Heater Drain Valve

Smith water heater isolation valve.

Electric water heater drain valve.

Water heaters have two outlet valves. Open the drain valve and allow the tank to drain until empty. Should have already been there. Most mid range hot water heaters now come with plastic drain valves which are prone to catastrophic failure after a few uses.

Often this happens after you drain the water heater as part of the regular maintenance of the unit but it can happen anytime. A temperature and pressure relief valve located near the top of the tank and a drain valve located near the bottom of the unit. The drain cock at the bottom of the water heater tank is a silver or brass colored valve with a threaded end. Twinkle star 3 4 inch ips isolator tankless water heater service valve kit with pressure relief valve clean brass construction 4 7 out of 5 stars 50 55 99 55.

This is where water comes out of the water heater and you need somewhere for the water to go as you drain the tank. In this episode of repair and replace. Before you attempt this be sure to unplug the water heater s power cord or shut off the power supply to the unit. Once all water has drained from the tank briefly turn on the cold water supply to the tank.

Use plenty of teflon tape when you install it. If you tried to unscrew the drain valve and the plastic broke in half the remaining stem will be difficult to remove. Whirlpool water heater tune up kit. Again the water will be hot so use caution.

Attach a garden hose to the drain valve located at the bottom of the unit and run the garden hose outside. A drain valve is a convenience feature on a water heater. You can either place a bucket under the drain valve or attach a garden hose to the threaded end of the valve. For pricing and availability.

Turn off the cold water supply to the water heater. This will stir up any remaining sediment. Open a hot water faucet in the house or flip the relief valve open on the water heater. This valve has the correct length for rheem and rudd heaters and the screwdriver slot for a safer low profile.

If the repair isn t successful you ll have water leaking into your house. The drain valve is the one you ll open to flush out the tank. While you can repair similar valves such as garden spigots it s not a good idea to attempt a repair on a water heater drain valve. The only time it will be used is when draining for repairs when it is being discarded or when flushing the lime scale out with a hose.

Like all water valves the drain valve on your water heater can wear out and leak.