A NEW & FUN Way to Flush a Water Heater

Water heater companies love this video. Anyone who does this will need to buy a new tank a lot sooner than if they hadn't

Master plumber for 40 years and wouldn’t put that thing in any water heater at all ever! No way, too aggressive!

I love this thing..! I’m going to have sooo much work replacing smashed up heaters if this gimmick ever takes off… 🎉

1. Turn off the heat before the last shower taken before working on the water heater. 2. That tool looks like it would destroy glass lined water heaters. 3. Try pulsing the water inlet on and off to disrupt the sediment. 4. I have problems with grit clogging the connected garden hose if it's long enough to go outside. Any suggestions? Looked a bit like aquarium gravel. 5. I had a plastic drain valve but (thanks to a You Tube suggestion) replaced it with a brass boiler drain valve with less restriction. 6. While shut down for the flush, it's also a good time to check the condition of the anode rod. Or even spray water in from top to assist flush as suggested by another comment.

I prefer to remove the anode rod and use a water hose nozzle to get a high pressure stream. I spray from the top of the tank with a strong water jet moving it around the tank. Then straight down to break up sediment on the bottom. That method removes more sediment from tanks than any other method. I’ve tried multiple methods, even removing both electric elements and spraying from the side, but from the top works best. My method also allows me to check the anode rod. I have never gotten less than 19 years service from an electric water heater. That thing slapping around inside the tank hits the same limited area over and over. 85 percent of the tank surface is still untouched by that thing slapping around.

You're right. This turbo tank cleaner faucet head may do more harm than good, especially to any older hot water tank whose inside components are usually not as sturdy as new ones.

I had the same thought about that thing swinging around. Those dip tubes are basically straws. 😂 I don’t know if they can handle wacking like that .

I can't think of a quicker way to ruin a water heater. Corrosion protection on a water heater consists of a thin porcelain coating on the inside. Chip or crack that coating and your water heater will rust out within a couple of years.

Great video like usual Roger! I recently got a call for sand like sediment clogging the faucets and shower heads and I immediately flushed the water heaters into a bucket just like you did and pulled the same exact gunk out I had a few people look at it and we were all puzzled as to what it is, its pretty cool you also ran into the same thing in a video within the same week as me. Love the videos keep up spreading the good word of plumbing.

A better design would be to install a full port ball valve as your drain valve and then have a sealed pressure hose that can slide in and spray water at angles.

I also would be worried about the thing whipping around in my tank. We need to remember that what we saw was a dry tank for video purposes. If that tank had water in it, it would diminish that whipping action. I agree with those that recommend replacing the drain valve with a full flow valve. Do this when you first get a new tank. A lot easier on a cold, dry tank even if you do break it off. There is a tool used to remove broken pipe. Metal or plastic. I'll never figure out why they use plastic valves.

I made a large clear vinyl hose to attach to the tank drain (hose bib removed). I took a small copper pipe crimped on one end and a female hose connecter on the other. I used a thin bladed hacksaw to cut a 45 degree slot that water sprayed back toward the drain. I cut a small hole in the top of the vinyl hose to push the copper pipe through. The vinyl hose was long enough to reach outside to a bucket. I controlled the flow with a hose cutoff valve. As the water flowed you can see the debris come out. With the water squirting toward the drain it was like raking the solids out. It worked really well.

Did you mention that electric water heaters should be shut off at the breaker to prevent damage to the heating elements when the tank is drained? I might have missed that section.

Just got a plumbing apprenticeship you're videos been really helping me out. Thank you

Gonna be taking my journeyman test in a couple months can’t wait to have it done. Unfortunately I’ve been a trim guy for my 5 years of plumbing doing new construction. Any advice to bring myself more value and learn new skills while being a trim guy or would you recommend trying to find a new employer and see if they’d let me learn how to rough in even though I’ll be licensed?

You should really do more plumbing specialty tool reviews like this, there's so much new and useful stuff being released all the time that people don't know about.

I went to a preachers house for a service call o right as I pulled up he was about to pour 6 boxes not one jug not two jugs but he bought 6 boxes full of CLR an he was about to pour them onto the inlet side of the water heater to flush it out . Thank God I pulled up when I did I really belive I saved his families life . I told him he would never ever be able to flush out that CLR an he could have possibly posioned his family . I ended up installing a new water heater because his was 15yrs old an the build up was way to bad flush out.

Great video like always! I know you did a video on making a lead and oakum joint pretty recently, but have you thought about doing a video about removing one to transition cast iron to PVC? Had to do that recently and while there's a lot of great written guides, I didn't find any good videos showing that. Thanks as always!

Wouldnt the drill attachment aggregator potential damage the glass lining, maybe damage an electric element.

I use an adapter to put a plastic hose onto a shop vac and I scrape around inside with it and suck everything out. Close it up, flush it out, drain and repeat with the vac. Gets it really clean. Works great if it is REALLY clogged up inside too. I have saved a few people from needing whole new units by getting buckets and buckets of crud out.