Important: You must turn off the power at your circuit breaker before doing anything to your hot water heater!!

​In order to flush a water heater, attach a garden hose to the spout on the bottom of the water heater and open the valve (be careful because the water will be HOT!) A clean water heater will immediately get water from the end of the hose, but a water heater with sediment buildup, will drain slowly. A water heater with lots of buildup will have only a slow drip. If it has a slow drip, take a coat hanger or other stiff metal rod and insert it into the drain valve to work the sediment buildup loose. (This often results in a gush of water, so be prepared with lots of buckets.)

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