Water Heater Flushing

Hello again...

Since the water system is still drained on my 2001 TM2619, I decide to check the anode on the water heater. Well, there wasn't much left, and there is quite a bit of sediment on the bottom of the water heater, which I am assuming is the disintegrated/decomposed anode.

I have one the flushing tubes that hooks up to a water hose, but before I start flushing, since there is no water in the inlet, I started worrying about some sediment getting flushed into the cold water inlet in addition to being flushed out the anode opening. For those of you who have flushed your water heaters, is this a problem? I thought perhaps I should hook up the city water until water just starts coming out the anode opening, before I start flushing. Since water will flowing in from the cold water inlet, that should keep any sediment from entering there...

Thanks...

What you are suggesting is a good idea regardless of whether someone else has seen the problem. Backflushing sediment may be rare but it could occur.

Even if some of the sediment should sneak into your water system, no bit deal. At worst it would plug the screen on your faucets but I would think that very unlikely.

[Bill]

Since the sediment is basically sand, it is really hard to flush out simply by squirting water in through the anode rod opening. There was a discussion a while back about a special flushing tool that someone had bought. However, it seemed to me that the ideal tool is a wet-dry shop vac. Get an 18-inch piece of 1/2 inch PVC Schedule 40 pipe from the hardware store, glue an elbow on one end, and maybe an inch of the same pipe on the other end of the elbow. Put water in the heater until it begins to flow out through the anode rod hole, then put the straight end of the pipe into the hose of the shop vac (sealing it with your hand), stick the elbow end of the pipe in through the hole, and just vacuum the water and sludge out.

An 18-inch piece of garden hose ought to work just as well.

Bill

Check the following post for an inexpensive tool I made. Worked great

http://www.trailmanorowners.com/foru...ghlight=heater