Water heater drain valve options - which sort is best
for your home?
Is your water heater landing you in hot water? Replace
that drain valve today!
Avoid Leaks At The Bottom Of Your Water Heater -
Upgrade Your Drain Valve by :
John Haynes
Many water heaters come with a drain valve that has a cone shaped
handle. They spell trouble. Other makers of water heaters have a plastic
faucet type drain valve. This type of drain valve is prone to breaks and
leaks. The better types are the brass hose Bibb, not unlike the average
garden hose Bibb. Even better would be brass ball valve. This type of
drain valve would have a lever that can either be open or shut. The
brass ball valve allows the most effective flushing of the water heater.
On most residential water heaters a 3/4 inch brass gate valve can be
installed. Ball valves allow the largest opening for drain valves which
gives you the best flushing of the inside of the drain valve. Shutting
off a ball valve is as easy as moving the lever 90 degrees. A hose Bibb
has to be turned around and around. Also know that an adaptor piece must
be installed that goes from 3/4 pipe thread to 3/4 hose thread will be
needed. Now you have the brass ball valve which is the least likely to
clog of all the drain valves. If the brass ball valve cannot be
installed, the second best is a brass hose Bibb.
Plastic cone valves and plastic faucet valves drip, freeze inside, and
clog with sediment the easiest. Plastic threads are very easy to cross
when you wish to attach a garden hose to the drain valve. Even after
opening a plastic valve one time, using it and closing it back up, the
valve may drip. To remove the plastic cone valve, unscrew it from the
water heater by turning it counterclockwise while pulling it out. Six
turns will probably be sufficient. Then turn clockwise and keep pulling.
Wrap Teflon tape around the protruding nipple. Now install the brass
ball valve.
In order to avoid being sprayed with water while installing the new
drain valve, first cut off the water supply at the cold water inlet near
the top of the water heater. It is the pipe on the right side as you are
facing it. Now open a hot water tap somewhere inside the house; any sink
will do. Make sure the hot water tap is closed once water stops flowing
through. That'll keep any air from entering the lines. This relieves
pressure off the lines and will allow the drain valve to be replaced
without emptying the water heater. Make sure nobody is using any water
while you are replacing the drain valve. Also turn the gas to pilot or
pull the electrical plug if electric.
A pint of water or less may come out of the water heater after all the
preparation has taken place. Avoid being scalded by running a tap in the
house for five minutes before beginning this entire procedure. The cold
water entering the water heater will lower the temperature inside. Be
prepared to begin the procedure quickly right after though.
Remember, adding a brass gate valve can be used to flush the tank and
keep it clean of sediment. A sediment free tank produces hot showers.
About The Author
Check out www.waterheater-info.com or contact johnnyhayneser@gmail.com
for contact information on solar water heaters (they're the ultimate in
energy efficiency), tankless water heaters (they save you money on your
energy bill), traditional tank-type water heaters (they're the cheapest
and easiest to install), water heater repair and maintenance, brand
information (there's a lot out there and looking from site to site is
time-consuming), warranty information and which installer to hire.
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