I want to talk to you about whether or not you should have your hot water heater flushed out once a year.
Tankless Hot Water Heaters
If you have a tankless hot water heater, it’s very important that you do have it flushed out and cleaned out once a year. If you don’t, the warranty will be voided on many types of these hot water heaters.
If you have a tankless hot water heater, you definitely need to have a professional plumber come and clean it out once a year.
Regular Hot Water Heaters
I have my own opinion about whether or not you should bother flushing and cleaning your traditional hot water heater.
There is a drain valve at the bottom of your hot water heater. Some of these valves are quality valves made from brass, and some of them are these little cheap plastic valves.
I’ve run into many situations where people tried to flush out their own hot water heaters. When they’re done, they go to close that little cheap shutoff valve and it doesn’t shut off all the way. Then it drips. After that, the homeowner has to call a plumber out to come and replace that valve.
Manufacturers say these water heaters do last a little bit longer if you flush them out every year. What I’d advise is adding a good quality shutoff valve to your water heater if you plan to perform this task yourself every year.
If you want to call a plumbing company, we can certainly go out to flush and clean your water heater, and we will install a better quality shutoff valve for you. You’ll probably get one or two extra years of life out of that hot water heater if you flush it regularly compared to not flushing it at all.
When you need help with this chore, give us a call at (505) 243-1227.