How To Remove Plastic Drain Valve From Water Heater

Water Heater Drain Valve
Replacing, Fixing, Draining Tips

How to use a water heater drain valve for fast and easy draining. Tips when replacing a bleed valve, how to drain a water heater with a clogged valve, how to ready the problems such as leaking, not working, sediment buildup, see the types, how to apply it, and how information technology works.

Types

Brass drain valve Brass bleed valve

Two types of drain valves are by and large found on tank-type gas and electric water heaters, made of plastic and brass.

The recommendation is to buy a water heater equipped with the brass bleed valve as they are stronger and more durable, while the plastic drain valves are easy to harm, especially around the threads making them more likely to leak. If the water heater has a built-in plastic valve, you might desire to replace it with a brass valve.

Some plumbers suggest using the ball valves as these are ameliorate and bigger for successful and fast draining and provide hassle-free maintenance.

Some manufacturers, such as AO Smith, use a reliable tamper-resistant contumely drain valve with the standard size of 3/4" in almost every water heater.

Why draining

There are several reasons why to drain a water heater:

Replacing a heater or parts that crave emptying the unit of measurement.
Flushing due to the sediment buildup.
Winterizing, fix your heater for winter past draining the tank.
Water heater drain valve leaks.
The bleed plug is clogged.
The drain valve is cleaved.

How to bleed a water heater

Earlier you drain a water heater, make certain that the water within the tank is not hot. The all-time will be if you lot turn the unit off for a few hours and, after that, perform the following.

Close the electricity off at the breaker to your electric unit or plow the gas command valve to pilot position or thermostat dial to OFF if the unit is on gas.
Open nearby hot faucets and leave them open up, so all water tin can run until it becomes colder (100 F or less).
Close the main shut-off valve on the incoming pipe.
Open up the TPR valve (located on top of the unit of measurement).
Adhere a hose to the drain valve and use the other end of the hose and so it terminates to an adequate drain or outdoors.
Make certain all the connections are tight, and the flow is directed abroad from people.
Open the drain valve to allow the water inside the tank to flow out.
When the heater is drained and the flow stops, disconnect the hose from the valve and shut information technology.

Notation that when filling the heater with water again, make sure that the drain valve is closed. It is recommended that the water heater is tuckered and flushed every vi months or in one case a year.

The valve is designed to be installed at a certain meridian from the bottom of the tank, so there will always exist some water left even if you attempt to bleed the unit thoroughly. Water left at the bottom of the tank will contain most of the harmful and corrosive particles, which can again clog the bleed valve. This is why the recommendation is to flush the whole organisation and remove those deposits.

How to replace a bleed valve fast and easy

Plastic drain valve

Replacing a drain valve on electric and gas heaters is very easy, and it doesn't require whatsoever special tools or skills. Information technology is important to have the water inside the tank cooled and so it doesn't produce any burns. To supplant the role, you can either fully or partially bleed the water from the tank. The reasons for replacing the valve might be leaking, clogged, or a broken valve.

Plough the power off at the circuit billow if the heater is electric, or turn the gas valve to pilot if you accept a gas unit.
Shut the main water supply valve located close to the heater. Brand sure all the faucets in the house are closed, equally the vacuum created inside the tank will prevent water from running out and causing damage.
Set up the new drain valve by applying the Teflon tape or pipe sealer to the valve threads. If the water heater comes with a plastic valve, replace information technology with a contumely or brawl valve which is reliable, stronger and can concluding longer.
Put the bucket beneath the valve to collect the exiting h2o.
Unscrew the onetime h2o heater drain valve past using the adjustable wrench or large groove-joint pliers.
Due to the buildup pressure inside the tank, y'all might have a blitz of water in one case you remove the quondam valve.
Quickly install the new valve, turning it clockwise so the heater won't lose too much water.

Drain valve bug

All heaters have a drain plug at the bottom of the unit. Such a location allows y'all to perform routine maintenance and drain the tank hands. Withal, there are problems: the valve might be damaged or leaking.

If there is a missing drain valve, information technology may exist difficult to get the sediment deposits out of the bottom of the tank. If the valve is damaged, it may not be able to operate. If it is leaking, and so in that location is a problem that has to exist fixed.

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How to unclog a water heater drain valve

When the h2o heater drain valve is clogged, it is piece of cake to recognize that aught comes out, water flows sporadically, or trickles instead of a steady stream.

The main reason for blocking the cease mechanism inside the valve is the sediment buildup. As the h2o gets warmer and eventually hot, mineral deposits will start extracting at the lesser of the tank. If at that place is no regular maintenance, sediment buildup can develop heavily, clogging up the bleed valve and affecting the functioning and efficiency significantly.

There are a few methods that can be used to set up this problem:

Keep in mind that sometimes, when the mineral buildup is not astringent, it just takes time for the sediments to exist pushed from the water pressure, get loose, and move farther through the drain.
If the buildup is severe, try to loosen debris by using the stiff wire or screwdriver. Insert the tool through the bleed valve, move it back and forth and in a circular motion. Even if you take loose some, the debris can block the valve over again, and then echo the process.
Instead of the wire, you tin can use the back-flush method, connecting the garden hose and water faucet and directing the water into the tank, pushing the sediments abroad from the valve and somewhen removing the obstructions.
Remove the bleed valve (specially if information technology is plastic) using the instructions from higher up, and replace it with the 3/four" ball valve. Utilise two 3/4" dielectric nipples to forestall rust. The valve is bigger and stronger, and it will help in the future, preventing sediments from clogging again.

Keep in heed that all these drain valve problems could exist prevented from happening by performing the regular maintenance.

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