Never Flushed Your Water Heater? Don't Start Now

Last November I stood in my cellar with a garden hose, ready to flush a 14-year-old water heater that had never been flushed. My brother-in-law stopped my hand and asked me one question I couldn't answer. That question is why my cellar never flooded. In this video: • What the sediment in your tank really is, and why it makes that rumbling sound • How to read your tank's age from the serial number, and the 4 cases to put yourself in • Why flushing an old, never-flushed tank can start a leak (and the brittle plastic drain valve problem) • The sacrificial anode rod: the part that really decides how long a tank lives, going back to Humphry Davy in 1823 • 5 habits that make a new tank last: a small yearly flush, a brass drain valve, a yearly rod check, 120°F, and testing the relief valve • Rotten-egg smell, and 3 ideas that don't hold up, checked • When to stop maintaining and plan a replacement, and what each choice really costs Your homework: today, find your tank's label, work out the year it was made from the serial number, and write that year in pencil right on the tank. Then you'll know which case you're in. How old is your water heater, and has it ever been flushed or had its rod checked? And where do you live? Water is different everywhere. Tell me in the comments. I read every one. CHAPTERS 0:00 A 14-year-old tank and a garden hose 0:46 Why most advice is half the story 2:00 What the sediment really is 3:07 Why your tank rumbles 3:55 How old is your tank? Read the label 4:18 The four cases 5:01 Why flushing an old tank can start a leak 5:58 The brittle plastic drain valve 6:37 The question: what rod? 6:52 1823: Humphry Davy and the Royal Navy 7:37 How the anode rod protects your tank 8:55 How often to check the rod 9:21 What we pulled out of my tank 10:20 5 habits that make a new tank last 11:57 Rotten-egg smell: don't pull the rod 12:31 Safety: burns, gas and breakers 13:51 3 ideas that don't hold up 14:57 When to stop and plan a new tank 15:57 What it really costs 16:39 My October routine and your homework 17:28 How my cellar never flooded I don't sell anything here. If I ever get something wrong, I'll pin the correction at the top of the comments. Safety: hot water can cause severe burns in seconds. Before draining, turn a gas or propane tank to pilot or off, or shut off the breaker for an electric tank, and never heat an electric tank with its elements out of water. If you smell gas, leave the house and call the gas company from outside. On an old tank, call a licensed plumber. General information only. #WaterHeater #HomeMaintenance #Homesteading