re: Water heaters - how often do you flush/drain?

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I'd just buy a new one dude, that thing has got to be close to leaking, etc on you.

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Depending on the brand/model it could also be perfectly fine. Chances are he'd buy a new one that is a piece of crap compared to what he already has. Annual flushing is a good practice no matter what.

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Water Heaters Now recommends not flushing it yourself. If you flush a water heater that already has a significant sediment buildup, it can actually cause more problems. Excessive or large sediment pieces can get stuck in the tank drain valve, or end up exiting the water heater and going through the pipes in your home – and neither of those is an easy fix. Often, if the water heater hasn’t been flushed in a long time then a replacement is necessary if there is no other maintenance solution.

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Of course a company like this is going to advocate the buying of new water heaters. This is also bullshite advice as proper draining and flushing will not put sediment pieces into the downstream plumbing. Sediment buildup will definitely cause problems for gas water heaters even if just a thin layer is present. Electric units can handle a little more sediment, scaling on the heating elements is usually what does them in so I pull and inspect those annually. Sacrificial anodes should be replaced based on local water conditions, some can last only a few years while others can last much longer but it's never a bad idea to check during the flushing process. There are also electronic anodes available that can last longer if local water conditions are eating up standard anodes too quickly.