Flush your water heaters!

My water heater started to leak this week. ( That rhymes ) In the process of trying to fix it I was surprised how much junk/sediment was in it when I flushed it out. Im probably not alone when it comes to water heater maintenance, this was the first time in the 9 years at this house that Ive done it. If you use hot/warm water into the mix when you refill your tanks just think about the rust and junk your fish must be getting!

Long story short, I could not get the leak stopped and bought a new water heater which I get to install this weekend. Also I am now starting a new routine that once a year Im going to flush it out.

So when was the last time you serviced your water heater?

I've been in my house 3 years and have never flushed mine either..

Ok I'm gonna ask a stupid question.. So do you just hook a hose to the pipe on the bottom to flush it ?? How long did you let yours flush ??

if I were to replace mine, I'll go for the tankless kind, so I don't run out of hot water.. Cost more, but the savings will offset it.

Make sure to turn the power off to the water heater BEFORE you drain it, or you will burn up the element!


And yes, you hook a hose to the bottom, turn off the water running into the tank, and let it drain. It is pretty easy!

Thats the point, it is easy! It is beneficial to us and our fish to do it!

I wanted to go tankless but way too much money for me right now. I just went with a 50g, 12yr gas model to replace the one I had.

DMD123 wrote:
So when was the last time you serviced your water heater?

We do ours every year.

Way to go!

Thats why Betty's fish look so good!

It took me a few moments to realize the topic wasn't about tank heaters.

I'm sitting her going "How the hell do you open a heater to clean it out"

I just buy new ones every year or two.... lol, it always seems they arent keeping good temp. after a yr anyway, so time to get a new one.

I have preached this a thousand times, but nobody seems to listen and no body should be using warm water from their hot water tank regardless of age, when doing water changes. I just dont get it. Do you not realize the amount of metals that get deposited into your tank. Prime does not remove enough of these metals. You may have been doing this for awhile and think that everything is OK. Well just think if you were ingesting copious amounts of metals, how long before you start developing organ failures, or how much shorter would you live?

I just dont get it.

sandnuka wrote:I just buy new ones every year or two.... lol, it always seems they arent keeping good temp. after a yr anyway, so time to get a new one.

Hot water tanks, not fish tank heaters.

LMAO! what is this doing in a fish sight??? cause people are using hot water to put in there fisht tanks? Come on... its a no brainer guys! Just look how cloudy the water is when its warm as to when its cold.... so much crap in it.....

Plus, when I do my water change, I like the temp in the tank to drop a little bit, this kinda simulate fresh rain water and usually gets some breeding going!

Gryphon wrote:It took me a few moments to realize the topic wasn't about tank heaters.

I'm sitting her going "How the hell do you open a heater to clean it out"

LOL! yeah, obvoiusly i made the same mistake..... I was thinking who as liquid in there heaters?? LMAO! DUH, I feel soooo dumb... but seriously, I dont know why this is in aquriam water chemistry, cause people should be using cold tap water.

I use warm water. Doing large water changes the way I do, there's no way my fish would survive exposure to pure cold.

Well I suppose my tanks arent that big, I only do 20%..... but, If i had to, I would just get a big rubbermaid tub/can.... then fill my water there, let it settle to room temp. then use it..... this will also be a great way to get out chlorine without adding stuff.

I'm changing 50% on 2 125g tanks and 50-100% on 12 20-40g tanks.

I don't lose fish to water changes. Never have. Just been lucky, I'm sure.

So when "flushing" the water heater isn't it necessary to supply water, under force, to flush out contaminants/sediment trapped in the bottom? I've never done this myself, and am just interested.

I had just woken up so thats my defense!

ok, so there is a point for this topic at the fish chemistry section! heh, cause Im sure there are several people that do that large waterchanges..... Im more of a 10% 3x week kinda guy... 20% usually the most.... so cold water drops the temp maybe 5-8 degrees thats it.

continue on!

I am just so nervous to use warm or hot water cause I know all the stuff in it...... Im trying to see it from the view of people that have to do it this way and finding a better solution,

How about britta water filter... that may help get out allot of the crap that water heaters add to the water..... but honestly, i think i would try my best to figure out a way to bypass that water heater. Thats just me..

Metals in the water is not a NOW problem when using the warm water method, but it is definitely a long term problem. Those of you that use warm water from the h2o tank should have that water tested. You will **** your self when you see the amounts and the number of different metals that you are exposing your pets to on your 50-100% water changes.

Like Sandnuka, I use straight cold, even in the dead of winter, but do what you want, some people need to learn the hard way.

i like doing multiple large changes in excess of 50% weekly on all my tanks and a couple small changes like 10%. if i used cold water on the big changes the temp would drop like 20 degrees so i always fill will water just slightly lower in temp to the tank not to kill. never do i fill with water warm to the touch. this is the reason i need to install the drip system so ill never have to worry about larger changes on my tanks or dechlorinator just get a new gallon of water every hour 24/7.

I do realize that water heaters can be the cause of heavy metal deposits in the water, but it's not an all-or-nothing thing. My water heaters are 4 months old. And yes, I actually did have a water test done - 2 actually, 1 with hot and the other with cold, so that I could tell the difference. At this point it's very little. Hence my interest in keeping junk from building up in the units.

I do run a recirculating pump so the water is moving through my pipes and water heaters constantly. Not terribly efficient, but I wanted hot water at the tap at all times.

Madness fish breed like crazy! I would put my money on the frequent temp change.... It just makes sence, fresh rain water filling the lake gets them wanting to procreate.... I wish we could setup a controlled experiment to find out...

Im pretty sure larrybecks fish breed insane amount as well...... hmm.... but the species are too different to compare.... well larry, I will soon be keeping mbunas, and I will make note every spawning session, and see if the cold water makes a difference... Im willing to bet on this one!

My observation is that fresh water (with salts) does in fact promote significant spawning activity. But my water isn't cold. LOL I think that varies by fish though.

After a ton of research on water heaters this weekend, I think mine failed way before its time. Part of the problem may be the way it was plumbed. On our inlet to the water heater it has a pressure tank installed and it was done in galvanized steel pipe. This mix with the copper and not using the proper dielectric materials caused the anode rod to dissolve and then start attacking the water heater itself. This time around I replace the galvanized stuff with brass so hopefully no shortened lifespan. I also went with a 12yr model with two anode rods and I have a schedule planned out to flush it once a a year now.

I "flushed" my water heater during the last power outage to get water for flushing toilets. I didn't notice any sediment when draining it from the bottom. Doesn't mean there wasn't any, but there wasn't enough to for me to notice

I do 50+% water changes in half my tanks every other week. I use hot water to temp-match when I do so. While I'm sure there is some increase in metals and contaminates due to the effect warmer water has on the house pipes and the water heater, I don't buy it being that substantial, at least in my case. If it were, I think I'd have far more problems with my fish and plants than I do. I also don't use any water treatment at all.

Granted, my oldest tank is only 2.5 years old, but it's thriving without any major renovations - fish (rasboras), inverts (snails, shrimp, crays), and plants.

I put a white terry cloth over the hose output of the heater as I drained it. It was rust red when I was finished!

So you may not have seen it but you probably had some trace amounts in there.

I know most people mix warm water when they refill so thats why I reminded everyone to flush those heaters! I know madness does the cold water fill ups but he does not do the 50% at a time changes most of the time.

I think I'll try that with the cloth sometime soon and see how it does. Couldn't hurt anything, cept maybe my fingers if I leave them in the water too long Mine is set to about 135F.

pbmax wrote:I think I'll try that with the cloth sometime soon and see how it does. Couldn't hurt anything, cept maybe my fingers if I leave them in the water too long Mine is set to about 135F.

I used a zip tie to hold the cloth in place.

What fun is that? I was figuring I'd leave the incoming line on, hold the cloth on with my hands, and let hi-jinks ensue.

Ok, honestly, I dont know if using hot/warm water would harm fish.... I have never researched it.... My water always looks more clear cold.... but that isnt even the main reason..... Ive said this in many many threads/posts, I try to mimic the fish I keep environment. lake tanganyika is filled with rocks and sand, so I do the same... Not only do I try to match what the water in the lake is like, and the environment in the lake... but I try to do the natural stuff too.... For example lake tanganyika has very strong current, (I use a 1500GPH Pump in my 110gal tank) There is a heck of a current in it..lol.... Rain coming from the sky, and water from the rivers is COLD, so I really think doin my water changes more frequently with cold water, vs less frequant large water change and warm/hot water is more natural....

So, If your using warm water... it hasnt killed your fish.... they breed fine..... and everything is going great.... then keep it up..... Nothing will probably happen to your fish if it already hasnt... but, whats does it hurt to try the cold water??? maybe your fish will like it!

Yup, I 100% agree. More frequent yet smaller changes are definitely best and undoubtedly more natural. I suppose the biggest issue for me with water changes is uncoiling the water changer, hooking it up, then coiling it back up and putting it away... I wonder how long it would take me to do 25% changes every week in all my tanks instead of 50% every other week, since I have the water changer out every weekend anyway. One big downside is that the water that comes out of my tap is at about 45F - a bit cool.

I did test my hot water for copper a while back and it came clean.