How Quickly and Properly to Drain the Water Heater?
Accumulation water heater.This is a vessel that is under pressure, so you can’t drain it just by opening a hot water faucet and closing the cold water supply. Only part of the water over the hot water pipe will come out. To release the heater from the liquid it is necessary for the air to enter the tank.
General rules for draining electric storage water heaters Thermex, Ariston, Electrolux, Polaris, Haier,Garanterm, Oasis, Timberk, Gorenje, Aquaverso, Real, Superlux, Atlantic, Etalon are as follows:
- Disconnect from the power supply.
- Allow the water in the heater to cool.
- Close valve of cold water inlet.
- Open the hot water tap closest to the heater as much as possible.
- Releasing water through the outlet.
The design of the water heater is quite simple. The tank is the vessel for heating water. Inside the tank there are heating elements. heating elements. The supply of hot water to the outlet and tap water to the inlet is through a system of valves. The latter also serve as a safety system, e.g. do not allow the water to be completely drained, so that in the event of a sudden cold water outage, the heating elements do not burn out.
To exclude the possibility of overheating and combustion of the heating elements can not. That’s why the operating recommendations usually state that you can’t drain the entire water from the boiler under normal circumstances. If the tap water was disconnected for technical reasons, before starting the water heater, check whether there is enough liquid in the tank.
There are a number of situations in which it is necessary to drain the water heater.
- The boiler is installed in the unheated room and will not be used for a long time. In severe frosts, the liquid in the tank can freeze, and this threatens the deformation and destruction of heating elements and housing. Liquid must be drained from the water heater itself and the entire system serving it.
- When doing repairs and cleaning, preventive maintenance. As a rule, special techniques must be used for draining the water, as the design does not allow for the tank to be completely emptied.
There are other circumstances that raise doubts. In most of them the liquid is not discharged.
- If the boiler is turned off for a long time, for example, for the winter, hot water can be obtained from the heating system, but the device stands in a heated room, empty it is not necessary. It is enough that the room where the tank is located, kept at a temperature above 5C.
- If the water heater stands with water for a very long time, the liquid stagnates in it. Use it undesirable: it smells bad, may contain impurities. However, there is no need to drain it: it is enough to simply open the faucet and run 100 liters of water. This procedure is performed once every 3 months in order to clean the tank and preventive maintenance.
- If the device needs repair, but the warranty is still valid, you can not disassemble or even clean the device yourself. So in this case the water is not drained until the attendance of a specialist.
Emptying the tank is contrary to its normal mode of operation. So you only have to do it for a real good reason.
What’s the risk of downtime?
Disputes about the need to empty the water heater are usually due to lack of knowledge of the instructions. The most common explanations are.
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If water is left in the tank, it will go bad, pathogenic bacteria will settle in it. actually this is unlikely. The liquid in the tank is already heated to 60-80 ° C, and at this temperature, very few bacteria survive. This liquid is not used for cooking or drinking, so even if it smells musty, it can in no way harm your health. The hole 100 liters completely displace stagnant water.
Modern models often have special coatings. anti-corrosive, antibacterial. Such a tank is not at risk.
Removal of sediment
There is nothing complicated about removing liquid with heavy impurities from the bottom of the boiler tank. But it is recommended that this procedure be entrusted to professionals. Maintenance of the device is carried out at the place of installation or on the floor after prior dismantling.
- Remove the casing from the device.
- Disconnect all electrical wiring.
- Unscrew the ring nut holding the heating element with a gas spanner.
After loosening and loosening the tubular heater, the dirty liquid will immediately start to flow out from under it. Therefore, a bucket or other container for emptying the sludge should be kept on hand.
The electric heating element is completely removed and any residual liquid and dirt in the heater tank is pumped out through the opening. For additional flushing, you can open the valve that cuts off the cold water supply.
After the tank has been completely cleaned, reassemble the equipment in reverse order. The main task is to hermetically replace the heating elements.
There are 3 ways to drain the water from the heater. Choosing the right one depends on the model and installation location.
Drain the water using a safety valve
When installing a storage-type boiler, a safety valve is mounted on the inlet pipe. It prevents the fluid from the tank through the cold pipe in the opposite direction. The safety valve is equipped with a spring. The fluid expands as it heats up, overcomes the force of the spring and flows out through the channel to the outside.
The manufacturer equips the safety valve with a handle designed to check its working order and drain water from the tank.
When moving the handle into a horizontal position, the spring is compressed and the liquid flows out of the tank through a special channel.
When water flows out, a vacuum is produced in the tank. This prevents the tank from emptying normally. To introduce air into the tank, open the hot water tap or unscrew the hose from the outlet.
To avoid the possibility of a cork in the drain channel, it is necessary once every 20-30 days to move the handle of the product in a horizontal position for a few seconds.
AEG Lavatherm 76282 AC videoreview en unboxing (NL/BE)
Some manufacturers make a safety valve without a handle to drain the water. To drain, it is necessary to unscrew the hose from the safety mechanism and press the spring forcibly. A screwdriver, drill bit, or other thin object is used to do this. When draining the water by mechanically squeezing the spring, the liquid will fall on the hands of the person. To avoid scalding, the tank should be filled with cold water.
Drain water from the tank through the hole for cold water
The drainage hole of the safety mechanism has a small diameter. It takes a long time to drain the liquid. The procedure can be speeded up by removing the inlet hose.
The work is performed in the following sequence:
- Cool the contents. To do this open the hot water tap on the faucet. Cold water displaces hot water when it enters the tank. This eliminates the possibility of getting burned.
- Close the cold liquid supply tap.
- Provide an air supply by opening the hot water shut-off device.
- Remove the safety valve. In this case, a container with a wide neck is installed under the inlet pipe. This can be a bucket, a basin, etc. д.
- Drain the liquid. The intensity of the jet is regulated by introducing air into the container.
There are several options for tying the water heater. Between the inlet fitting and safety valve mount a T-piece with a locking mechanism on the free outlet. This makes it easier to remove the liquid.
In this tying, a hose is attached to the faucet installed on the tee and the contents of the boiler is poured into the sewer. Some experts install a T-piece with a locking mechanism and on the outlet pipe. It can be used to adjust the degree of air supply.
Unscrew the inlet and outlet hoses
This option is suitable for water heaters placed over a bath or in places where you do not need to use a container to drain the water. When carrying out the procedure, first unscrew the outlet, then the inlet hose. In this way the air mass flows unobstructed into the tank, and the contents of the tank are removed from the drain hole.
Drain the water heater by this method in the shortest possible time. If you need to stop the flow during operation, close the outlet hose. This blocks air from entering the tank, which creates a vacuum inside and stops the contents from escaping.
Precautions
Be sure to take precautions before draining the water heater:
- Turn off the power and let the water cool down. Agree, draining boiling water is not only uncomfortable, but also dangerous, because you can get burns. If you plan to drain the water in the morning, then at night turn off the water heater.
- Perform all work only with the plug disconnected from the socket. The boiler must be disconnected from the electricity supply before you perform any work on it.
- Do not remove the boiler filled with water, as it is difficult and the process of draining the water may be difficult.
- Close the cold water supply with a special faucet, otherwise you will never achieve complete emptying, as the principle of the boiler allows it to issue hot water while pumping cold water.
- Find a container where the water will be drained and prepare it in advance.
Cold water inlet
If there are doubts about whether you need to drain the water heater during downtime, you can use the second option of draining. Stagnation must be eliminated, otherwise there is a risk of bacterial growth and the formation of an unpleasant odor. The methods are fast, allows you to empty the tank in a few minutes. Let’s consider a step-by-step algorithm of actions:
- First you need to shut off all water inlets to the device itself or to the room.
- Disconnect the boiler system from the mains.
- Check if the cold and hot water inlets are really closed.
- Prepare a container where the water will be discharged.
- Screw the safety valve nuts and disconnect it from the pipe or hose.
- To allow the air to get into the tank and the water to flow, you must open the hot water tap.
- You can tighten or loosen the tap a little to regulate the flow. You can also adjust with the tap at the outlet of the water heater.
Please note! If the taps are not closed, the water will flow with force and there is no way to control the process.
Inlet and outlet hoses
These two devices will also help drain the water from the water heater. To do this you need to unscrew both hoses and the safety valve. This option of draining is suitable only if you need to empty the tank very quickly and the boiler is located above the bathroom, where the liquid will flow down. It is not possible to control the process, so if the location of the water heater in another place and there is no possibility to put a large container under it, this option is not suitable.
If the water heater is small
The following instructions are for those who do not know how to drain a Termex water heater with a small volume. To work, you will need an ordinary hose and a wrench (adjustable or gas). Let’s consider a step by step algorithm of actions:
- Using a wrench, it is necessary to shut off the cold water, and the inlet for the hot stream open.
- It is necessary to let the liquid flow away a little. In this action do not close the faucet.
- Then the nut on the “cold” faucet is unscrewed.
- After that, a rubber hose is attached to the branch pipe of the water heater, and the other must be directed to the container, where the drain will be carried out. If the sink or bathtub is nearby, you can drain there.
- The last step is required to screw in the “hot” tap.
All the contents of the boiler will drain in a few minutes. It is important to know that this option is suitable for small volume water heaters, up to 30 liters.
If the water heater is an impressive size
The following instructions are for those who do not know how to drain the water heater Ariston. For this method a person will need a slotted screwdriver, an open-end wrench and an Allen key. Step by step algorithm of actions:
- First you need to shut off the water and disconnect the boiler equipment from the network.
- To reduce the pressure, you need to open the hot flow tap with improvised tools.
- Check if the cold and hot water inlets are really closed.
- Prepare a container where the water will be drained.
- Screw the nuts of the safety valve and disconnect it from the pipe or hose.
- To allow air to enter the tank and water to flow, you must open the hot water tap.
- Then you need to connect the hose and open the faucet to empty the tank and wait until the process comes to an end.
The procedure of draining is not fast, because this method is designed for containers of large volume: from 50 to 80 liters.
Simple ways to drain the water from the boiler at home
Today, even in well-appointed apartments with a centralized supply of hot and cold water boiler or as they call it “Ariston” is a common piece of furniture. So modern people, accustomed to the comfort, insure themselves in case of preventive disconnection of hot water or in case of emergency hot water supply. Trading network offers storage water heaters of different volumes, brands, countries of manufacturers, it is enough to walk into any store of plumbing to be convinced of this. But the feeling of satisfaction from using the water heater can easily evaporate if it is not properly connected or maintained. Then a simple water drainage from the boiler turns into a serious technical problem.
The main elements of the heater
The outer casing of the heater is most often covered with enamel. Underneath it lies a polyurethane foam insulation that covers the steel vessel of the tank. The material used for the sealed vessel is high-strength and corrosion-resistant. In addition, it is covered on the inside with glassfiber.
Inside the storage tank is a tubular electric heater (TEN), due to which the water is heated. Together with it in the tank is a magnesium anode. It is used to eliminate corrosion that can destroy welds.
Water heaters are equipped with a safety system consisting of 2 types of valves: a safety valve and a return valve. The first one works if the liquid in the reservoir takes too much volume. Then the valve allows the excess water to escape into the drain. The second type of valve is responsible for ensuring that the jet goes only one way, and prevents it from draining if the water supply suddenly stops.
Drain the tank through the cold water hole
Video on draining water with a cold water outlet
To make it clearer what to do and how to do it, watch the attached video. So you can do the job quicker.
