Draining your water heater is a key home maintenance task you wont want to ignore.

Add draining a water heater to your list of yearly home maintenance to-dos.

Its an essential task that can save you time and money in the long run.

Residential Water Heater

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Why Do you gotta Drain Your Water Heater?

If youre partial to hot showers and steamy baths (who isnt?

), then draining your water heater will keep that warm water flowing.

Hard water is water with higher mineral content, Beck explains.

If you have hard water, consider draining the water heater more than once a year.

You may notice a longer time for your water to heat up, Beck says.

The slow heat-up is a telltale sign that its overdue for a drain and flush.

Davis offers these simple steps below.

Step 1:Shut off the cold water supply on the top of the water heater.

Step 2:Next, disconnect the power to the water heater or shut off the gas supply.

you might use any generic hose for this step, and a garden hose will work just fine.

What Happens If You Dont Drain Your Water Heater?

As with other home maintenance projects, issues can arise with a water heater if maintenance isnt performed.

The good news is that it is unlikely that youd see a significant high-pressure disaster due to this.

Only take on what youre comfortable doing.

You will always want to consult a professional if a situation arises and youre unsure.

The last thing you want is a disaster on your hands or a flooded home if something goes wrong.