How to drain water from a water heater

How to drain water from a water heater with different types of connection

How fast and simple this process will be depends on how the heating device is connected. Consider several options for joining and the algorithm of your actions in each of them.

For work you may need:

Wrench.
Hose for draining water.
Large basin or bucket.

The standard type of connection is not in vain recommended by manufacturers. It is with this method to drain the water from the tank - as easy as shelling pears. The diagram shows all the connections, in particular, it can be seen that a tee with a tap is installed between the tank and the safety valve (see figure under number 4).

Boiler.
Shut-off valve for the plumbing system.
Safety valve.
Valve for draining liquid from the tank.
Hot water faucet in the mixer.
Cold water faucet.
The mixer itself.
Stop valve.

Process description:

We disconnect the device from the mains.
We close the valve for supplying cold water to the boiler (in the figure at number 2).
Open the tap with hot water and lower it from the tank. We leave the valve open to relieve pressure in the tank.
We open the tap on the tee, after putting a hose on it. We are waiting for the water to flow out.
Now turn off the tap at the outlet of the heater (in the figure at number 8) and close the mixer tap.

That's it - your water heater is now empty. Sometimes small adjustments are made to the standard connection scheme. For example, a shut-off valve is not installed at the outlet of the boiler or an additional valve is installed on the hot water pipe to allow air to enter the tank.

In the first case, the algorithm of actions remains the same, but you only need to keep in mind that in the absence of a shut-off valve at the outlet of the tank, you cannot use the water supply until you complete all the work.

In the second - after the third step in the description of the process, you need to open this valve.

A simplified type of connection can please the consumer with a quick installation of the water heater immediately after purchase. However, this joy will last exactly until the moment when you suddenly need to drain the water from the tank. Installers from firms sin in this way of connection: for them it is fast, for the owner of the boiler it is cheap.

With this method of connecting the water heater, the algorithm for draining water from the tank will differ from the previous one due to the fact that the unfortunate specialists who connected the device did not take care of installing the drain valve.

Process description:

We turn off the device.
We turn off the liquid supply valve to the boiler, if at least it is installed. If not - a common riser in the apartment.
We open the hot tap on the mixer: we release the water and the pressure in the tank.
We substitute some container and unscrew the flexible hose to exit the hot liquid from the tank - an adjustable wrench will help you. We wait until water drains from it - usually there is not much of it.
We unscrew the flexible cold water supply hose and open the lever on the safety valve. We are waiting for the water to drain.

The drain time directly depends on the volume of the tank. For example, a container of 80 liters will go down for at least an hour.

It happens that the safety valve is mounted without a lever. Then the process of draining water turns into an operation that requires the intervention of third parties.

One person, of course, can show the wonders of acrobatics by holding a bucket or basin with water flowing into it and at the same time, using improvised means, pressing a spring in a safety tank.

But it’s better to play it safe and invite a friend to help: talking and two hours will pass faster and there will be someone to discuss the craftsmen-installers with.

In this video you can see how to quickly and easily drain water from the Ariston boiler:

These are the steps you will have to take in order to free the storage tank from the liquid. In principle, nothing complicated when the boiler is installed correctly, and if not, then you now understand that in some matters savings can be not only inappropriate, but even harmful.

Drain from the boiler Ariston

If the Ariston water heater will not be in operation for a long time, then it is advisable to drain the water from it. For this procedure, you also need a simple set of tools:

wrench;
wrench;
screwdriver;
hexagon.

Drain order

To drain from the system, follow these steps:

1. Disconnect the device from the power supply
2. Close the taps.
3. We unscrew the shower hose, and unscrew the supply hose and lower it into some kind of container. If there is a check valve, it is twisted.
4. Remove the nuts on the supply and output pipes.
5. Remove all elements of the mixer - cap, screw, gaskets. The plug located in the upper part of the mixer is removed with a hexagon. Water will flow out of it.

Carefully, not completely, we separate the body from the tank.

Why drain water from a water heater

Before you start draining the water, make sure that it is really necessary.

When to drain water:

If you leave the boiler for the winter in a room that is not heated, you must first drain all the liquid. Water at a temperature of +5 and below begins to crystallize. The formation of ice in the tank threatens with serious damage. It is possible that after this the water heater will refuse to work at all.
If the warranty period has expired, and you are going to repair the damage yourself or change the magnesium anode. This can only be done if the tank is empty, dry and more or less clean.
If you want to descale the tank. This procedure is desirable to carry out at least once every 5 years. Or more often, if the quality of the water that the boiler heats leaves much to be desired. In the sludge tank, the water heats up more slowly. Consequently, more electricity and money are spent to pay for it. By the way, this applies to any equipment and utensils for heating water. Even the most ordinary teapots.

Water heater device

When not to drain water:

If you decide to turn off the water heater for a period. For example, for the summer. If a low temperature is not expected at this time, leave some water in the tank. This will protect its contents from early corrosion. In addition, if you accidentally forget and turn on an empty water heater, it can start a fire.
If you have already turned off the unit for a while and want to get rid of stagnant water. The water in the tank does become stale, but you can refresh it by just re-filling it a few times. Once every 2-3 months it is recommended to “rinse” the tank by passing about 100 liters of cold water through it.
If the boiler is still under warranty. Firstly, when you later need service, and the service workers find traces of amateur activity, the guarantee will automatically become invalid. Secondly, if you consider it necessary to drain the water in order to fix the breakdown, contact the masters immediately. They will come to your house and do everything you need.
If there is no apparent reason for this, but you just wanted to deal with the tank device. Or unscheduled to drain the water to "train" for the future. In this case, it is better to refrain. Remember that household appliances and adventure are not compatible.

Drain in a conventional boiler

Taps block the supply of cold and hot water. We install a container under the boiler to collect the liquid. We unscrew (in turn) the hot and cold water outlet hoses. It will merge into the prepared container.
Some models of boilers are equipped with a special drain lever. In this case, it will be enough to open the mixer and move the lever to a horizontal position.In most private houses where there is no centralized hot water supply, and therefore there is no tap to shut it off, the process will be similar to that written above, only without closing the hot tap.

A few recommendations

Do not drain if the appliance is connected to the mains!!!
To avoid burns, drain only a few hours after disconnecting the water heater from electricity.
The decision to turn off the water heater must be made depending on the type of device and guided by the instructions from the manufacturers.
Remember - with prolonged downtime and a temperature of -5˚C, ice forms inside the water heater, which leads to its breakdown.

The boiler needs regular cleaning. To do this, about 100 liters of liquid must be passed through a cold device.

Boilers have some design differences, depending on the manufacturer, but they are minor. Therefore, it is possible to drain from different boilers in the same way.

And one more nuance: the cold water pipe is located just above the bottom of the tank, so there will still be water inside (about 15 liters in a 100 liter tank), even if nothing is poured out. It will be possible to completely drain it only by unscrewing the heating element, and draining the remaining water through the hole from it.

Watch the video: Water heaters ARISTON. Draining