Thanks everyone for the input.
I drained the water heater today and there was some brown sediment that came out toward the end. After all the water was drained out I turned the water supply to the tank back on until the water ran clean. The water temperature feels back to where it was originally and last longer as well. Very easy maintenance, it just took a while since I ran the hose from the basement to the yard which are on the same floor level.
Originally Posted By: 94MaxGXE
Best way to remove sediment is to drain all the water.
All the crud comes out at the very end.
Check this link.
Hot water heater drain.
Thats a good link with detailed instructions showing you how to drain the water heater. Some people say just drain a few buckets but from my observation all that crud comes out at the end.
Originally Posted By: Quest
OP already stated it clearly that his water heater tank runs on gas.
Things that I can think of that will have an impact on the amount of hot water avail are:
(1) sediment: drain your tank and see how it goes.
(2)incomplete combustion: but then again: it is quite unlikely for you may have issues with CO, etc.
(3) faulty thermostat. Hard to check on the gas unit for you may have to get some licensed gas fitter to do that for you (and service/replace by them only)
(4) low gas pressure line. AGain, this can be verified visually (granted that you are familiar with the flame height back when the days your heater was working properly).
Q.
In my case it appeared to be the sediment at the bottom of the tank. The flame pattern and height looks the same as when it was new. It looks like a huge stove burner down there, its fairly powerful so the gas pressure should be fine, you can even hear the flame roaring.
Originally Posted By: rshunter
Originally Posted By: Kestas
Originally Posted By: lpcmidst128
It would be somewhat hard to replace the rod as the ceiling clearance in the basement is low.
I had a plumber show me a trick for that. He took the rod halfway out and bent it for removal. Same with the new one he put in. He bent it just enough so it can go in without interfering with the internals.
There is also a version that is made up of segments. Think of it as sort of nunchaku anode from h-e-double-l...
I remember watching something on tv show, I believe it was "This Old House" and they talked about removing the anode rode. They said you can saw the rod to remove them in sections if you have limited clearance. And they also showed there is some segmented anode rods available which looked like nunchucks.
Does it really matter putting the heater setting to pilot versus vacation setting for the purpose of draining the tank? I turned the water heater to the vacation setting before the last shower of the day. That way the water will not be hot when I drain the tank.
