How To Drain A Rheem Water Heater [Step-by-Step Guide]

The best preemptive maintenance task to extend the life of the water heater is to drain the unit. Draining your hot water tank removes residue buildup. It helps your water heater run more efficiently and saves you money. 

This guide will list down some small steps to drain your Rheem water heater nicely and efficiently. 

Draining a Rheem Water Heater

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12/20/2024 07:07 pm GMT

Your Rheem water heater unit will perform efficiently if you periodically flush and drain it. With time sediments develop on the inside of the tank. It can seriously influence the overall performance of your unit. 

The interval between draining highly depends upon the hardness of the water in your area. With more hard water, you will have to drain the heater more frequently. Most water heaters only need to be emptied once a year.

How to drain the Rheem water heater is very much like draining any other water heater. It’s pretty simple to follow, but be careful and follow the steps to make sure everything goes according to the plan. Of course, you can always consult your owner’s manual. 

Here are some steps to follow and clean the water heater. 

Step 1: Disconnecting the unit 

You will begin by turning off the gas and the electric supply connected to your heater. The circuit breaker is right inside the electrical panel of your home. There is a gas shut-off valve on your water heater right at the lower front of the unit. 

Step 2: Stopping the water flow

Rotate your cold-water supply’s shut-off handle clockwise and stop the water flow. 

Step 3: Draining the tank

Now it’s time to drain the tank by threading your garden hose right on the tank’s drain valve of your water heater. 

It’s usually on the right side of the gas valve or the lower electrical panel door. Keep children and pets away from this garden hose as your tank is draining. 

It’s time to turn the hot water on at your nearest faucet. But, first, turn the drain valve handle anticlockwise and allow all the water to come out from the heater tank through the hose. 

Step 4: Allowing cold water to flow

Now it’s time to turn on the cold-water supply. Let this water flow through the water heater tank and the garden hose till the water starts running clear.

Step 5: Filling the tank with water

The next step is to close the drain valve and let the tank fill with water. Then, as the water begins to flow freely and steadily through the open faucet, turn the faucet off. 

Step 6: Turning the heater back on

Once the water heater tank is full, remove the garden hose from the valve. Next, turn on the gas and electricity supply and relight the pilot light. It will be best if you do this as given in the owner’s manual of the Rheem water heater. 

Conclusion

Whether tanked, tankless, or immersion, water heaters must be drained once in a while. Draining a Rheem water heater is a straightforward process. But make sure you properly disconnect and then connect the gas and electricity supplies to get an uninterrupted water supply.