50 Gallons of Free, Fresh Water from Your Home's Water Heater

One More Reason to Keep Your Water Heater Clean & Running 50 Gallons of free, fresh !ater in "ase of emergen"#$ Water Heater %ips
Over time, sediment such as sand, grit, calcium and iron can settle to the bottom of a water heater, causing problems for the heater. For one, enough buildup can affect the efficiency of the water heater, which costs you money. If that werent enough reason to clean your heater, how about this? Your Water eater holds enough water to sustain your family in cases of emergency for long periods of time. You need it to be clean! One aspect of your "ewport "ews #$ water heater that is often overloo%ed is its ability to provide &'( )' gallons of fresh water in case of an emergency. In the ampton *oads area, a hurricane would most li%ely be the reason for needing this bac%up water supply. If too much sediment has built up inside the water heater , the water may be contaminated and unsafe to drin%. +aintaining a potable ,drin%ablewater supply for your family is not roc%et science, though, and even the most amateur do(it(yourselfer can do this. If you run into problems or .uestions, the finest e/perts on water heaters "ewport "ews #a has to offer will help you out.

%o get ri& of the se&iment at the 'ottom of the !ater heater, it nee&s to 'e (flushe&) it out e*er# one to three #ears

%ips pro*i&e& '# +,- +meri"an, the Water Heater .e!port .e!s /a e0perts1

0. First, turn off the power source if using an electric water heater. You should find this in the circuit brea%er. 1. 2e"on&, turn off the cold water supply to prevent more water from coming into the tan%. 2. .e0t, attach a garden hose to the drain valve, which can be found at the bottom of the heater. &. .o!, you 3ust need to put the water into something. ). 3e "areful 4he water will be very, very hot unless it was allowed to cool overnight, so be careful! 5. 4o actually release the !ater, open the pressure relief valve so the water will flow ,this valve is often at the top of the water heater-. 6. Continue &raining the water until the water e/iting the water heater h is clear. If done regularly ,every one to three years-, the water coming out of the tan% should be drin%able, sustaining your family with a large water supply during a hurricane or other emergency. 7. Retra"e #our steps "ow that weve made sure there is no sediment buildup in the water heater, you 3ust need to retrace your steps to get the tan% running properly again. 8. Close the &rain *al*e, remove the garden hose, and turn off the pressure relief valve. 0'..e0t, turn the water supply bac% on and let the water heater fill up. 00.On"e full, you may slowly reopen the pressure valve to let e/cess pressure out, but be sure to close it fully afterwards. 01..o! is when you can turn the power bac% on if using an electrical heater. 02.+fter a'out 40 minutes, ma5e sure #ou "an get hot !ater throughout #our home Che"5 the fau"ets in #our 5it"hen an& 'athrooms 0&."ow you have &'()' 9allons of fresh water in an emergency!

Flushing your water heater regularly allows it to run more efficiently, saving you money. In case of emergency, it can be your familys drin%ing water until local utility companies can get the city water turned bac% on. 6f #ou nee& !ater heater repair or repla"ement an& are loo5ing for the 'est plum'ers .e!port .e!s has to offer, or an#!here in Hampton Roa&s, #ou "an "ount on +,- +meri"an 2er*i"es for fast 4789 emergen"# ser*i"e

Call us to&a#1 2outhsi&e 959,745,4700 :eninsula 959,5;5,;;00 Williams'urg 959,5<5,-;00 :ources; wi%ihow.com< diynetwor%.com