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Topic: Problem draining water heater (Read 6 times) previous topic - next topic
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Problem draining water heater
Yahoo Message Number: 126421
Hope this doesn't rehash an old subject but I have a question about draining my water heater.  Seems the previous owner took LD's owners manual advice to replaced the plastic plug with a two piece plug.  Part one goes into the water heater where the plastic plug came out.  Part two is a petcock that screws into the first part.  I wanted to drain the water heater so I opened the petcock and the water just dribbled out (I did open the pressure relief valve at top and the bathroom hot water faucet).  So I removed the petcock part and the water still just dribbles out.  Looking up into the first part there seems to be a bottom to it so my guess is there is a hole on either side.  Tried poking a coat hanger into the larger part but it just hits the said  bottom.  Tried removing the first part with a socket wrench but it is really seated in there.  I don't want to damage the water heater tank (I think it is aluminum) by pressuring the socket too hard and stripping the first part out of the tank.  Tried putting liquid wrench on the first part and tapping on it but it has not budged.  At the rate it is still dribbling my guess is it will take better than a day, maybe more, to get six gallons out of it.   I'm doing all this to prepare to winterize.  Any suggestions apreciated.

Sorry for being so long winded.

David 2005 RK
Re: Problem draining water heater
Reply #1 –
Yahoo Message Number: 126422
David, Can you add air pressure to the system through the water fill spigot and leave the petcock open to speed up the process? Dale.

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Re: Problem draining water heater
Reply #2 –
Yahoo Message Number: 126432
Quote
David, Can you add air pressure to the system through the water fill spigot and leave the petcock open to speed up the process? Dale.
Dale,  Good suggestion.  Will have to check and see if I have a fitting that will work.  However, it is now been about 18 hours since I started this process and sometime during the night the drip stopped.  It may be that there is some sediment blocking it.  I have applied some liquid wrench to the part remaining in the water heater with plans on trying to break it free later.