I want to flush our large 75 gallon hot water heater. I'm wondering if I need to shut off the water supply or can I leave it running? Should I shut off the gas / heat? Also, will a regular garden hose withstand the heat to flush the water to the yard?I have a hair brained scheme in mind to melt some of the snow in a spot that never melts until April. (In the shade) Kill two birds with one stone popS always said.

this is in our condo bldg. Its a 75 gallon tank with a fast recovery for six units if that matters. Want to dump the water in the yard so it has to come out of the basement.



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And if it dies 2 weeks after you play with it, try convincing the other owners your actions had nothing to do with it.

I've always been an advocate of killing two stones with one bird. Normally, I just attach a hose, open the drain valve, and run the water until it is clear (leaving the cold water valve open). The water will not be overly hot coming off the bottom of the heater so don't worry about the hose. The process shouldn't take more than twenty minutes. If you want, you can shut the gas down- I wouldn't.

And afterwards you will have an ice rink until June.

You have to leave the water on because it won't drain uphill from down in the basement.

Flushing a water heater causes them to die?????

No, but sometimes unrelated things happen and are assumed to be a cause/effect situation. As my dad used to say, "I can work on the boiler on the South end of the building, and the next day some lady on the top floor at the North end, will complain that her faucet has not worked properly since I was there."

Nah. We aren't "supposed" to get any more below freezing temps this season.

I talked the wife in to carrying out my scheme yesterday as I was at work and she was home early. She was like "huh? Do what now?". It worked, to some extent, but the water (as someone said up thread) wasn't that hot. Not much gunk came out.

By chance, I happened to walk by the local funeral home and saw the owner out, in a t-shirt, snow blowing his stubborn snow mounds in to the sunlight. Wonderful idea!! But our mounds are between bushes and a fence.

I hear you. I worked in the car business. Saw it way too many times.

Some lady screaming in the service department "you changed my oil last week and now my air conditioning is not working!!!!!"