I have a Rheem (Australian) electric hot water heater (160 litres). The hot water is discoloured a browny yellow colour. I believe there may be a brown (iron oxide) sludge in the tank. The heater has 3 connections - the pressure relief outlet, the hot water outlet (at the top) and the cold water inlet (at the bottom). There is no drain plug as far as I can see. How should I go about flushing out this sludge?

Hope you can help and thanks in anticipation

Peter

I have a Rheem (Australian) electric hot water heater (160 litres). The hot water is discoloured a browny yellow colour. I believe there may be a brown (iron oxide) sludge in the tank. The heater has 3 connections - the pressure relief outlet, the hot water outlet (at the top) and the cold water inlet (at the bottom). There is no drain plug as far as I can see. How should I go about flushing out this sludge?

Hope you can help and thanks in anticipation

Peter
Good morning Peter,
Our water heaters,(see image) have the hot and cold on top and a boiler drain in the bottom. Are you sure that what you see connected to the bottom isn't the return line of a recirculating system? Regards, tom

Good point, Tom... sounds like a recirc. Line to me, too.

Answer Tom's question Peter... then we can help better... Mark

Hello again - it is not a recirculating system - the connections to cold water supply and hot water outlet are not on the top of the cylinder as in your diagram - they are on the side like the pressure relief outlet in your diagram - the hot water outlet is near the top and the cold water inlet is near the bottom. As I said before there is no drain. My heater is similar to that described in the pdf document at http://www.rheem.com.au/images/pdf/owners_dom-elec_121996C_0707.pdf
It is a 160 litre single element model 101160 manufactured in August 1990
Hope this helps
Peter

Hi Peter,
Do you have a model number of your Rheem? I want to see the specs. Please give me all the information you have. Thanks Tom

Hi
My heater is a Rheem model 101160 manufactured in August 1990 - 160 litre single element - 3.6 kW.
That's about all I can tell you except that it is circular in plan view - about 42cm (17") in diameter - about 170cm (68") tall
Thanks for the speedy response
Peter

Rheem does not recognize the number you gave me. I need the model number. Give me all the details that you have. It doesn't make much sense to design a water heater and not provide a boiler drain so it can be drained.
Regards, Tom

Hi Guys:

Hey Peter, I reviewed that pdf file you posted... seems RHEEM does not include any way to drain the tank... they don't even suggest installing a boiler drain at all in the installation instructions.

Instead they suggest shutting the cold water off, close all hot water taps, then disconnect the union at the cold water inlet to heater. Then they want you to hook a hose up to the union on the heater side AND then open the relief valve to DRAIN SYSTEM...

This can only be done if your heater is piped with a cold water shutoff and then a union type fitting....BUT YOU CANNOT POWER FLUSH with this setup!

Let me know if unions are installed on the hot and/or cold water pipes into heater... ok?

I think I have a couple ideas here to help you Peter... get back to us and let us know if you can do some soldering/copper pipe work so you can install a new boiler drain...

Let us know... Mark

Hi Tom
Well, 101160 is the model number on my water heater and it doesn't have a drain.
The heater can be drained by disconnecting the cold water inlet because it is at the bottom of the tank. I think I will try connecting a drain hose to the cold inlet and temporarily connecting the mains supply to the hot water outlet to get some pressure behind the flush.
Thanks for all the trouble you've gone to.
Regards
Peter

PETER... you just described what I was going to suggest!! I think that will work for you... let me or Tom know if need to discuss more. Good luck... Mark

Hi Mark - sorry - did not see your reply until after I had replied to Tom
Thanks for your efforts - see my reply to Tom above. I think I can achieve a POWER FLUSH by connecting the mains temporarily to the hot outlet. All connections have unions which can be unscrewed and the cold water supply has a shut-off cock.
What do you think of my suggestion to temporarily connect the cold water supply to the hot water outlet?
Regards
Peter

Hi Tom and Mark - haha - our messages are crossing - OK thanks so much - I will try it when I get a chance and let you know how it goes.
Regards and many thanks again for your efforts
Peter

I think it is exactly what I would do!! Let us know how it works!! Mark