[Jeri M. Burns]

Just recently, the hot water pressure in our whole home has decreased by about half. The cold water pressure is fine. Do I need to flush my water heater?

[speedball1]

Hi Jeri,
I'm afraid it's gone beyond Just flushing out the water heater. You now have crud and trash in the hot water lines that must be flushed out of the system but first you'll need to flush the heater clear. For long life and fewer troubles you should keep your heater clear of mineral build-up by flushing on a regular schedule. Let me show you how. Attach a hose to the boiler drain at the bottom of the tank. With the pressure on, open the boiler drain and let it run until the water runs clear. You will see a spurt of red,(rust) followed by white grains,(lime or calcium carbonate). This shouldn't take more then a few minutes. Do this monthly to keep it clear. Don't forget to flush it out every month. Your heater will thank you for it. Now pull each aerator and clean the screens. Be sure you put them back until the same way you took them out. If cleaning the aerator screens didn't get it click on back and we'll explore other possibilities. Regards, Tom