Video · Water Heater Flushing and Sediment
How Often to Flush a Water Heater: The Drain Valve Explained
How often to flush a water heater: about once a year, more often if your water is hard. In this clip a tech kneels at a gas water heater's drain valve and shows the homeowner where the sediment comes out.
Job footageSwiftPro
- Topic
- Water Heater Flushing and Sediment
- Length
- 0:30
- Posted
- October 14, 2026
- Shot by
- The SwiftPro crew, Northern Virginia
What you’re seeing in this video
It starts outside, with a tech in a black cap and glasses kneeling at a GE electric water heater pulled out beside a SwiftPro van. Then the scene moves to a basement, where a bearded tech in glasses kneels at a gas water heater and points to the drain valve near the bottom of the tank.
The homeowner stands by, following along. On-screen notes explain the problem a water heater flush fixes: minerals drop out of heated water and settle on the tank floor, where they cut efficiency, cause rumbling and wear the tank out early.
Why it matters in your house
- A rumbling or popping tank is the classic sign a flush is overdue. Water trapped under the sediment boils in bursts when the burner fires.
- If a tank has gone many years without a flush, the first one can stir up hardened sediment and clog the drain valve. That's a good reason to have a pro do it.
- Pair the yearly flush with a test of the relief valve, the safety valve on the side of the tank that should snap open and shut cleanly.
Why flush a water heater?
To get the sediment out before it costs you. Minerals in the water settle on the bottom of the tank, where they insulate the water from the burner, waste energy, make the tank rumble and speed up corrosion. A yearly water heater flush drains that out through the valve at the base. It's one of the cheapest ways to make a tank last.
Want it done at your place? See Water Heater Flushing and Sediment at SwiftPro or call (703) 997-9757.
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