Originally Posted by billt460
Originally Posted by reemoe2
FYI, this all happened when I drained a few gallons from my water heater tank. I installed a new water heater last February, and had read that doing so is good maintenance every year or so. I'm guessing it dislodged some sediment.
I know people will disagree, but this is why I NEVER drain my hot water heater. You run the risk of dislodged sediment getting into your hot water supply lines. And as you are experiencing, it can cause a ton of problems with clogged faucets and the like.
This happened to my neighbor across the street this past year. I saw him running a hose out his garage, down his driveway, and out to the curb. I knew what he was doing. The next day the plumber was there installing a new water heater. He told me he had to have the sediment in his supply lines flushed out, before they installed it. I've heard from several people over the years of this type of thing happening. Another guy ended up having problems with the drain spigot on the water heater itself leaking after he screwed with it, trying to drain it.
I'm not saying it won't help under certain conditions. But from what I've observed over the years, it's just not worth the risk. My water heater is at least 15 years old, and I've never drained a drop from it. So if it went south today, I've gotten more than sufficient service life from it. I'll do much the same with the next one. I put all of this into the category of, If it isn't broke, don't try to fix it.
Couldn't you avoid the issue by draining the heater annually (or otherwise as scheduled), starting when it is new?