Drain 21 year old hot water tank

rsadler

Should I drain a 21 year old hot water tank that never has bee drained

joecaption

Why? Disconnect it and take it to the dump. Long over due for a new one.
That's about 10 years longer then there expected to last.

Water heaters need to have some water and soilds that have settled to the bottom of the tank drained out at least once a year. You not not need to drain the whole tank.

If it's never once been drained in that long, I would be very surprized if anything even came out.

sdsester

Is this the water heater tank or something separate? If it is the water heater tank you are really lucky to get so many miles out of it. If it is some separate tank then maybe it still has some life in it depending on what it is made of or lined with.

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hardwareman

the problem with trying to drain it is that you will have so much build up it will not come out the bottom. Leave it alone until your ready to replace it

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DexterII

Our original electric water heater was still working fine, no leaks, when I replaced it at a bit over 30 years, and I did drain it every couple of years, which I believe lent to its' longevity, but I do not think that kind of life is common. But, if I had a 20 year old water heater that had not been previously drained, I would not drain it, assuming that it would most likely begin to leak immediately, would not spend any time or money on any manner of maintenance, and would instead replace it. I understand the cost of maintaining a home as much as anyone, and although I did stretch mine farther than common sense dictates, water heaters are, in my opinion, relatively inexpensive in comparison to the potential cost involved in letting it go too long.