Stormin Mormon wrote:

I'd be tempted to leave the cold water on. Then it woul dhave cold
water pressure at the top of the WH.


I like opening the T&P valve better.

Your way, the cold water would be entering (through the dip tube) near
the drain valve, and it'd take quite a while before the water at the
top of the tank "really" drained out.

Course, 99.9% the crap is at the bottom of the tank anyway, so my point
is sort of moot, huh?

Hey, maybe the best thing would be a combination of both. Let the tank
drain by gravity with the T&P open, then open the inlet valve full on
for a short while so that water coming out of the dip tube splashes
around the bottom of the (almost) empty tank and maybe sweeps off some
more crud?

I've heard tell the "way to do it" for electric water heaters is to
remove the lower element and stick in a garden hose with a straight
nozzle. Then turn on the water to the hose and twist and bend it around
so that the strong water stream from the nozzle blows stuff off the
inside of the tank bottom. I wonder if anyone has ever actually gone
through the bother of doing that?

Jeff (Straining at a gnat again...)

--
Jeffry Wisnia
(W1BSV + Brass Rat '57 EE)
"What do you expect from a pig but a grunt?"