On Feb 19, 6:30*am, Nate Nagel wrote:
Donna Ohl, Grady Volunteer Coordinator wrote:





How can it be that replacing a drain valve in a full tank leaks not water?

I still feel badly that I didn't replace the plastic drain valve with the
brass ball valve because I was afraid the plastic was not removable (that's
what Sears salespeople said anyway, instilling FUD in my mind).

I was subsequently reading how to replace the plastic drain valve after the
fact and they all seem to say it won't leak if I do so with a full tank.

Huh?

How can removing the drain valve at the bottom of a full water heater not
leak 50 gallons of water?

I already saw, first hand, what happens when that drain valve
http://www.flickr.com/photos/donnaohl/2274079114/
snaps off
http://www.flickr.com/photos/donnaohl/2273262545/
spewing 40 gallons of hot water in my garage
http://www.flickr.com/photos/donnaohl/2273262535/

Can someone clarify this statement from, say:
http://216.250.104.54/default.cfm?PageId=41781(see excerpt below).

Donna

Maintenance Tip #21 Drain valves
Drain valves usually come when you buy them from a manufacturer. *They used
to be brass. *You should install a 3/4 ball valve on your water heater..
The plastic ones are prone to leaking. *To install a brass ball valve, turn
the gas or electricity off and open a hot tap inside the house. *If you
have a cone-shaped valve, unscrew it counterclockwise six turns or so and
pull it out at the same time. *Now turn it clockwise while continuing to
pull and it will come out. *Wrap Teflon on the nipple that is exposed on
the water heater. *Attach the ball valve now. *If you have a plastic drain
valve that looks like a hose bib, unscrew it by turning the entire valve
itself.
A little water may come out while you're installing a new valve, but not
much at all. *Wear gloves to avoid getting scalded.

Their idea of "a little" water is "about 5-10 gallons." *I would drain
the tank prior to replacing. *I did just this on two heaters in my
basement last year and I was unable to completely drain them (the WH
drains are lower than any drain in the house) I had a mess to clean up
after each one, and lots of sediment came spewing out too. *It was
especially fun as both were so close to the floor (wh's not on stands)
that I had to leave the new valves open while starting the threads.
Assembling the whole mess on the bench and installing the garden hose
cap is highly recommended.

There will be less water coming out than you experienced with your old
tank because of the vacuum of having all the valves in the house shut,
but it'll still come out eventually.

nate

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Also, before draining the tank to remove sediment or to work on it,
it's a good idea to shut the gas off a long time before you're going
to do the work. That way, you can use up most of the hot water in
the tank through normal use, instead of wasting it.