In my house the vacum was enuf to stop the flow from the 3 feet of water
left in the tank, but not high enuf to lift the big slug of water in the
pipes going to the faucets. I blew hard on the a hose hooked to one of the
faucets and got the slug of water to drain back into the tank so the air
could get thru.
..
"Ken Hall" wrote in message
...
On Thu, 05 May 2005 00:27:58 GMT, "Dr. Hardcrab"
wrote:

Vacuum. Put a straw in a glass of water. Put your finger over the end
and lift it out. Same thing with the heater. If air is not allowed
in,
the water cannot get out.

You can open the relief valve to make it drain quicker IF you are
draining
one you are going to replace. I would advise you NOT to open the relief
valve on one that you are just draining (for clean-out). I have seen too
many of them that do not seat (or seal) properly once this has been done
and
then you end up with an annoying drip.

I agree with both statements, but I ask you the same question -- why
doesn't opening hot water faucets also work?

Ken