Removing Calcium Deposits From My Water Heater

I have extremely hard water, so every year or two I take time to remove the bottom element on my water heater and suck out the calcium deposits. The first challenge s that I have to rig up a piece…

I have extremely hard water, so every year or two I take time to remove the bottom element on my water heater and suck out the calcium deposits. The first challenge s that I have to rig up a piece of copper pipe on my shop vac and tape it to the heater to accomplish this. Is there a better tool out there to complete this task?

Secondly, is there something on the market that will liquefy the calcium so that I can just rinse it out? If so, how long does that process take? And my last question: Is there a water heater on the market that provides access to clean out the calcium? Meaning, one that provides more room to get into the water heater with a hand and a vacuum? I appreciate any advice you can offer and I love your show.

Our Answer

I think you're working too hard! The internal drain valve should be more than sufficient for removing the calcium deposits from your water heater. By the way, the only thing you gain by removing calcium is a bit more efficiency. Calcium can act as an insulator between the flame and the water, but it has no effect on corrosion.

The valve in your water heater has threads on it for a garden hose. Simply hook up that hose, run it somewhere where the water can run off, and open the valve.