How to drain a water heater in a basement.

Draining a water heater is easy to do if it’s in the garage, or any where other than underground, but sometimes it can be quite tricky if it’s in a basement. Threw my experience I’ve come across some different useful tactics which I will share here.

First thing we need to realise is that we need a force to move the water out of the water heater and to where we can drain it.  We can either use gravity, motorized pumps, or human power.

Here are the best an easiest places you can try to drain your water heater if it’s in a basement.

Gravity;

1. The Sump pump is the best place to drain it.  Hook a hose up to the water heater and put the other end of the hose in the sum pump pit, and let it drain right into the sump pump pit.
2. A floor drain would be a good place, it basically looks like a hole in the basement floor that drains the water to a outdoors somewhere, or in rain water storm drain.  However floor drains are pretty rare homes these days.
3. The basement shower is another easy place.  Hook up the hose to the water heater and put the other end in the shower, and the floor drain and gravity will take care of the rest.
4. Basement toilet is your next choice.  but BEWARE!  Do not put Hot water in the toilet, as it could cause it to crack.  Porcelain toilets filled with cold water doesn’t agree with piping hot water.  Turn the water heater off, and then turn a open a faucet somewhere in the house and let the hot water pour out.  The water heater will refill it’s self with cold water, so after you feel the water get warm/ cool from the faucet it’s safe to drain the water heater into the toilet.

Motorized pumps:

From here on out you will need a pump, a small hose, and a regular hose.  Their a few kind of pumps.  Either a small sump pump and bucket, or a ideally a small “water heater” pump. Even a pump for a out door fish pond could work (as long as it as 2 threaded ends).  Also a small hose is needed to connect the water heater to the pump, and a long hose to transport the water.  If you don’t have a pump with threaded hose connections on both the in & out side of the pump, you can get a put a sump pump in a bucket and let the water heater drain into the bucket from the water heaters drain.   Hook the hose up to the sump pump, and  pump the water where it needs to be pumped, sum pump will empty the bucket faster than the water will fill the bucket.  Make sure you pull the tap on the relief valve to allow air into the tank, and the water out!.

Where to pump the water:
Now that we have a pump that can push the water up we need a plan for getting the water out of the basement.
Here are the places to look for. 

1. Look for a clean out on your waste drainage piping.  A drain “clean out” is a like a threaded plug, or waste cap in the drain line which is a access point in case of clogged lines, the rooter machine would use the clean out to push the rooter machine cable down the waste line threw the clean out.   They are located all over the house.  If you can locate a drainage clean out, you can pump the water into the drainage pipe.
2. Washing machine drainage line.  If you have a washing machine in the basement you can use that drain.  Pull the washing machine drainage line out of the 2-3″ line, and push your hose in.  Turn the pump on and drain away. (Remember to put the washing machine drainage line back in the drainage waste line as soon as your done!!)
3. Near by window.  Get the window opened up, and get the hose out.  This tactic will work but depending on how strong your pump is and how high the basement floor is to the window will determine how long this will take.  You will need  a pretty strong pump to get the water up and out of the basement at a good rate of speed.

Human power; The good old bucket.   Get ready to fill many buckets of water.  If you have a washing machine in the basement, pour the water (as long as it’s not to dirty) into the washing machine, and turn the washing machine on the spin cycle, which will empty the washing machine.

If nothing mentioned above will work you must carry the water out of the basement with buckets up the stairs, out of the house, over the river and threw the woods.

I will be adding a video in the near future.

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