Flush or Drain water heater?

[Rook]

Hello again.

Some how I got saltwater into the water heater. I suspect that the softener regenerated at a time when the water heater needed to refill. Anyhow, I now have a salty taste to the hot water and not the cold water, thus my assumption that I have salt water in the water heater.

So, should I follow the procedure to flush the water heater? Or, should I drain the water heater completely and then allow it to refill? Also, when I get a new softener, do I flush, or drain the water heater then??

Thanks

[majakdragon]

Something is not right here. Your cold water meets the demands of the water heater. It fills with cold water anytime the heater is used. If you have salt taste in hot water you should also have it in cold water. I would turn off the heater and drain. Then fill it again and drain. With the heater still off, but the cold supply line on, flush out the hot water lines to each faucet. Then taste it. Only way to make sure it's all gone. Good luck.

[Rook]

Well, the salt taste in the hot water has been greatly reduced with the use of hot water, suggesting that it is being diluted with new fresh water. However, it is still there, slightly. So I just water to get rid of all of the salt water in the heater.

BTW, this just happened recently after the softener ran out of salt and I added some more and did a manual regeneration. I think during the regeneration someone must have ran the hot water making the heater get more water from the water heater.

[majakdragon]

Could be that your heater is the first fixture off the cold water line and thats why it got the blunt of the salt. Glad it is going away.

[Rook]

Do you still suggest draining the tank?

[majakdragon]

If the taste is going away I wouldn't bother. Only thing about draining is that it will all be going out and not just being diluted a little at a time. One flush would probably do it. Good luck.

[Rook]

Thanks for the information.

Also, when I get a new softener, do I flush, or drain the water heater then??

[majakdragon]

You should not have to flush when you get the new softener. Good luck and have a Happy Thanksgiving.

[Gary Slusser]

You should never ingest/use water from a water heater, it is much different (read not good for you) chemically than fresh cold water heated for whatever you want the hot water for. So how did you discover a salty taste in the hot water....

Also, all residential softeners have an internal hard water by-pass so you dont get water from the softener while it is in regeneration and you use water. IOWs you get hard unsoftened water rather tha nsalty if you use water during a regeneration. So you have something radically wrong with your softener control valve.

No you shouldn't drain the water out of the water heater after installing a new softener. It won't take but a couple days to flush the other water out of it and if your present oftener has allowed hard water, the new soft water will be hard due to dissolving the hard water scale out of the tank anyway.

Gary
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Doug Aleshire, Super Moderator 2

[Rook]

So how did you discover a salty taste in the hot water....

Unescapable amount of water that is tasted during a hot shower. We were not drinking it but noticed an unpleasent taste during the shower. Then, occasionally tasted a little off my finger to see if the salt taste was dissapating (sp).

So you have something radically wrong with your softener control valve.

What do you think it is??? It is very strange based on your statement that we have this problem with the hot and not the cold. And also that it appears the problem is going away. Of course, keep in mind we were out of salt, I added one bag, manually regenerated, a few days later (yesterday) added four more bags of salt.

No you shouldn't drain the water out of the water heater after installing a new softener.

Okay, it was the Kenetico guy which said I should do that after installing a new unit. I was contemplating flushing the water heater as a means of general maintenance anyways, since it seems clear that the prior owners did no maintenance on the house equipment.

[Gary Slusser]

I can't give you more info other than I have as to why a salty taste.

Drain and then flush the heater if you want to, you can find instructions on how by searching DIY forums.

Gary
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Doug Aleshire, Super Moderator 2