Hot Water Tank Service — Annual Routine

Annual hot water tank service. Three jobs in one. Saves the tank, saves the burner, saves you a six-hundred-dollar replacement.

Task one — anode rod swap. Covered that in week two. Pull the old, install new, wrap with Teflon, tighten. Twenty bucks.

Task two — tank flush. Drain the tank fully with the anode rod out. Then run a tank flush wand inside through the anode hole. Blast water for two to three minutes. Drains out sediment and scale. Especially in hard water areas — this is the difference between a tank that lasts ten years and one that lasts four.

Task three — gas burner cleaning. Outside access panel. Remove the burner assembly. Bottle brush and compressed air through the orifice. Spider webs love the burner orifice. A clogged orifice burns lean and overheats.

Three tasks. Two hours. Forty dollars in parts and supplies. Annual.

Skip it for five years and you're shopping for a new water heater. Six-hundred-plus parts. Twelve-hundred-plus shop labor. Don't skip it.