Dec 07
MrsKat asked:
We need to get the drain valve out of our water heater. It is the orginal drain valve, but has corroded. It has some kind of cement holding it in place and we can’t move it at all with a wrench. It is very brittle and will break if any pressure is put on it. How can we get it out without destroying the threads on the tank? Is there a way to do this yourself?
Sorry it’s not corroded it’s just cemented shut. The cement is old and brittle and any pressure we put on it could easily snap the whole thing apart. Is there a way to get the cement out of there before putting more pressure on it?
We need to get the drain valve out of our water heater. It is the orginal drain valve, but has corroded. It has some kind of cement holding it in place and we can’t move it at all with a wrench. It is very brittle and will break if any pressure is put on it. How can we get it out without destroying the threads on the tank? Is there a way to do this yourself?
Sorry it’s not corroded it’s just cemented shut. The cement is old and brittle and any pressure we put on it could easily snap the whole thing apart. Is there a way to get the cement out of there before putting more pressure on it?
3 Responses to “How to replace the drain valve on a water heater?”
December 8th, 2008 at 9:10 pm
Try a little WD-40 on the rust and let it soak in. Then put a pipe wrench on the drain valve and put as much pressure on the end of the wrench as you can. Then have a second person hit the handle of the wrench repeatedly with a hammer. The hammer shock should break up the rust and loosen the drain pipe threads without damaging the tank threads.
OK so it is cemented. Try the same thing without the WD. What you need to do is break the cement bond with the hammer. The hammer will give a high impact which will hopefully break the brittle cement. Unfortunately if this does not work then you will probably have to leave it alone or replace the tank.
December 9th, 2008 at 9:28 am
Best advice is to leave it alone. If the tank is over 6-7 yrs. old the corrosion is on the inside as well. This is not unusual especially if there are lots of minerals in your water. If you break that valve off, odds are you’ll end up buying a new tank.
December 11th, 2008 at 3:08 pm
That is not cement on the threads it is pipe dope (sealant) it is supposed to make unscrewing the valve easier.
If this tank is older you might not want to remove the valve. Due to corrosion it could break off.
You can get a thread adapter and ***** a new valve on the old one. Unless of course the old valve will not open. These valves use hose thread. Any hardware store will have an adapter.
If you choose to remove the valve you will need a big pipe wrench or a cheater bar. Do it on a weekday just in case you need to buy a new water heater.