My $280 water heater flush cost me a new water heater 3 months later

The plumber who did the annual flush in July never drained the sediment from the anode rod port, and by October the tank was leaking from the bottom. Has anyone else had a routine service actually cause a failure instead of preventing one?

2 comments

2 Comments

abby_henderson20d ago

My neighbor had almost the exact same thing happen with their 60 gallon tank back in 2021. The service guy left the anode rod port open overnight and a bunch of sediment washed through the drain valve, which then got stuck and caused the tank to overheat and crack. It cost them way more than a simple flush would have. It really stinks that you did the responsible thing and ended up worse off because of someone else's careless work. I hope you kept the paperwork and can push back on the plumbing company for at least some of the cost. That kind of mistake is exactly why I always ask to see the old anode rod before they close things back up.

calebm4620d ago

Ha, asking to see the old rod is smart, cause I'm lucky my water heater didn't spontaneously combust after my last "flush," @abby_henderson.