Temporarily move a water heater?

[Mike from Brier]

We have a wet utility room due to a high water table, and old house with no footing drains, and a cement block foundation on slab. Our drainage and structural services contractor has installed a sump pump in a below grade tank in the corner of the wet area inside the house that is fed by perf pipe in a trench that extends four feet along each wall away from the tank. However, he needs to extend the trench on one wall about five more feet in order to eliminate the last remaining wet area, and that requires temporarily moving our water heater about three feet so it's out of the way during this procedure.

My question: is it okay to move the WH without first emptying it? I'd prefer to just disconnect it and slide it a couple feet away from the wall, but not if there is a significant potential for damaging the WH in the process.

 

[Reach4]

50 gallons of water weighs 416.5 pounds. Sliding that extra weight would make the job much tougher, I think.

It's easy to drain the tank. You can use your sump pit to take water via a garden hose.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[JRC3]

I move them sometimes to put tile or vinyl under them. I always empty it first. Why rage on the heater and your body? In the end it's less effort. The only thing that might change that is if the drain spigot was clogged or damaged. I've moved a few dead ones full, strapped to a hand-truck and a buddy helping, it is a handful.

 

[Mike from Brier]

Thanks for the thoughts Reach4 and JRC3! I hadn't thought about using the sump pit to drain into...I was thinking I'd run it to the laundry sink, but the pit is much closer. I even have a nice pump I can use to suck the water out of the tank to speed things up.

Cheers!

 

[Cacher_Chick]

Once the supply piping is disconnected, opening the drain valve should result in an empty tank in just a few minutes. The drain valves are hose thread, so run a garden hose to the sump pit and be done with it.

 

[JRC3]

Once the supply piping is disconnected, opening the drain valve should result in an empty tank in just a few minutes. The drain valves are hose thread, so run a garden hose to the sump pit and be done with it.

Best to hook up the hose first and use the house pressure to get things started, then disconnect the plumbing and let it drain.

 

[Dj2]

It would be easier to move when empty or half empty. If the water heater drain is clogged then you can move it with a helper and a heavy duty dolly - it can be done.

 

[Cacher_Chick]

Best to hook up the hose first and use the house pressure to get things started, then disconnect the plumbing and let it drain.

You can do that, butI have had no problems using gravity alone. If the tank needs to be flushed, well, that is another story.