Water heater issue

[drew53813]

Today I drained my moms water heater and it took several attempts to try and drain the water. The faucet was clogged with sentiment. After it finally started going, it was draining blue water with white crystal chunks. Wondering if this is normal or if I should be concerned with a potential problem.

 

[Terry]

How old is the water heater?
Those chunks could be part of a dip tube. Some of this depends on water quality as far as the deposits that you may get in the tank.
Often, we will open the drain to the hose with the pressure on to blow out the line first, and then turn off the water supply when things are running clear. You will need to keep the hot side open to allow air to come in for draining.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[drew53813]

Terry- the water heater is 4 years old, it's an A/O Smith. I am unsure if this is a dip tube or water quality issue. I will say that one of our lavatory faucets had no hot water for sometime, and after troubleshooting I found that the end of the supply line-faucet connection was completely blocked with mineral deposits.

 

[Reach4]

Does your mom have a well?

You can temporarily replace the drain faucet with a 3/4 inch nipple if you have a good place to feed the water without connecting a hose.

Probably your mother could benefit from a water softener.

 

[Smooky]

These might be symptoms of high pH in contact with an aluminum anode rod. It can cause blue water and a jelly like substance. The gel can crystallizes with time and that might be what you were seeing.