can i lay my water heater on its back so that the lime build up does not affect it as fast...?
Answers:
Laying a water heater on its back isn't recommended. It's not designed to lay that way and city codes wouldn't allow it. The best way to keep lime build-up from occurring is drain your hot water heater with a garden hose about every six months. Turn off your drain valve then partially fill with water. Purchase a bottle of CLR or lime away. Loosen your hot water input water pipe, unscrew it and pour the bottle of CLR or lime away into it. Finish filling with water. Let the water in the water heater stand for 4 to 5 hours then drain the water heater. All this time you should've had the power turned off. You won't get all the lime, but you'll get the big part of it. Draining your hot water heater periodicly is the best solution. If you don't then the lime settles to the bottom of the tank and hardens. You should always change your heating elements once every two years if it's electrically heated.. The lime and calcium build up effects their operation, If you have a gas water heater insure that the pilot light is functioning well. Use soapie water to check for gas leaks around the gas valve and connections, too. Extra Tip: To same money on your electric bill turn your temperature down to 126 degrees. You'll get use to the temperature and your electric bill will go down substantially.
Other answers:
no
most are not built to handle this possition
you can flush the lime with solvents and connecting a hose to the bottom of the unit though
no
most are not built to handle this possition
you can flush the lime with solvents and connecting a hose to the bottom of the unit though
I have never been asked that before but I don't see why not. it is a cylinder and the water is under pressure so it should withstand it. The only thing is I would only do it if it is a electric water heater and keep the elements facing the top .
Definitely not. The cold water supply tube extends to the bottom of the tank and the heated water rises to the top to the hot water outlet. This is simple physics and cannot be changed. Also, the heating elements would not operate properly. The plumber who answered your question could be giving out some dangerous advice. Be careful of who you listen to.
We have to assume you are referring to an electric unit, as a gas unit wouldn't work at all in that positon. And, no, you can't lay an electric unit on it's side either. If you're concerned about lime, calcium buildup in the tank, before you complete the installation, (right side up), replace the drain valve in the bottom of the tank with a full flow ball valve. The fitting that screws into the tank should be 3/4" male pipe threads, which means you will need a short pipe nipple to install in the tank before attaching the valve. Most ball valves have a female thread on each end. On the outer end you will need to get a brass adapter fitting that will have a 3/4" male piple thread on one end and a garden hose thread on the other. They should be readily available in your local hardware or home improvement store. The problem is that the original equipment valve on most all the hundreds of water heaters I've installed does not open wide enough to allow anything in the way of lime sediment larger than a BB to pass through it. Consequently, anything larger than that stays in the bottom of the tank and starts it's corrosive process. The full flow ball valve, in the 3/4" size, when opened, will allow chunks of lime as big as most men's thumbs to pass through and out, so be sure to use a decent hose when draining. Then do the yearly, or semi-yearly draining and you'll actually be doing some good.