After messing with their water heater's settings and learning that they have been neglecting it, one homeowner took to Reddit's r/Plumbing forum to ask for advice.
Here's what to know
The homeowner posted on Reddit after their electric unit was falling short of its set temperature.
The original poster wrote, "The dial goes from 120 to 170, and I had to go to over 130 for it to reach 120," adding that hot water took about two minutes to reach a kitchen sink that was not far away.
Although the owner said both heating elements "seem to both be working" when tested with a meter, they still suspected long-skipped maintenance might be behind the issue and asked whether draining and flushing the tank could help. OP asked, "Should I drain and flush the tank? Could the thermostat be bad?"
Replies focused first on hard-water deposits. One commenter wrote, "With hard water, sediment buildup would be one of the first things I'd look into," and added, "Flushing the tank might help… If that doesn't improve things, I'd check the thermostat next."
A second commenter emphasized that scale can hurt performance even when electrical checks look normal, and said that, in a similar flush, "the first one came out full of white chips."
More background
The homeowner said they had never followed the every-six-month flushing advice, writing, "In the six homes I've owned, I've never done this." They added that their water is moderately hard, at about 65 to 80 mg/L, or roughly 3.8 to 4.7 grains per gallon.
Several commenters suggested mineral scale, rather than a thermostat failure, could be a bigger issue. One noted that buildup around the lower element can let it test normally on a meter while still reducing how well it heats the water.
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Another commenter said the slow wait at the sink may have a separate explanation, writing, "The two minutes at the kitchen sink is probably the length of pipe and the water that cooled sitting in it, not the heater."
Because the tank may never have been serviced, commenters said starting with a drain-and-flush is the most sensible move.
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Where can I learn more?
These stories cover the same kinds of water heater issues that surfaced here, from skipped maintenance to signs a tank may be failing. They show how homeowners deal with sediment, corrosion, alarming heater behavior, and replacement choices.
• A home expert said to keep your water heater running with simple maintenance that saves money.
• Reddit users warned whole-house softeners can kill tanks when anodes corrode and odors spread.
• Plumbers reacted after a homeowner shared a concerning video of an outdated gas heater.
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