Used this tool yesterday to get the gunk out of my 80gal heater, holy cow I got a 5 gal bucket of sediment out of it! Took the time to remove the stupid plastic drain valve and replace it with 3/4" brass ball valve. A new 80gal heater is around $1,000 anymore, this is a great invention in my book. Thanks Craig!
Doesn't matter if it's destroying the glass liner, Most people are replacing there water heater anyways, If your not replacing your water heater then you should have flushed it at least once a year or twice a year when it was installed brand new and you will never have any sediment build up.
Craig your tool looks to be useful. I can see damage if RPM's are too high. It appears the RPM's depend on the depth of sediment. I have two water heaters with hard water. Most who post here sound inexperienced and are abrasive. I will be buying a tool and will run it on a lower speed. Some of these geniuses question " reverse ". It clears the grinder Einstein. Thanks Craig, you've got a good mind. Make some money for your efforts lad.
fyi, I have bought one of these, not sure if it's his brand but identical otherwise. I used it on a 30 year old 40gal hot water holding tank; I got about 2 gallons of sediment out of it. It was an indirect heater type hot water tank. I have not yet reinstalled the tank though, will replace the sacrificial anode first, then hope for the best.
My electric water heater only has one valve on it and for unknown reason someone added a thermometer to it, just dangling there. So should I go outside and use the main shutoff valve ?
I agree. It seems like a good way to damage the glass lining, potentially shortening the life of the tank. Would probably destroy the plastic dip tube as well. I'm skeptical about using this.
The spinning agitator is designed merely to stir up the loose sediment deposits at the bottom of the tank so that the flowing water can sweep them into the auger. It is the spinning auger and the powerful force of the water that tare apart the chunks of sediment and pull them inside. The agitator is soft, flexible, has very little mass and will not harm your tank in any way.
Can you use it to unclog it and the drain the water heater? We’ve been doing apartment renovations and seriously most are so full of sediment we can’t drain them very well.
I tried to take the spicket off the water heater and it would not turn. I did not want to force it because I didn't want to break it and i would be met with another problem. Another issue I noticed was, i drained the water heater until cold water was coming out of the hose. When i shut down the cold water line to depressurize the water heater, when i opened the line up again and fired up the gas, I opened the hot water in the bathroom. I noticed there was hot water coming out of the faucet even though the water was cold coming out of the hose. Any advice?
The best way to remove the drain valve is to grip it with a large Cresent wrench and turn counter clockwise. They are screwed in tight. Cool the water for your safety by running a hot water fixture and
Our water heater is 18 years old and is still kicking although I know we should be able to get more showers out of it once I get it flushed. I have been doing a lot of research on this subject. I am so glad that I have stumbled on your product and I think the solution is good. I will only be out for $50 bucks if it doesn't work so I am willing to give it a try. I'll come back once I tried it out and give it my honest review. Stay tuned.
@@ruled1990 Yes it does work, and it works very well! I forgot to come back and leave a follow up comment. All together I got almost a 5 gallon bucket filled up with the white stuff. That's extra 5+ gallons of hot water if you consider most of that white stuff got flushed out and only the big chunks were left! It's well worth the investment!
It works. My slumlord likes to set the water heater on the left over sediment too👍 The pressure relief down tube is at the right height for scalding when our kids play in the basement. Mice scream at night too🐀
The spinning agitator is designed merely to stir up the loose sediment deposits at the bottom of the tank so that the flowing water can sweep them into the auger. It is the spinning auger and the powerful force of the water that tare apart the chunks of sediment and pull them inside. The agitator is soft, flexible, has very little mass and will not harm your tank or dip tube in any way.
This is an awesome tool that should have been invented a long long time ago. It will save you hundreds of dollars in troubleshooting and prevent you from having to buy another hot water heater. I have seen it in action and it works
The spinning agitator is designed merely to stir up the loose sediment deposits at the bottom of the tank so that the flowing water can sweep them into the auger. It is the spinning auger and the powerful force of the water that tare apart the chunks of sediment and pull them inside. The agitator is soft, flexible, has very little mass and will not harm your tank in any way.
@@craigmuehleip9121 Do you have a video that shows evidence that the snake is harmless? "that tare apart the chunks of sediment" by the way: that's "tear" the chunks apart.
Waiting for my ttc to come in. I'm curious how much comes out as it's been 3 yrs since it was flushed. I'm convinced flushing is a waste of time and money.
When i cleaned mine out, i shopvac'd the sediemet out of the lower hearing element hole. I understand thats not your question since i didnt use this product.
I wonder if the tank manufacturer will still honor the warranty after I tell them I used a metal snake to whip around the inside of the tank. I applaud your effort, but...
I tried to use one of these yesterday, I ran it for about 10 seconds and the spring thing got bound up and broke off inside the water heater. I spent about an hour fishing that stupid thing out of the tank. Never again.
Wow, you developed a 'snake' that is good for scraping the protective lining off of the inside of the tank that prevents it from rusting out the steel tank and leaking. Yes, your snake is getting large amounts of sediment off of the bottom of the tank, but hardly worth it if it leaks in a few years. Also, what is the purpose of using this product on an Electric Hot Water Heater (shown in this video)?? It doesn't matter if the sediment sits on the bottom of the tank since the heating elements are above the bottom. The only best method of 'cleaning' the inside of a water tank is flushing it for a couple hours with White Vinegar (which requires a pump system), and would only be recommended for a Gas Water Tank.
The spinning agitator is designed merely to stir up the loose sediment deposits at the bottom of the tank so that the flowing water can sweep them into the auger. It is the spinning auger and the powerful force of the water that tare apart the chunks of sediment and pull them inside. The agitator is soft, flexible, has very little mass and will not harm your tank in any way.
I did 3 things to my electric water heater. I replaced the original drain valve which had a pea size drain hole, easily clogged, with a 3/4" full port ball valve. Then I removed the lower heat element and shoved in a vac hose reduced down to fit in the hole and sucked out about 60-70% of the sediment. Then I poured in a solution of citric acid into the anode hole and let it chemically dissolve the sediment. 30% vinegar works well also. Then I flushed the tank with fresh water. I also have a borescope that I shoved in the anode hole to see the accumulation of sediment and monitor the removal as I experimented with different methods until I came up with this. It removes about 95% and doesn't damage the tank lining. There is no easy way or miracle tool to PM a water heater.
This is pretty sad but Craig is the guy in the video and he created this product and it seems like a good idea on the surface but a lot of people on this thread have pointed out the fact that because of the metal whip spinning around in the tank, it could cause damage to several components including the following... It could damage a glass liner inside of many tanks, it could damage the sacrificial anode rod that hangs down from the top of the tank all the way down to the bottom of the tank, and it could damage the lower heating element that is about 1 ft off the ground and runs parallel to the floor into the tank and more or less hovers inside the tank right where that metal whip would be spinning around. All of these are very legitimate concerns and all Craig continues to do is copy and paste his same answer which is that the whip was designed to clean out sludge which may be the case, but he does not respond to the fact that even though the whip was designed to stir up the sludge that the whip can be spinning very rapidly and continuing to whip against the anode rod, the lower heating element, as well as the glass lining that is in many tanks these days. Other people have asked Craig to show proof that his tool doesn't cause damage and he simply copies and pastes the same comment which avoids the question about damage. On the surface level, I love the idea as many of us probably do and it seems very effective in getting out sludge but at the end of the day it seems like a very bad idea because it's a lot of trouble to remove the anode rod and the lower heating element when you're just trying to flush the tank. This is not an attack against Craig who's trying to create a cool product. But craig, you are a grown man and you know that when you don't answer a question directly it makes you look quite suspect. I hope you change your direction and start answering these questions directly and that you're able to adjust your product so that it can indeed be used safely.
Damage to the tank or components has simply never been an issue and I have never heard of it happening. If you are worried use as directed and spin slowly. Many plumbers or other people who make their living selling water heaters try to discourage the use of this tool and recommen you pay them for a new water heater.
If worried about it on electric heaters, remove the heater elements and clean them with a wire brush while out - smart to do for efficiency anyways if trying to maximize life and save money.
@Hummer VS I wouldn't bother with cleaning the elements. The sediment forms on the elements and grows thicker. When it gets about 1/16" thick a chip will pop off and fall to the bottom of your tank. This will happen thousands of times as the sediment layor grows. Examine the shape of the sediment chips and this will become evident.
I tend to agree with both of you on this. The rotating flailing spring likely won't damage enameled glass or elements, might hit up on the anode which should be replaced anyway. But if he is serious about selling the thing, he should do tests on the impact the spring might have on the interior. Do some cutaways, maybe one with a window to observe it in action.
Someone mentioned don't bother cleaning the heating element and someone else mentioned take out the heating element. Are people missing the point that the entire water heater is already assembled and the average person is not going to disassemble it to build a take out the heating element? Is this not obvious? This is Craig's business and clearly he has access to any number of water heaters..... Why doesn't he cut one open to show us a fully intact anode rod and a fully intact heating element and maybe do this on a few different water heaters so we can all visually see it.... And then he can put his device in there and let it whip around at slow or medium or high speed so we can see what it does when it impacts the inner walls of the water heater and the heating element in the anode rod. If he got an angle grinder and spent about an hour cutting open a few water heaters and another hour or two with a buddy of his making a few videos of what happens, and if nothing bad happens at all and the videos look legitimate, he would sell these things endlessly. There is simply no way that a giant whip spinning around in there is not going to cause damage to water heaters especially when there's probably a wide variety of insides of water heaters and a lot of assumptions are being made with this type of video.
looks like a cool tool. But I HATE the plastic threads. I would put an adapter on both sides so I never have metal x plastic. Very obvious. your hose threads are cross-threaded as all holy hell. with a brass adapter, that would nver happen
Yup. Just save the headache and drain the tank first. Plus if you try to remove a plastic drain valve with a full tank and the valve snaps, leaving the end still threaded into the tank you are screwed.
I like to turn the snake back and forth as I work the snake up through heavy deposits of sediment to prevent it from balling up in the tank. Then you can start out turning it in reverse just to make sure it is not bound up. Then spin it forward to sweep the snake right and reverce to sweep left.
First of all take those steel supply and feed lines off that tank!!! What is it 1950!!! USE BRASS OR BRAIDED FLEX LINES OR COPPER PIPE!!! STEEL PIPES WILL RUST ....SO WILL STEEL GATE VALUES!!! I WON'T DRINK OR BATHE IN THAT WATER!!!
Used this tool yesterday to get the gunk out of my 80gal heater, holy cow I got a 5 gal bucket of sediment out of it! Took the time to remove the stupid plastic drain valve and replace it with 3/4" brass ball valve. A new 80gal heater is around $1,000 anymore, this is a great invention in my book. Thanks Craig!
Is my “sediment” supposed to be brownish/copper colored?
Mine was a bit lighter colored, but the color will vary depending on the water source and overall condition of the inside of your tank. @@private4546
Is it required to cross thread the hose to the discharge/drain?
Yeah, that's the first thing I noticed in the video too
Yup, it's in the instructions. 😉
Lol
If you don't do that you will void the warranty of the product.
No threads like new threads!!
Does the metal "snake" banging around against the inside of the tank damage the lining at all?
Doesn't matter if it's destroying the glass liner, Most people are replacing there water heater anyways, If your not replacing your water heater then you should have flushed it at least once a year or twice a year when it was installed brand new and you will never have any sediment build up.
@@Rocket-x9v If you destroy the glass liner, though, then the fix is only a short term fix. It will leak before long as the tank rusts, right?
The impeller is a spring that is designed not to break enameled glass
Go nice and slow.
Craig your tool looks to be useful. I can see damage if RPM's are too high. It appears the RPM's depend on the depth of sediment. I have two water heaters with hard water. Most who post here sound inexperienced and are abrasive. I will be buying a tool and will run it on a lower speed. Some of these geniuses question " reverse ". It clears the grinder Einstein. Thanks Craig, you've got a good mind. Make some money for your efforts lad.
Thank you so much
I didn't run it in reverse, and it worked good, maceration of sediment works good.
fyi, I have bought one of these, not sure if it's his brand but identical otherwise.
I used it on a 30 year old 40gal hot water holding tank; I got about 2 gallons of sediment out of it. It was an indirect heater type hot water tank. I have not yet reinstalled the tank though, will replace the sacrificial anode first, then hope for the best.
Thanks for your video. Does it works on the gas heat water tank?
It Works on gas and electric water heaters.
@@craigmuehleip9121 hi does it wors for an Oil fired water heater help please
Reminds me of the photo of the two little boys in bib overalls in every country home.........” You been plumbing long?”
My only question is with the tool inside hit the bottom element,
My electric water heater only has one valve on it and for unknown reason someone added a thermometer to it, just dangling there. So should I go outside and use the main shutoff valve ?
@Craig - Does the spinning inside the tank going to break the lower heating element?
Yes craig. Still waiting on your answer.
If you're worried, remove the lower element before using it.
Water heater is only 7 years old. No issues with water pressure or anything. Should I still do this?
I wonder what the whip does to the lining on the inside of the tank
I agree. It seems like a good way to damage the glass lining, potentially shortening the life of the tank. Would probably destroy the plastic dip tube as well. I'm skeptical about using this.
@@jdjeep98 yeah dip tube for sure. That is some thin plastic and usually deteriorates quick
@@jdjeep98 and the anode, and the electric element.
The spinning agitator is designed merely to stir up the loose sediment deposits at the bottom of the tank so that the flowing water can sweep them into the auger. It is the spinning auger and the powerful force of the water that tare apart the chunks of sediment and pull them inside. The agitator is soft, flexible, has very little mass and will not harm your tank in any way.
@@craigmuehleip9121 YA AND IF YOU BELIEVE THIS i HAVE ABRIDGE IN NEW YORK i WILL SEEL YOU FOR CHEAP TOO !!
Can you use it to unclog it and the drain the water heater? We’ve been doing apartment renovations and seriously most are so full of sediment we can’t drain them very well.
So how long did it take for that sediment to build up?
As long as it took him to rethread the tool.
@@bradleyrussell1973
Bradley, what I was asking was, how long "over time" did it take for that amount of sediment to build up..
@@RJ-sr5dv he knows what you were asking
Mine was 40gal tank, 30 years old, and I got 2 gallons of sediment out.
Haven't reinstalled the tank yet back into the system, so I don't know if it was too old and there was any other damage, will also replace anode.
I tried to take the spicket off the water heater and it would not turn. I did not want to force it because I didn't want to break it and i would be met with another problem. Another issue I noticed was, i drained the water heater until cold water was coming out of the hose. When i shut down the cold water line to depressurize the water heater, when i opened the line up again and fired up the gas, I opened the hot water in the bathroom. I noticed there was hot water coming out of the faucet even though the water was cold coming out of the hose. Any advice?
The best way to remove the drain valve is to grip it with a large Cresent wrench and turn counter clockwise. They are screwed in tight.
Cool the water for your safety by running a hot water fixture and
By the looks of some of these comments, it’s no wonder some of you are needing to hire plumbers to wipe your asses. Damn.
Damn man that mean asf bro some ppl are smart and don't mess with something enless there comfortable
I'm sold! On a tankless that is.
Tankless need annual descaling.
Cute
Our water heater is 18 years old and is still kicking although I know we should be able to get more showers out of it once I get it flushed. I have been doing a lot of research on this subject. I am so glad that I have stumbled on your product and I think the solution is good. I will only be out for $50 bucks if it doesn't work so I am willing to give it a try. I'll come back once I tried it out and give it my honest review. Stay tuned.
Hello Wellseewho, did this work for you? i was thinking about ordering mine and giving it a try.
@@ruled1990 Yes it does work, and it works very well! I forgot to come back and leave a follow up comment. All together I got almost a 5 gallon bucket filled up with the white stuff. That's extra 5+ gallons of hot water if you consider most of that white stuff got flushed out and only the big chunks were left! It's well worth the investment!
@@wellseewho thank you I think I'm going to purchase one
Might want to change to a more energy efficient one.
It works. My slumlord likes to set the water heater on the left over sediment too👍 The pressure relief down tube is at the right height for scalding when our kids play in the basement. Mice scream at night too🐀
Doesn't it damage the inside of the water heater ?
The spinning agitator is designed merely to stir up the loose sediment deposits at the bottom of the tank so that the flowing water can sweep them into the auger. It is the spinning auger and the powerful force of the water that tare apart the chunks of sediment and pull them inside. The agitator is soft, flexible, has very little mass and will not harm your tank or dip tube in any way.
This is an awesome tool that should have been invented a long long time ago. It will save you hundreds of dollars in troubleshooting and prevent you from having to buy another hot water heater. I have seen it in action and it works
It will CAUSE you to buy another water heater! What do you think that steel snake is doing to the glass liner in that tank?
The spinning agitator is designed merely to stir up the loose sediment deposits at the bottom of the tank so that the flowing water can sweep them into the auger. It is the spinning auger and the powerful force of the water that tare apart the chunks of sediment and pull them inside. The agitator is soft, flexible, has very little mass and will not harm your tank in any way.
@@craigmuehleip9121 Do you have a video that shows evidence that the snake is harmless?
"that tare apart the chunks of sediment" by the way: that's "tear" the chunks apart.
Wow, that's amazing. I'm going to buy one preemptively
Waiting for my ttc to come in. I'm curious how much comes out as it's been 3 yrs since it was flushed. I'm convinced flushing is a waste of time and money.
Thing works excellent 👍
Great content 👌
Will this tool damage the lower heating element?
When i cleaned mine out, i shopvac'd the sediemet out of the lower hearing element hole. I understand thats not your question since i didnt use this product.
@@nateb4543 has to be a small shop vac hose?
@Corrado Cianciullo i had like a 2' section of clear hose that went in my shopvac hose. Kinda fun cuz i could see the shit coming out of there
I wonder if the tank manufacturer will still honor the warranty after I tell them I used a metal snake to whip around the inside of the tank. I applaud your effort, but...
I tried to use one of these yesterday, I ran it for about 10 seconds and the spring thing got bound up and broke off inside the water heater. I spent about an hour fishing that stupid thing out of the tank. Never again.
Wow, you developed a 'snake' that is good for scraping the protective lining off of the inside of the tank that prevents it from rusting out the steel tank and leaking. Yes, your snake is getting large amounts of sediment off of the bottom of the tank, but hardly worth it if it leaks in a few years. Also, what is the purpose of using this product on an Electric Hot Water Heater (shown in this video)?? It doesn't matter if the sediment sits on the bottom of the tank since the heating elements are above the bottom. The only best method of 'cleaning' the inside of a water tank is flushing it for a couple hours with White Vinegar (which requires a pump system), and would only be recommended for a Gas Water Tank.
Spring or well water, man. Some will cover the bottom elements in a couple of years.
The spinning agitator is designed merely to stir up the loose sediment deposits at the bottom of the tank so that the flowing water can sweep them into the auger. It is the spinning auger and the powerful force of the water that tare apart the chunks of sediment and pull them inside. The agitator is soft, flexible, has very little mass and will not harm your tank in any way.
@@craigmuehleip9121 how can I get one?
I did 3 things to my electric water heater. I replaced the original drain valve which had a pea size drain hole, easily clogged, with a 3/4" full port ball valve. Then I removed the lower heat element and shoved in a vac hose reduced down to fit in the hole and sucked out about 60-70% of the sediment. Then I poured in a solution of citric acid into the anode hole and let it chemically dissolve the sediment. 30% vinegar works well also. Then I flushed the tank with fresh water. I also have a borescope that I shoved in the anode hole to see the accumulation of sediment and monitor the removal as I experimented with different methods until I came up with this. It removes about 95% and doesn't damage the tank lining. There is no easy way or miracle tool to PM a water heater.
This is pretty sad but Craig is the guy in the video and he created this product and it seems like a good idea on the surface but a lot of people on this thread have pointed out the fact that because of the metal whip spinning around in the tank, it could cause damage to several components including the following...
It could damage a glass liner inside of many tanks, it could damage the sacrificial anode rod that hangs down from the top of the tank all the way down to the bottom of the tank, and it could damage the lower heating element that is about 1 ft off the ground and runs parallel to the floor into the tank and more or less hovers inside the tank right where that metal whip would be spinning around.
All of these are very legitimate concerns and all Craig continues to do is copy and paste his same answer which is that the whip was designed to clean out sludge which may be the case, but he does not respond to the fact that even though the whip was designed to stir up the sludge that the whip can be spinning very rapidly and continuing to whip against the anode rod, the lower heating element, as well as the glass lining that is in many tanks these days.
Other people have asked Craig to show proof that his tool doesn't cause damage and he simply copies and pastes the same comment which avoids the question about damage.
On the surface level, I love the idea as many of us probably do and it seems very effective in getting out sludge but at the end of the day it seems like a very bad idea because it's a lot of trouble to remove the anode rod and the lower heating element when you're just trying to flush the tank.
This is not an attack against Craig who's trying to create a cool product. But craig, you are a grown man and you know that when you don't answer a question directly it makes you look quite suspect.
I hope you change your direction and start answering these questions directly and that you're able to adjust your product so that it can indeed be used safely.
Damage to the tank or components has simply never been an issue and I have never heard of it happening. If you are worried use as directed and spin slowly. Many plumbers or other people who make their living selling water heaters try to discourage the use of this tool and recommen you pay them for a new water heater.
If worried about it on electric heaters, remove the heater elements and clean them with a wire brush while out - smart to do for efficiency anyways if trying to maximize life and save money.
@Hummer VS
I wouldn't bother with cleaning the elements. The sediment forms on the elements and grows thicker. When it gets about 1/16" thick a chip will pop off and fall to the bottom of your tank. This will happen thousands of times as the sediment layor grows. Examine the shape of the sediment chips and this will become evident.
I tend to agree with both of you on this. The rotating flailing spring likely won't damage enameled glass or elements, might hit up on the anode which should be replaced anyway. But if he is serious about selling the thing, he should do tests on the impact the spring might have on the interior. Do some cutaways, maybe one with a window to observe it in action.
Someone mentioned don't bother cleaning the heating element and someone else mentioned take out the heating element. Are people missing the point that the entire water heater is already assembled and the average person is not going to disassemble it to build a take out the heating element? Is this not obvious?
This is Craig's business and clearly he has access to any number of water heaters..... Why doesn't he cut one open to show us a fully intact anode rod and a fully intact heating element and maybe do this on a few different water heaters so we can all visually see it....
And then he can put his device in there and let it whip around at slow or medium or high speed so we can see what it does when it impacts the inner walls of the water heater and the heating element in the anode rod.
If he got an angle grinder and spent about an hour cutting open a few water heaters and another hour or two with a buddy of his making a few videos of what happens, and if nothing bad happens at all and the videos look legitimate, he would sell these things endlessly.
There is simply no way that a giant whip spinning around in there is not going to cause damage to water heaters especially when there's probably a wide variety of insides of water heaters and a lot of assumptions are being made with this type of video.
That's probably the dip tube that detrirated
looks like a cool tool. But I HATE the plastic threads. I would put an adapter on both sides so I never have metal x plastic. Very obvious. your hose threads are cross-threaded as all holy hell. with a brass adapter, that would nver happen
Now the tank housing is going to rust out from the water that soaked into the tank insulation and just sat there.
I thought the same thing.
Yup. Just save the headache and drain the tank first. Plus if you try to remove a plastic drain valve with a full tank and the valve snaps, leaving the end still threaded into the tank you are screwed.
But you can break the elements
You need a better hose. A cordless drill And need to fire your canera person
Sooo, cross threading is a step? My God, man!
lol
Why would you run the tool in reverse when it was designed to turn clockwise ?!
I like to turn the snake back and forth as I work the snake up through heavy deposits of sediment to prevent it from balling up in the tank. Then you can start out turning it in reverse just to make sure it is not bound up. Then spin it forward to sweep the snake right and reverce to sweep left.
Don, hope your not a plumber.
Damn he cross threaded the hell out of that thing.
Ray Charles and Stevie wonder would have threaded it better.
Just a wee bit of calcium
Cross threaded the shit out of the plastic piece
….And after that the tank leaked and had to buy a new tank……
Can't you get a decent home to show your product Looks like a slum house. Nice cross thread on the hose
ADD WATER SOFTNER no more of that!!!!
First of all take those steel supply and feed lines off that tank!!! What is it 1950!!! USE BRASS OR BRAIDED FLEX LINES OR COPPER PIPE!!! STEEL PIPES WILL RUST ....SO WILL STEEL GATE VALUES!!! I WON'T DRINK OR BATHE IN THAT WATER!!!
This just looks like a nightmare. Let me try this on a high rise building see how it goes
High rise or bungalow, what's the difference? Duh
@@steveroden4480 lots of property damaged if something goes wrong in a multi family dwelling. Duh
Unreal plumber cross threaded valve