Flushing your water heater is an important maintenance step to ensure you get the most out of your water heater.  By keeping your water heater clean from sediment buildup, you help ensure the maximum life is reached from this important home appliance.

To help you flush your water heater properly, please refer to the instructions below, provided by Paul Robischon, Manager of Washington Water Service.

How to Flush Your Water Heater

CAUTION: When flushing your water heater there is danger of being scalded.  Be careful and keep children and pets away during the procedure.

Water heater manufacturers recommend flushing sediment from your storage type water heater periodically.  How often your model needs to be flushed depends upon the quality of the water in your area.  Areas with high mineral content will have to flush more often.

What is sediment, and why is it a problem?  The sediment is sand or other grit from a well, or any other material that has gotten into the municipal water mains.  Sediment can also come into your home after the water company flushes out their lines.

Over time, your heater can accumulate this sediment consisting of sand, gravel, grit, and various mineral deposits.  This buildup can reduce the amount your water heater holds, create a variety of interesting noises, and reduce the efficiency of your unit.  The buildup of sediment at the bottom can harden and sometimes clog the drain valve.

Cleaning this sediment out of your water heater is not particularly difficult; here is how to do it.

1. If your water heater is gas, set the gas valve to “Pilot” to prevent the burners from coming on while you are flushing it.  If your heater is electric, be sure to turn off the circuit breakers.  With an electric water heater, if the water level drops below the heating elements, and the thermostat turns the elements on, the heating elements will probably burn out quite rapidly.
2. Connect a heavy-duty garden hose to the drain valve at the bottom of the tank.  Make sure the outlet of the hose is in a safe area away from pets and children.  It can be very hot and can scald quickly.
3. Close the shut off valve on the cold inlet to the water heater.
4. Carefully open the temperature/pressure relief valve at the top of the tank by lifting the lever.  Leave the valve open.
5. Open the drain valve at the bottom of the heater allowing the water to flow out through the garden hose.  If the sediment is clogging the drain valve then try closing the temperature/pressure relief valve and turn the cold inlet valve back on to “power flush” the sediment out.
6. In some cases, the sediment hardens into large chunks that can block the drain valve.  If so, then wait until everything cools down, remove the garden hose from the drain valve, remove the valve if necessary, and use a long screw driver to break up the clog.  This is a very messy procedure.  Once completed, re-attach the hose and continue flushing.
7. Drain the tank completely.  With the drain valve still open, close the pressure relief valve and turn the cold water inlet valve back on. This will scour the bottom of the tank and flush the sediment out.  Flush the tank until the water runs clear.  When the garden hose runs clear, you are finished.
8. Close the drain valve at the bottom of the tank and remove the garden hose.
9. Close the pressure relief valve at the top of the tank if it is still open, and turn the cold inlet valve back on.
10. Open a hot water faucet in your house, and let it run until no air bubbles come out.
11. Turn the heater back on, and with gas units re-light the pilot if necessary.

Paul Robischon, Manager
Washington Water Service

Please join the Scott Lake Book Club!

It’s free!

We meet once a month, usually on a Saturday evening for snacks and to discuss the current book we are reading.

We choose our books from the Timberland Library Book Club set list, so we don’t have to pay for books.

The Scott Lake Book Club is open to friends and family outside of Scott Lake.

For more info please refer to the Scott Lake Community Family Support Group FB events tab or contact Deanna Ball @360-790-3638.

Please be cautious as walking in our parks.  A few community members have indicated finding hypodermic needles laying on the ground in our parks.

If you come across a needle, please contact Mike at the Scott Lake Office at (360) 352-4787.

All of Washington State has the potential of being impacted by a major earthquake.  Earthquakes strike suddenly and without warning.  When they occur, they cause the ground to undulate and shake, perhaps violently.  Buildings – and their contents – are vulnerable to this rocking and rolling.  Fortunately, experts teach how to secure homes to their foundations, and contents to wall studs.

• Identify potential hazards that will need to be bolted/strapped: such as water heater, tall furniture, cabinets; items that are heavy, breakable, expensive, precious, and/or toxic.
• Make a timeline to complete these safety projects.

Watch our videos

• A Trip to the Hardware Store
• Finding a Wall Stud
• Securing a Bookcase (Hardware)
• Securing a Bookcase (Velcro)
• Securing Wall Hangings
• Secure Cabinets
• Securing Dishes
• Securing Water Heater
• Securing Household Chemicals

For complete information go to  http://mil.wa.gov/emergency-management-division/preparedness/personal and find the Prepare in a Year Booklet and the Getting Ready Home Booklet.

Are you having an issue with lose animals in your area of the community?  Your Scott Lake Maintenance Company is unable to directly help with these complaints.  All complaints must be filed directly with the Joint Animal Services.  Contact information is as follows:

Phone: (360) 352-2510

Your house provides a good first-layer barrier against airborne chemical agents.  Additional protection is achieved by tightly sealing one room of your home that you have pre-designated and prepared.

• Designate a “safe’ room, one that can be easily and quickly sealed using plastic sheeting and duct tape.
• Cut pieces to fits windows, vents, doors; store in in a bin with other supplies: blankets, water, snacks, batter-operated radio, etc.

For complete information go to  http://mil.wa.gov/emergency-management-division/preparedness/personal and find the Prepare in a Year Booklet

As the weather gets colder, use of fireplaces, wood stoves, electric and propane heaters, and other methods of warming our homes increases.  As we begin using these heating devices, we should all ensure we have adequate protection measures in place in the unlikely event of a fire.  Below are some ways to help ensure you are adequately prepared.

• Choose a reunion place outside your home.
• Draw a floor plan; discuss ways to exit
• Test your fire alarm and carbon monoxide detector every six months (suggestion—when you change your clocks)
• Purchase a fire extinguisher; learn how to properly use it.

Fire Extinguisher Video

For complete information go to  http://mil.wa.gov/emergency-management-division/preparedness/personal and find the Prepare in a Year Booklet.

We have received word that the replacement of the streetlights in Scott Lake will begin being retrofitted to LED lights in the next couple weeks. Please be patient and allow the contractors the room they need to complete this important work. If you have any questions, please contact the Scott Lake office during business hours at (360) 352-4787.

Yellow flag iris is an invasive ornamental perennial that is a problem in many states and other countries. It will sicken livestock if ingested and is generally avoided by herbivores. Contact with its resins can cause skin irritation in humans.

As reported in our annual meeting, having this noxious weed on your property could lead to fines by the county, decreased property value, and negative impacts to the usability of our lake. As such, we are asking for your help in identifying and removing this invasive species if it is found on your property.

If identified, and you are removing this weed, please take precautions, as the saps from this plant can cause serious skin irritations or burns.  Care must also be taken when disposing of this plant.  Please do not put it in the yard waste disposal bin, as this will only cause further spread.  Instead, please place it in a sealed bag, and place it in the standard refuse bin.

For more information, please see the county’s Noxious Weed Control site.