(not sure if posting in the right forum)

Hey guys, so I live in a townhouse and there is not faucet outside for me to use. I noticed that my water heater has a drain valve on the bottom that fits a garden hose. In order to use it to wash my car with it, can I just attach a hose with a spray nozzle, and leave the cold water valve that runs into the water heater on? Or will I need to turn the cold water valve off and open a hot water faucet inside as to not create a vaccum?

Thanks!

 

yes, definitely but you dont get a whole lot of water pressure though.
(-:

 

Thanks for the reply. So would you recommend I just keep the cold water supply valve open, or do I need to close it? Probably keeping the cold valve open would give me more pressure no?

 

i was just kidding. That drain valve is used to drain the water from the heater once in a while to clean it.
i do not think it's a good idea to use it for washing your car.

 

Hmmm, well if I let it drain for a bit so the water runs clear of deposits would it still be a bad idea?

 

There's nothing special about the drain valve in your water heater. It has the same pressure as the household system does.

I'm not sure you want to be hitting your car with 190º water though. That's a big differential between the ambient temp of your car and the water temp. You can easily shatter a window that way, especially if the glass is really cold.

I fill a bucket 1/2 full of hot water then take it outside and use cold tap water to fill it up. That gives me warm soapy water to wash with. I use the hose to wet and rinse the car and it can be cold since I'm not sticking my hands in it.

 

Hmm yea but I dont have a faucet outside :|

 

I wouldn't. Even if the water "appears" clear, there's probably still some stray sediment that would scratch the snot out of your paint. I just flushed my water heater yesterday and was still getting crud after ten minutes.

 

I guess if you don't hit the car with a hard stream you'll be okay. If you spray it lightly, then the droplets will cool before they reach the cars surface.

 

Thanks for the replies. I think if I turn off the heating element and then just leave the cold water supply on and run the water for a while I should be ok. That way the water temperature will be cooler and also the sediment will be flushed out.

 

I've seen people attach a garden hose to a faucet inside the house, and run the hose through a window. Duct tape and 5 minutes should be all you need.. You could try to figure out something with a shower to get more pressure.

 

Hmmm yea I was considering that.... il give this water heater thing a shot and see what happens I guess. My water temp is set at 120f so it shouldn't be that bad.

 

dont forget to turn off the switch or else you'll burn out the heater

 

ok thanks

 

Wow are you serious??? I would strongly advise that you do not do this on a regular basis, or at all for that matter... I strongly advise that you do some plumbing work if it doesnt affect the regulations of the townhome, and do a splice off of the cold water and go from there.

 

Why do you feel it is such a bad idea?

 

I think it will work. The problem is water pressure.

 

faucet adapter and a long hose

http://www.google.com/products/catal...370&sa=title#p

 

or this one maybe
http://www.antonline.com/p_A01-041-GP_342215.htm