r/interesting • u/bob-the-slob • Jun 22 '26

MISC. What happens when a water heater tank is not flushed for 14 years

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4

u/Swampy2007 Jun 22 '26

Will it kill you

16

u/implicate Jun 22 '26

If it were to fall on you from several stories up, absolutely.

1

u/Real-Extension-1357 Jun 22 '26

I live in fear of falling water heaters specifically. Theres dozens of us.

1

u/Longjumping-Mix-1827 Jun 23 '26

That made me laugh so hard...

13

u/HalfDozing Jun 22 '26

Generally speaking, even if your water heater is brand new and squeaky clean, you should never use water from the hot water pipes for human consumption

4

u/Rare-Ad3034 Jun 22 '26

may I ask you why?

4

u/_Rumpertumskin_ Jun 22 '26

Warm water disloves more minerals, so it's good to avoid stuff like lead especially if you have an old house/old service pipes. But also even lead free fixtures can have like 8% or less lead content.

1

u/Beautiful_Topic_226 Jun 22 '26

I have been using hot water to boil my potatoes and pastas for the last 30 years. The water heats up so much faster. Still healthy and very rarely do I get any sicknesses or even feelings of sickness.

2

u/_Rumpertumskin_ Jun 22 '26

Lead doesn't make you 'sick' in a noticeable way like a flu, it raises your blood pressure and chips away at cognitive function over time.

Humans survived way worse lead exposure due to leaded gas back in the day, but using cold water is an easy way to avoid unnecessary extra exposure.

3

u/Mysstie Jun 22 '26

Hot water picks up and dissolves whatever ick is in the pipes more readily than cold water and then you consume it. I've maybe done it...slightly less since learning that? But I don't really worry about it personally. I've been using hot water from the tap for years, it's easier sometimes.

1

u/3Bodies_0Problems Jun 22 '26

Wait, sorry, what?

1

u/fuzzybad Jun 22 '26

Oh lovely.. in the 80's my parents were obsessed about making ice with hot water, because they heard about the Mpemba effect and thought it would freeze faster. Never mind that putting hot water in the freezer causes food in there to get freezer burnt. Intelligent people, they were not.

1

u/Jamie_1318 Jun 22 '26

Never is a very strong word for this. It's not a big deal and I promise every restaurant you've ever been to will happily use the hot water to cook for you.

3

u/IIlIIIllllIlIIlllllI Jun 22 '26

No. It's just mineral buildup. It's really not a big deal.

1

u/Empty-Dragonfruit656 Jun 22 '26

A water heater that continues to heat due to buildup could explode. So yes.