Photo: Angela via Adobe Stock We may earn revenue from the products available on this page and participate in affiliate programs. Learn More › Home Advice You Can Trust Tips, tricks & ideas for a better home and yard, delivered to your inbox daily. Draining a hot water heater is an essential part of the ongoing maintenance for your home plumbing system, but many homeowners still don’t know how often to drain a water heater or even why you need to do it. In most cases, it’s recommended to drain a water heater about every 6 months to a year in order to get rid of sediment buildup. Older water heaters may need to be drained more frequently due to the increased wear inside the tank. Ideally, you should drain your water heater during the spring or fall season when the temperatures outside are relatively comfortable. While this isn’t strictly necessary, it does reduce the amount of energy you need to spend to reheat the water when you are refilling the tank.…