Sam
Id check the dirt content of the tank first. Turn off the burner, put a hose onto the drain coupling at the bottom, and with the water supply line on, open the drain valve and watch the color of the water coming out the hose – youll want a helper, unless you have a sink right there you can flush into (or can run really fast). Youll likely get a bunch of brown crud out – flush it till its clear. Theres a lot of cold water used that you dont really look at (toilets, etc.), could be a load of dirt into the pipes from a water system repair, and its flushed right through the cold pipes, but collected in the hot water tank.
