HMP011 LF Brass 3/4" MNPT Water Heater Drain/Flush Valve(Full Port, Ball Valve, 3 inch Shank, 180 degree Handle W/Garden Hose Cap and Thread Tape)

this appears to be of great quality. It is a bit pricier than i was hoping but all shut off valves are expensive. was easy to install and is a great upgrade over stock hot water tank drain valves. Lots of them are plastic these days and they are the worst design ever. please upgrade to brass before filling it with water, you will thank yourself later. my Rheem actually came with a brass drain valve but i still upgraded to this since its a much bigger opening and also easier to open and close.

This drain valve is sturdy, well made, and a far better option than the cheap plastic valves that come on water heaters nowadays. If my water heater ever goes out, I’ll take this one off and replace my new water heaters stock valve with this one.I also like that it’s angled, has a rubber coating around the valve handle so you don’t have to burn your hand if the pipe has radiated any heat, and comes with rubber sealed cap which seals the valve as an extra layer of security.Changing the old valve was a breeze. I watched a very helpful video on YouTube which walked me through this and saved me hundreds of dollars in having to have someone come out and do the exact same thing.I didn’t have a drain in by basement so I had to repeatedly fill 5gal buckets and carry them upstairs and outside to drain them and this entire process took me about an hour. Would be far less with a floor drain.Added bonus that it comes with threading tape so I didn’t have to go out and buy any of that. I wasn’t sure which valve would work best so I purchased three and returned the other two. This one took the cake by a mile.

Great addition toy new water heater! Better that the drain port from the factory!

This valve is a big improvement over the plastic. I couldn't believe how small the opening was on the plastic valve when open. You cannot effectively flush a tank with the cheep plastic factory drain valve. This valve opens the whole diameter of the pipe.

I installed this flush valve into an AO Smith brand gas water heater in my house to simplify and improve the drainage of the heater during annual maintenance. Note that this fitting meets the NSF standard 61 which establishes minimum criteria for evaluating the health effects of materials, components, products, and systems in contact with drinking water as established by the Safe Drinking Water Act of 2014. The first photograph is the original valve upon removal. The second picture is the House Mods valve after installation. The valve has an inside diameter of 3/4 inch (19mm) which is much larger then the minimum diameter of the valve that was installed by AO Smith. Not only does this reduce the time needed to drain the tank but also facilitates the removal of sediments. The lever handle to open the valve is simple to use and requires only a 90 degree turn of the handle. The original valve requires a slotted screw driver into rotate the valve open. Installation was straight forward and there are several good videos on YouTube that describe the necessary steps for anyone who is not familiar with the installation process. I would recommend using a pipe wrench which give better leverage than tongue and grove pliers (eg. Channel Lock pliers) to ease removal and installation. Note that both the House Mods brand valve and the factory original valve are made in China.

These are just great replacement drain valves for your water heater. Made of brass, so very strong and durable, unlike those plastic ones that come standard. Full bore opening allows large chunks to drain out, if necessary. Easy to install and easy to use. My only concern is someone inadvertently opening the valve and getting scalded, so those covers are a very nice addition. I took off one star only because I wanted the 2” bore, which was unavailable (either on back order or discontinued). For your typical residential water heater, 2” is more than enough and 3” is kinda overkill. But a great product none-the-less.

Awesome! Easy fix for the water-heater. Look up water-lock procedure on youtube for EASY swap without draining the water tank. Perfect replacement!

This tool is very useful if you have sediment in your hot water heater