I am trying to extend the life of my electric hot water tank. I drained it, and replaced the sacrificial anode. I tried to flush the tank out with cold water, however the drain got plugged pretty quickly. This tells me there’s a lot of sediment, and getting it out isn’t going to be easy. I’m guessing I’ll need to pour in some kind of scale remover to break it down into bits small enough as to make it out the drain. I’m guessing it’s also a good idea to clean the elements.

Any product recommendations?

Should I remove the elements to clean them, or try to clean them in place with the scale remover? The latter will require a lot of water and a lot of scale remover, especially for the top element. On the other hand, removing them could also be risky if they are corroded in place.