[New Englander]

Originally Posted by retiredguy123

I agree. But, there will be sediment coating the bottom of the water heater over time. The problem is that, when you open the valve, the opening is very small, and most of the sediment will remain in the tank because it is stuck to the bottom. And, yes, there is a good possibility that the valve will leak when you try to close it. Rheem, a company that makes water heaters only "suggests" that you drain a small amount of water from the tank every month. And, I think they realize that almost no one actually ever does this.

I had this happen to me up north years ago. I had to go to home depot and get a cap. I'll never drain a water heater tank again.