Turn off the hot water heater(the power,the burner,or whatever heats the water).Locate the cold water supply or make up valve and turn off.This is a good time to lift up the relief valve for a moment to make sure it opens and forces out any soil...don't stand too close to the end of the relief pipe.Set up a garden hose to the drain cock and a drain.Open the drain cock to begin draining.When you're ready to refill,close the drain,turn on the water,and turn the heater back on after the water has been refilling a few minutes.If you wish,you can turn the water back on a few moments with the drain open to wash out any remaining sediment.

[This message has been edited by Matches (edited August 23, 2001).]

You might want to watch the last of the water coming out to be sure it is clear and clean. If not, run a little more through. There may be some discoloration when you run some hot water for the first time in the house. You might want to run each faucet a little when you're done. They'll probably "gurgle" the first time. No problem.

Wow! It worked. I am on my way to a junior plumber

Congratulations!We don't always hear back from people so we have assume they are still ok after a project.