Using a tankless water heater to supply your home with hot water is efficient and cost friendly. This type of water heating system will supply hot water to your home on demand and will also take up less space in your home. A tankless water heater also consumes less energy when compared to the other types of water heating systems. With proper care and maintenance, a tankless water heating system is a sound investment that can service your household for up to 20 years. To enjoy the many years of service, you need to practice proper maintenance. Here’s how to maintain a tankless water heater.
1. Turning Off the Energy Source
When undertaking tankless water heater inspection or maintenance, start by turning off the energy source. Tankless water heaters mostly use electricity or gas. By turning off the energy source, it makes the inspection or maintenance a safe process.
2. Shut Off All Water Valves
The next step is to turn off all water valves. This prevents water from gaining access to the heater and also makes it impossible for heated water to exit. There are 3 main water valves to turn off, and they are color coded. The blue valve controls the flow of cold water, the red valve controls the flow of hot water, and the remaining valve controls the flow of water between the home and the main water supply. Ensure all 3 valves are closed before commencing the maintenance process.
3. Disengaging the Purge Port Caps
Purge valves help to control the build-up of water pressure. Each valve has a T-handle. You need to slowly remove these valve caps to release any build-up of pressure. Disengaging these valves will prevent gushing of hot water, which can be hazardous.
4. Attaching A Hose Line to The Valves
Connect the valves with hose pipes that connect to a flushing bucket. You may need to use a sump pump for this. This allows the water valves to flush out the water from the heater.
5. Opening the Port Valves
You also need to open all the port valves. You do this by twisting them until they are perpendicular to the water valves.
6. Add White Vinegar or Descaling Solution to The Unit
The best way to clean a tankless water heater is by using a descaling solution or white vinegar. Most people prefer using white vinegar because it is a natural multipurpose home cleaning solution.
7. Flush the Heater and Drain It
With everything in place, follow the instructions in the manual to flush and drain the heater. For complete cleaning, the heater should flush and drain to the bucket for at least 45 minutes. Once the flushing process is complete, close the port valves before you disconnect the hosing lines. Use the port caps to reseal the port caps.
8. Restart the Tankless Water Heater
Once you have carefully followed all the steps on how to maintain a tankless water heater, it’s time to restart the water heater. This will involve turning the valves back on.
If you feel that you cannot undertake the water heating maintenance process on your own, you can always call Drain Rescue Plumbers for help.
