How To Flush A Tankless Water Heater

The water you get from your water supply company is not all that clean and pure. It can contain some impurities and sediments that can end up causing problems in your plumbing system. The first thing that you should understand about these impurities and sediments is that they are not all that harmful. They usually occur in very small quantities, making them quite harmless to the body. A problem occurs when these sediments build up over time. This usually occurs when these impurities and sediments are deposited somewhere over a long period of time. One such somewhere is your hot water heater. The storage tank water heater has a reservoir for storing hot water. Water passes through this tank throughout and it usually leaves sediments in the tank. The tank should be cleaned or flushed regularly to remove all these sediments. A tankless water heater on the other hand does not have a reservoir for holding the heated water. But the device still receives water with mineral elements and sediments. These mineral deposits can build up and clog or damage your tankless water heater. That is why you should flush this device at least once a year to remove all the mineral deposits like calcium. Here is a step-by-step guide for flushing or cleaning DC tankless water heaters.

Turn The Power Off

Before you start cleaning or flushing your tankless water heater, read the user's manual. This document will tell you whether you need to turn off the power when flushing the unit. If you are required to turn off the power, do so before starting the cleaning process. Electric water heaters should be turned off at the breaker panel and gas water heaters should be disconnected or totally powered off before cleaning. You should also turn off the water supply lines that bring cold water to the tankless water heater and the valve that removes the hot water from the heater.

Get Two Garden Hoses

Now you need to get a garden hose about six feet long and connect it to a sump pump. The other end of the garden hose should be connected to the valve that brings in the cold water. You will need another garden hose to connect to the valve that removes hot water from the heater. The other end of the second garden hose will be submerged in a bucket filled with distilled white vinegar. The pump line should also be dipped in the bucket.

Use Distilled White Vinegar

You will use distilled white vinegar to clean the tankless water heater. Let the sump pump circulate the distilled white vinegar inside the tankless water heater. The purpose of the distilled white vinegar is to break down all the mineral deposits. Leave the sump pump on for about one and a half hours. This should be enough time to thoroughly flush all the minerals and sediments from the tankless water heater.

Rinse With Cold Water

After about one and a half hours, pour out the vinegar and replace it with cold water. Use the cold water to thoroughly rinse the vinegar from the tankless water heater.

Clean The Inlet Filter Screen

The final step is to clean the inlet filter screen. Just take the screen and remove all mineral sediments that are stuck on it. Once everything is clean, replace everything like it was originally and turn on the tankless water heater. Leave the faucets running for some time to remove any air pockets.