Gas tankless water heaters provide hot water on demand efficiently and affordably. These systems need proper maintenance to avoid component failure and extend service life. Tankless water heaters should be serviced annually, although hard water or high temperatures may require more frequent maintenance. We will tell you various ways of maintenance of tankless water heaters.
This article will explore why maintaining tankless water heaters is important and how you can maintain them. We will also tell you the life expectancy of a water heater and a few expert tips on maintenance.
Table of Content
- 1 Why Maintenance of Tankless Water Heaters Are Important?
- 2 Why do you have to do maintenance of your tankless water heaters? 5 Effective Reasons
- 3 How to Maintain Tankless Water Heaters? A Step-By-Step Expert Guide
- 4 How often should you drain your water heater?
- 5 Tankless Water Heater Maintenance Cost:
- 6 Top 3 Best Tankless Water Heaters You Must Know!
- 7 Conclusion:
- 8 Frequently Asked Questions:
Why Maintenance of Tankless Water Heaters Are Important?
A stable hot water supply and long-term cost savings depend on servicing tankless water heater maintenance. Maintenance keeps your heater running efficiently, cutting energy use and utility expenditures. It also prolongs unit life, preventing costly replacements.
Without maintenance, mineral buildup can choke heating components, reducing performance. Maintenance also detects and fixes problems early, preventing major breakdowns that disrupt your day. Remember, by scheduling routine check-ups and flushing your unit as needed, you may save money and have infinite hot water and peace of mind.
Why do you have to do maintenance of your tankless water heaters? 5 Effective Reasons
Before diving into the expert’s tankless water heater service tips, let’s closely examine some reasons for tankless water heater maintenance and their impacts.
1. Prolongs Heater Lifespan:
Tankless water heaters need regular maintenance to survive. It prevents premature wear by keeping your machine running smoothly. How? It prevents muck and mineral deposits from damaging your heater’s parts by cleaning them. This easy procedure prolongs the lifespan of water heater, saving you the hassle and cost of replacement. To keep your tankless water heater working, give it some love through maintenance.
How long do tankless water heaters last?
According to energy.gov, The majority of average life water heater have a lifespan of more than 20 years. They also contain easily replaceable parts, which may allow them to last for many more years. On the other hand, storage water heaters have a lifespan of 10-15 years.
It’s worth noting that the lifespan of a tankless system is determined by the type of fuel used to power it: electric or gas. Electric tankless water heaters typically outlast gas models because of their simpler construction and fewer moving parts that can wear out over time.
Electric models with regular maintenance can easily last 15 years or more before needing to be replaced. Because the combustion process produces corrosion in pipes and other components over time, gas-powered systems may only last 8-12 years if not frequently repaired.
2. Enhances Energy Efficiency
Maintenance is your energy-efficient tankless water heater’s secret weapon. The deal: Over time, sediment and scale build up in your heater, making water heating tougher. Like your heater running a marathon with ankle weights! Regular maintenance removes this debris, optimizing heater performance. The result? Energy savings, lower costs, and a warmer pocketbook. Maintaining your tankless water heater saves energy and money. Win-win!
3. Prevents Costly Repairs:
When it comes to tankless water heaters, maintenance is your best friend. Here’s the lowdown: Neglecting maintenance is like inviting costly repairs to your door. Mineral buildup and dirt can choke essential parts over time, causing your heater to stumble and fail. These concerns, however, can be avoided with proper maintenance.
It functions as an early warning system, allowing you to address minor glitches before they become huge difficulties. Investing a little in upkeep can save a lot of money on those expensive repair bills. Make sure to do everything right; your bank account will thank you.
4. Ensures Reliable Hot Water:
Your tankless heater’s maintenance is your assurance of consistent hot water. Here’s the lowdown: Sediment buildup can affect the heating process over time, creating hot water glitches. These hiccups, however, can be avoided with frequent maintenance.
It’s like giving your heater a spa treatment, ensuring it functions flawlessly and provides you with the hot water you require when you require it. So, instead of risking the chills, keep your tankless water heater in good working order and enjoy an infinite supply of warm showers and relaxation.
5. Maintains Performance Quality:
Consider maintaining the secret sauce that keeps your tankless water heater running at top performance. Here’s the skinny: As time passes, muck and mineral deposits accumulate, decreasing the operation of your heater.
Regular maintenance acts as a refresh button, ensuring your heater performs properly. It’s similar to giving your automobile a tune-up to keep it running smoothly. This ensures that your tankless heater consistently produces hot water efficiently and dependably. So, with frequent maintenance, you can keep the quality high, the hot water flowing, and the chilly surprises away.
How to Maintain Tankless Water Heaters? A Step-By-Step Expert Guide
After understanding the reasons for maintenance on tankless water heater, we are heading to our next step, in which we will tell you the maintenance of tankless water heaters checklist.
Tools You Will Need during Maintenance:
You can buy a tankless water heater maintenance kit or use these tools to flush water heater.
Bucket or container: Gather the water and debris flushed from the unit in a bucket.
Pump: A pump is needed to circulate the descaling solution through the tankless water heater. Use a small submersible pump, utility pump, or descaling pump.
Descaling solution: A descaling tankless water heater solution is needed to remove heat exchanger mineral accumulation and silt. Make your own descale tankless water heater solution with white vinegar, or buy one.
How to Descale a tankless water heater?
- For this, you have to follow these easy steps:
- Turn off the power and water supply.
- Use a descaling solution, flush, and rinse.
Hoses: Hoses are needed to connect the pump to the tankless water heater and drain the descaling solution and water. Use hot-water-compatible hoses that can bear pump pressure.
Wrench: A wrench may be needed to remove the tankless water heater drain valve for cleansing.
Protective Gear: Wear gloves, safety glasses, and a face mask to protect yourself from the descaling solution and debris pumped out of the unit.
Check the owner’s manual for flushing instructions and safety measures before flushing tankless water heater. You should employ a plumber, or you can contact our TheFusionFeed expert team if you’re uncomfortable doing the work yourself.
1. Check and Clean the Air Filter:
A heat exchanger swiftly heats water in tankless water heaters. For optimum operation, the heat exchanger needs fresh air. This air supply may be restricted if dust, debris, or other particles clog the air intake filter. The unit may need to work more efficiently, diminishing efficiency and causing faults.
Your tankless water heater’s air filter should be checked and cleaned regularly to avoid these concerns. The unit’s environment determines cleaning frequency. It may need more frequent cleaning if installed in a dusty or unclean region. Cleaning and checking the filter every six months is recommended.
How to Clean Tankless Water Heater?
- You have to follow these steps to clean the air filter:
- Turn off the tankless water heater before cleaning the filter. This prevents unit damage and ensures your safety.
- Find the air filter: Air filters are normally on the bottom or side of the unit. Check your owner’s handbook for filter location instructions.
- Depending on your tankless water heater model, you may require a screwdriver to remove the air filter. Check the filter for damage or buildup after removal.
- Clean the filter: Use a soft brush or vacuum cleaner to remove dust and debris. Rinse the filter and let it dry before reinstalling.
- After cleaning and drying, carefully reinstall the filter in the unit. It should fit snuggly in its housing.
2. Flush the system:
Here, we will describe the flushing Rinnai tankless water heater process. To remove dirt, clean your water heater annually. At the end of this article, we will also tell you the tankless water heater annual maintenance cost. Simply connect a hose to the draining valve and let the water trickle out until it’s clear. If your home has hard water, you may need to flush more often since minerals collect faster.
Minerals might damage the heat exchanger and unit efficiency. This raises energy bills and shortens tankless water heater lifespan. Even worse, your system’s warranty usually doesn’t cover mineral buildup harm. This is a complete process of a tankless water heater flush system.
If you are wondering how much it will take to flush it, then the cost to flush tankless water heater depends on your location, service provider, and extra services. A professional flushing service often costs $100–200.
How to flush a tankless water heater?
- Establish your project.
- Turn off the gas or trip the circuit breaker.
- Small screws or tabs hold the access panel or cover in place. Could you remove it?
- Stop the water and open the pressure release valve.
- One hose should be connected to the water heater’s input, where cold water enters. This may require removing the cold-water supply hose or using a separate hose connection. Use this hose to connect your tiny sump pump. Submerge the pump in 11 liters of distilled white vinegar in a 20-litre bucket.
- You’re closing the loop so vinegar from the water heater returns to the bucket before recirculating. Open the valve before flushing with the existing hose connection.
- Run the sump pump for an hour when the hoses are properly connected. Vinegar will clean pipes of lime scale and mineral buildup. Remove vinegar from the system by replacing it with fresh water after an hour.
- Finally, turn off the pump, remove the flush hoses, and close the valves. Then, reconnect the tankless water heater’s hoses. Start-up instructions are in the unit’s manual. It normally starts with turning on the water and then the gas or power.
How often to flush water heater?
A water heater should be flushed annually to eliminate sediment and preserve efficiency and lifetime. However, water quality and manufacturer requirements may affect the frequency, so consult your heater’s manual for exact suggestions.
How often should you drain your water heater?
Draining your water heater annually removes debris and maintains performance. In hard water areas, draining may be needed every six months.
3. Clean the Tank:
The outside of your tankless water heater should be cleaned regularly. This will eliminate accumulated dirt and grime. Use a gentle cloth. Simply clean the tank and surroundings. Unless you do this, dust and debris might enter your water heater and cause issues. Always turn off the power and water before cleaning your tank.
4. Turn Off the Energy Source
Turning off the electricity source before inspection or maintenance ensures safety.
5. Close All Main Water Valves
Gas tankless water heaters require turning off the main gas supply valve. Close the main water valves to stop water from entering the water heater. There are usually blue valves for cold water and red valves for hot water.
6. Remove Purge Port Valve Caps
Purge port valve caps protect maintenance hose connections.
7. Attach Hoses to Each Valve
Hose the hot and cold purge ports. The blue cold valve hose connects to a small recirculation pump. The red-hot valve hose returns to the cleaning solution container.
8. Open the Port Valves
Turn all port valves perpendicular to the water lines to open them.
9. Inspect the Venting System:
Proper ventilation is necessary for tankless water heater safety. The venting system safely disposes of unit exhaust gases. Blockages or damage to the venting system might impact device operation and safety.
10. Check the Water Temperature
Maintaining tankless water heaters requires checking the water temperature. It checks that the unit is heating water to the right temperature and adjusts it to avoid scalding or insufficient hot water.
Tankless Water Heater Maintenance Cost:
| Maintenance Interval | Basic Maintenance | Premium Maintenance |
| Monthly | $5-$10 | $10-$20 |
| Six Months | $30-$60 | $60-$120 |
| Annually | $50-$100 | $100-$200 |
Top 3 Best Tankless Water Heaters You Must Know!
1. EcoSmart ECO 18 Electric Tankless Water Heater
The compact and efficient EcoSmart ECO 18 tankless water heater provides hot water on demand. This eco-friendly unit provides cheap, consistent hot water for small to mid-sized houses. It saves energy and provides hot water for $300–$400, making it a good choice for budget-conscious Home Appliances devices.
2. Stiebel Eltron Tankless Heater
Tankless water heaters from Stiebel Eltron are distinguished for their quality and performance. These heaters are available in several sizes for domestic use. Depending on model and size, prices range from $300 to $800 or more. They are energy-efficient and reliable, making them a good long-term home investment.
3. Ecosmart ECO 36 36kw 240V Electric Tankless Water Heater
Ecosmart ECO 36 tankless water heaters are ideal for large households with high hot water needs. For $600–$800, it provides limitless hot water and energy efficiency. Advanced technology controls temperature and ensures you never run out of hot water. The Ecosmart ECO 36 is ideal for large households who desire hot water without high expenditures.
Conclusion:
Maintenance of tankless water heaters is essential for efficiency and longevity. Regular maintenance keeps hot water flowing and saves costly problems. For tankless water heaters, which last over 20 years, proper care is needed. Professional flushing costs $100–200, depending on maintenance. Consider Navien tankless water heater maintenance to preserve system efficiency. A minimal investment for long-term savings and consistent hot water.
Frequently Asked Questions:
What maintenance is needed on a tankless water heater?
Annual flushing and occasional descaling are needed.
Do tankless water heaters require more maintenance?
They generally require less maintenance than tanks.
How often should a tankless water heater be cleaned?
Cleaning depends on water quality but annually is common.
How do I maintain my water heater?
Maintenance involves flushing and checking for issues.
What fails in a tankless water heater?
Common failures include heating element issues.
How long does hot water heater last?
Tankless heaters can last over 20 years.
