Maintaining Your Water Heater

SAN RAFAEL — Most water heater problems stem from a lack of routine maintenance. Over time, sediment and mineral buildup can inhibit a water heater’s efficiency and water flow, leading to subpar performance and even premature failure. Routinely flushing your traditional or tankless water heater will prevent these types of problems and help ensure efficient long-term operation.

Tankless water heater maintenance

Tankless water heaters require annual flushing with a descaling solution. This helps clear any blockages caused by sediment or mineral buildup so the heat exchanger can maintain an uninhibited flow. Tankless water heaters also have air and water filters that need to be routinely cleaned to ensure an uninhibited flow of combustion air and efficient flow of water throughout the unit.

Traditional water heater maintenance

For traditional water heaters, maintenance is much more basic. Once a year, the unit should be completely drained to flush out sediment buildup at the bottom of the tank. Fortunately, this is something most homeowners can do themselves. Here’s how it’s done:

1. Shut off gas to the unit. Find the gas control valve and turn the knob to “pilot.”

2. Turn off water to the tank. Give the heater’s shut-off valve a quarter-turn to stop water from entering the tank.

3. Drain the tank. Connect a garden hose to the drain valve at the bottom of the tank and open the valve. You can also open the T&P (temperature and pressure) valve, which will create air in the system and help push the water out of the tank.

4. Refill the tank. Once the water heater is completely drained, close the drain valve and the T&P valve. Open the water shut-off valve to refill the tank and turn the gas control valve back to “on.” The unit should immediately start reheating the water in the tank.