Flushing a tankless water heater

[dmatheny21]

I procrastinated long enough and decided to flush the tank before it crapped out on me. Also gave me another reason to buy another Ryobi tool. Never done it before but i would assume i removed a decent amount of build up due to the color change in the vinegar. It still blows my mind how helpful YouTube is and yet so many people are willing to pay a “professional”.
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[Phone Man]

I need to do that bad

[dmatheny21]

I need to do that bad

Main reason i posted it. It is super easy and says it can extend the life of the heater to 20 years if done every 12-18 months.

[whitty]

I just recently got a tankless. I’ve never heard of this before so give me the cliff notes if you don’t mind.

[dmatheny21]

Depending on water hardness and use, scaling will build up and if it isn’t flushed out every year or so the life of the heater can suffer. You basically just cycle a special solution or white vinegar through the system for about 45 minutes to flush it out. YouTube can walk you through it in minutes. I hadn’t heard about it either until a friend at work said he had to replace one because of the build up.

[rp]

I need to do that bad

You may need to flush your whole house with the trouble you have had.

[whitty]

Good to know. Thanks for the heads up.

[JABIII]

Link us to that Youtube vid please, Sir. I put together a TV mount earlier. Without YT, I would have thrown it in the trash in under 5 minutes. They don't even attempt to make any sense in the directions supplied anymore...

[Luvin' Labs]

Main reason i posted it. It is super easy and says it can extend the life of the heater to 20 years if done every 12-18 months.

If not done every 12-18 mths as recommended then your warranty may be void.

[dmatheny21]

Link us to that Youtube vid please, Sir. I put together a TV mount earlier. Without YT, I would have thrown it in the trash in under 5 minutes. They don't even attempt to make any sense in the directions supplied anymore...

Try this.

[Chuck the Duck Slayer]

Just went out and looked at mine. Better have a can of wasp spray with you if it hasn’t been done before.

[willyworm]

I need to do this as well and this reminded me to do it now before the attic gets crazy hot.

Our house was set up for 2 heaters; one out in the garage for most of the house, then another above our master suite up on the 2nd floor, both tanks. The one upstairs feeds just 2 bathrooms and got replaced a couple years back with a tankless that runs on NG. It's been incredible! Been very pleased.

When the electric tank one in the garage craps out, or when we just decide to break down and spend the money, it'll be replaced with a tankless NG unit. While he was here replacing all the old ones I had the gas guy run a line where the downstairs tank is currently so installing said tankless will be super simple.

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[justpracticin]

A similar procedure will work with removing salt/scale in an outboard motor, recirculating a vinegar solution through the power head. It is surprising the amount of crud that will come out.

[Gregory]

I just call the plumber.

[Colin4]

I need to do this as well and this reminded me to do it now before the attic gets crazy hot.

Our house was set up for 2 heaters; one out in the garage for most of the house, then another above our master suite up on the 2nd floor, both tanks. The one upstairs feeds just 2 bathrooms and got replaced a couple years back with a tankless that runs on NG. It's been incredible! Been very pleased.

When the electric tank one in the garage craps out, or when we just decide to break down and spend the money, it'll be replaced with a tankless NG unit. While he was here replacing all the old ones I had the gas guy run a line where the downstairs tank is currently so installing said tankless will be super simple.

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If you're planning on putting a tankless inside you're going to have to change the venting through the roof to a larger diameter. Personally, I would mount it on the exterior wall to avoid that.

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[Colin4]

I just call the plumber.

It's as easy as connect a couple hoses and plug in a pump. I love flushing them out. Easy money. However if anyone is planning on doing this and it has not been done for 5+ years I would not recommend it.

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[willyworm]

If you're planning on putting a tankless inside you're going to have to change the venting through the roof to a larger diameter. Personally, I would mount it on the exterior wall to avoid that.

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Yup, aware, thanks... the one in the attic of the 2nd story had to be revented. The old vent went upwards thru the roof but if I recall it couldn't be reused because it was metal and wasn't of sufficient diameter. The new vent goes horizontally out the nearby gable, on a side of the house where we hardly ever see it. We'll likely be replacing the roof here in the next few years, so the old vent will be removed and covered over when that happens.

The one in the garage however, does not have to be vented since it's not within heated space, which was good to know and will be a cheaper unit.

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[Colin4]

If it's in the garage it needs to be vented. You don't want exhaust from the heater in a closed space.

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[Chuck the Duck Slayer]

It's as easy as connect a couple hoses and plug in a pump. I love flushing them out. Easy money. However if anyone is planning on doing this and it has not been done for 5+ years I would not recommend it.

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Why is that?

[Colin4]

Well if it has a good layer of scale built up it can actually already have pinholes in the copper heat exchange. If you clean it out there is a stronger chance it will leak.

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