Why You Should Flush Tankless Water Heaters

After purchasing a tankless water heater, you want to ensure it gives you a return on your investment for as long as possible. That way, you get improved performance for years. It’s not unusual for a tankless water heater to work beyond a decade — sometimes up to two decades. How can you keep your tankless water heater working dependably? In addition to calling a plumber if you notice any problems, you should prioritize tankless water heater maintenance starting with regular flushes.

What Does It Mean to Flush a Tankless Water Heater?

If you’ve never heard of flushing a tankless water heater, you should know that it’s a routine practice. (You should flush regular, traditional water heaters, too!)

When you flush the tankless water heater, you’re running a cleaning agent through the water heater’s system. The cleaning agent is designed to reduce any buildup that might have settled during normal wear and tear. After an annual flush, the tankless water heater should be ready.

If the Water Seems Fine, Is a Flush Necessary?

It’s important to remember that even if your water seems like it’s running clearly and without problems, you should add an annual flush to your tankless water heater maintenance to-do list. Even if you can’t see any changes in your water, it doesn’t mean that the inside of your tankless water heater is free from unwanted scaly residue.

For example, most water contains many minerals like calcium and magnesium. And so-called hard water is mainly filled with those two problem-makers. Every time the water runs through your tankless water heater, tiny bits of mineral can stick to the inside of the unit.

Eventually, all those mineral deposits will become a layer of scale buildup. If you don’t flush your tankless water heater with a cleaning agent as described above, you’re just waiting for trouble to happen. The longer the scale buildup grows, the more it can hurt the efficiency of your water heating equipment. Plus, it may begin to create quite a few other headaches.

What Tankless Water Heater Issues Can Come From Scale Buildup and Mineral Deposits?

Wondering what years of allowing mineral deposits to collect in your tankless water heater can do? Professional plumbing experts know the answer. They seem to have many concerns while making plumbing service calls to customers.

Heat exchanger failure: As the deposits become more prevalent, they can cause overheating in some areas of your tankless water heater. As a result, the heat exchanger may fail earlier than if you’d flushed your water heater regularly.

Uneven water flow: You want your tankless water heater to send an uninterrupted flow of on-demand hot water to your pipes and into your sinks, baths, showers, and other fixtures and appliances. You may have uneven water flow or fluctuating hot and cold water due to excessive scale buildup.

Warranty difficulties: Did you read the warranty when you bought your tankless water heater? Many warranties expressly state that you are expected to flush the water heater or risk voiding warranty coverage for your unit. Therefore, if you experience a problem that would have been covered under warranty, you may be denied coverage if you haven’t kept up with all your expected tankless water heater maintenance.

The Best Route to Improved Performance? Flush Your Tankless Water Heater!

It doesn’t matter if you don’t have hard water or have a working water softener: You should start flushing your tankless water heater. Just put it on your annual fall or spring project list. Make it one of those items that become a regular part of keeping up with your property, like cleaning the gutters and washing the exterior of all your windows. You’ll be glad you did when your tankless water heater is a long-time workhorse that keeps exceeding your expectations.

While you can tackle this and some other tankless water heater maintenance solo, most homeowners and landlords prefer to have experts come in and get the job done quickly and correctly. At Rock Solid Plumbing, we’re happy to help you flush your tankless water heater. Just give our team a call.