Instructions / Assembly

10
Properly maintained, this water heater will provide years
of dependable, trouble free service. It is strongly sug-
gested that a regular routine maintenance program be
established and followed by the owner. It is further rec-
ommended that a periodic inspection of the relief valve
and electrical controls be made by service personnel
qualified in electric appliance repair.
Make certain all power to the water heater is turned
“OFF” before performing any maintenance or inspection
work on this water heater.
1. ELECTRICAL CONNECTIONS — Periodic inspection
of all electrical connections at the service terminal
block, fuse holders, contactors, thermostats and ele-
ments should be performed to make certain all con-
nections are tight. If the electrical supply leads used
are aluminum, particular attention should be given to
the branch circuit connections at the heater’s termi-
nal block. It is advisable to retighten the field terminal
connections of aluminum conductors
twenty-four hours after the water heater was first
placed in service. Torque specs are marked on the ter-
minal block.
NOTE: On surface mounted thermostat models, make
certain insulation is carefully replaced and tucked in
before placing heater in operation. Also check the
thermostat to be certain that it is located in its bracket
and making good contact with the surface of the tank.
2. FUSES — Any replacement fuses should be of the
same UL Class and type as the originals. The amp rat-
ing of the element circuit fuses may be reduced on
those models not having high amperage elements.
3. HEATING ELEMENTS — The life of elements can be
extended in hard water areas by removing the scale
build up. Cleaning can be accomplished by scraping or
soaking in a de-scaling solution. Care should be taken
so the protective plating is not damaged by scraping
or dissolved by excessive soaking.
Be certain all power to the water heater is turned “OFF”
and tank has been completely drained before removing
elements for cleaning.
Whenever an element is removed from the tank for
cleaning or replacement, a new gasket should be in-
stalled to prevent a possible water leak. Refer to parts
information in this manual for replacement gasket in-
formation. The elements are easily unscrewed with a
1-1/2” socket wrench.
4. RELIEF VALVE — The Temperature and Pressure Re-
lief Valve must be free to operate properly. Check op-
eration (at least once a year) by lifting the handle fully
and allowing several gallons of water to flush through
the discharge line. Make certain the discharged water
is directed to a suitable drain.
Before manually operating the relief valve, make certain
no one will be exposed to the danger of coming in con-
tact with the hot water released by this valve. The water
may be hot enough to create a SCALD hazard. The water
released should be directed to a suitable drain to prevent
injury or damage.
NOTE: If the temperature and pressure relief valve on
the water heater discharges periodically, this may be
due to thermal expansion in a “closed” water system.
Contact the water supplier or local plumbing inspec-
tor on how to correct this. DO NOT plug the relief valve
outlet.
5. TANK — Good maintenance requires that the tank
be cleaned of deposits. Unless the water supply is very
soft (0 to 5 grains hardness), scale or lime deposits will
accumulate in the tank. Hard water scale is deposited
at an increasingly high rate in proportion to increased
water temperature, and accumulation of these deposits
may reduce efficiency and shorten the life of the water
heater.
CLEANING THE TANK:
The water heater is not supplied with a clean-out pro-
vision on the tank. To remove accumulated deposits
from the tank, it is suggested that a few gallons of
water be drained from the water heater’s tank through
the drain valve every month to remove those deposits.
If chemical lime dissolving cleaners are preferred, cau-
tiously follow the instructions supplied with the clean-
er. DO NOT use a muriatic or hydrochloric acid (HCl)
based cleaner.
6. ANODE ROD INSPECTION — This water heater is
equipped with an anode rod designed to prolong the
life of the glass lined tank. The anode is slowly con-
sumed cathodically, thereby eliminating or minimizing
corrosion of the glass lined tank.
Water sometimes contains a high sulfate and/or min-
eral content and together with the cathodic protection
process can produce a hydrogen sulfide or rotten egg
odor in the heated water. Chlorination of the water
supply should minimize the problem.
The anode rod(s) should be removed from the water
heater’s tank for periodic inspection. Replace the
anode(s) when more than 6” (152mm) of core wire is
exposed at either end of the rod.
If overhead clearance is not sufficient to allow installa-
tion of a rigid rod of original length, segmented rods in
both standard and resistor versions are available.
NOTE: Do not remove the anode rod from the water
heater’s tank, except for inspection and/or replace-
ment, as operation with the anode rode removed will
shorten the life of the glass lined tank and exclude
warranty coverage.
Maintenance
CAUTION
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CAUTION
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DANGER
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