Use & Care Manual

Care and Cleaning of the Water Heater
Draining the Water Heater
!
CAUTION: Shut off gas to the
water heater at the manual gas shut-
off valve before draining water.
!
DANGER: Before manually
operating the temperature and
pressure relief valve, make certain no
one will be exposed to the hot water
released by the valve. The water
drained from the tank may be hot
enough to present a scald hazard and
should be directed to a suitable drain
to prevent injury or damage.
Before turning off the cold water
supply to the water heater, open a hot
water faucet allowing sufficient cold
water into the tank to prevent the
risk of a scald injury while draining
the water heater. Once the water in
the tank is no longer hot, turn off the
cold water supply to the water heater.
Open a hot water faucet or lift the
handle on the relief valve to admit air
to the tank.
Attach a garden hose to the drain valve
on the water heater and direct the stream
of water to a drain. Open the valve.
Routine Preventative Maintenance
Properly maintained, your water heater
will provide years of dependable trouble-
free service.
It is recommended that a periodic inspec-
tion of the combination gas control
(thermostat), burner, relief valve, internal
flue-way, vent and combustion air-inlet
systems be made by service personnel
qualified in gas appliance repair.
It is suggested that a routine preventative
maintenance program be established and
followed by the user.
Inspect the combustion air-inlet and vent
systems. Make certain that all joints are
secure and that combustion air-inlet and
vent pipe supports are all in place. Check
the outdoor combustion air-inlet and
vent terminals to see that they are free of
obstructions, and that there is no damage
nearby caused by condensate.
Periodically, lift and release the lever
handle on the temperature pressure relief
valve, located near the top of the water
heater, to make certain the valve oper-
ates freely. Allow several gallons to flush
through the discharge line to an open
drain.
NOTICE: If the temperature and pres-
sure relief valve on the water heater
discharges periodically, this may be
due to thermal expansion in a closed
water system. Contact the water sup-
plier or your plumbing contractor on
how to correct this.
DO NOT plug the relief valve outlet.
A water heater’s tank can act as a settling
basin for solids suspended in the water. It
is therefore not uncommon for hard water
deposits to accumulate in the bottom of
the tank. If allowed to accumulate, these
solids can cover the combination gas
control (thermostat) sensors, causing the
sensors to operate erratically. Because
accumulated solids can prevent the com-
bination gas control (thermostat) sensors
from accurately reading the water tem-
perature, the water at the fixture can be
hotter than the combination gas control
(thermostat) setting. It is suggested that
a few quarts of water be drained from the
water heater’s tank every month to clean
the tank of these deposits.
Rapid closing of faucets or solenoid
valves in automatic water using appli-
ances can cause a banging noise heard in
a water pipe. Strategically located risers
in the water pipe system or water hammer
arresting devices can be used to minimize
the problem.
The anode rod should be removed from
the water heater’s tank periodically, for
inspection and replaced when more than
6 in. (15.2 cm) of core wire is exposed at
either end of the rod.
Make sure the cold water supply is turned
off before removing anode rod.
This water heater incorporates a combus-
tion shut off device that shuts the opera-
tion of the water heater down if undesir-
able combustion conditions occur, such
as the presence of flammable vapors or
blockage of the combustion air-inlet and/
or vent systems. Please contact a quali-
fied service technician if this occurs.
DANGER: Before
manually operating the
relief valve, make certain
no one will be exposed to
the danger of the hot
water released by the
valve. The water may be
hot enough to create a
scald hazard. The water
should be released into a
suitable drain to prevent
injury or property damage.
DANGER: Failure to
perform the recommended
Routine Preventative
Maintenance can harm the
proper operation of this
water heater, which can
cause carbon monoxide
dangers, excessive hot
water temperatures and
other potentially
hazardous conditions.
!
DANGER: Hotter
water increases the
potential for Hot Water
Scalds.
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