Instructions / Assembly

27
Care and cleaning of the water heater
Draining the Water Heater
!
CAUTION: Shut off gas to the
water heater at the gas control
(thermostat) gas cock or manual
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
inspection of the gas control
(thermostat), burner, relief valve,
internal flue-way and venting system
should 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 plastic vent pipe. Make certain
that all joints are secure and that vent
pipe supports are all in place. Check
the outdoor vent terminal to see that
it is free of obstructions, and that
there is no damage nearby caused by
condensate.
Inspect dilution air inlet and
combustion air inlet openings. Make
certain no blockage exists. Clean any
lint, dirt or oil accumulation that may
exist.
At least once a year, 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 operates freely. Allow several
gallons to flush through the discharge
line to an open drain.
NOTICE: 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 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 gas control (thermostat)
sensors, causing the sensors to operate
erratically. Because accumulated
solids can prevent the gas control
(thermostat) sensors from accurately
reading the water temperature, the
water at the fixture can be hotter than
the 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
appliances 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 annually
for inspection and replaced when more
than 6” 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
combustion shut off device that shuts
the operation of the water heater
down if undesirable combustion
conditions occur, such as the presence
of flammable vapors or blockage of the
combustion air inlet openings. Please
contact a Qualified 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.
Location of Dilution Air Holes