Instructions / Assembly

32
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 combination 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 the vent system. 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.
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 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 combination gas control
(thermostat) sensors, causing the sensors
to operate erratically. Because accumulated
solids can prevent the combination
gas control (thermostat) sensors from
accurately reading the water temperature,
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 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 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
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: 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: 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: Hotter water
increases the potential for
Hot Water Scalds.
Dilution Air Inlet