Use and Care Manual

19
Care and cleaning of the water heater
Draining the Water Heater
CAUTION: Shut off gas to the water
heater at the gas control (thermostat)
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.
In order to drain the water heater, turn off
the cold water supply. 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.
Housekeeping
Visually inspect pilot burner and relight
if necessary.
To ensure sufficient ventilation and
combustion air supply, proper clearances
must be maintained.
When installed in a closet, DO
NOT block or obstruct any of the
combustion air inlet openings located
around the perimeter of the water
heater. A minimum of 1” is required
between these combustion air inlet
openings and any obstruction.
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.
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 hot 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) dial 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: Combustible
materials, such as clothing,
cleaning materials, or
flammable liquids, etc., must
not be placed against or next
to the water heater.
!
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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