Cleaning sediment out of a hot water heater is something that needs to be done routinely for maintenance. Most people never remember to do this until there are scales in the hot water heater or when it is completely damaged to the point of explosion.
To prevent any malfunction, the heater should be inspected and maintained every four to six months. Failure to do this results in the heater corroding quickly and formation of sludge which generally lowers functionality of the hot water heater. There are multiple ways to descale a hot water heater and clean it. They include:
Cleaning a hot water heater with vinegar
What you need
- 2 gallons of white vinegar.’
- Some water
Steps
- Turn off the power supply and close both the hot and cold water valves.
- Close the hot water purge port and remove the valve cap.
- Open the drain caps on both purge port valves and drain the water from the tank completely.
- Attach a hose to the hot water outlet to a bucket and close the drain valves.
- Pour 2 gallons of white vinegar into the water heater through the cold water service port and then back out the hot water outlet port, draining into the second bucket.
- Repeat until vinegar runs clean then add 2 gallons of water to flush vinegar out of the tank.
- Repeat until clean water runs through and restore to the power supply.
Cleaning with Hydrogen Peroxide
What you need
- 1 to 2 pints of 3% hydrogen peroxide.
- Some water
Steps
- Turn off the power supply, drain the tank empty and fill the tank with a mixture of the hydrogen peroxide and cold water until full.
- Leave it for 2 to 3 hours.
- Drain the remaining peroxide solution from the tank through the heater drain valve through all the faucets.
- Close the heater drain valve and fill with fresh water and leave for 15 minutes.
- After 15 minutes drain the water through the heater valve to flush out sediments and close the drain valve.
- Turn on the power and check for normal water heater function.
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Cleaning with Bleach
What you need
- ½ to 1 gallon of bleach.
- Tools to access the A420 anode rod.
Steps
- Turn off the power supply and drain the tank through the drain valve.
- Remove the magnesium anode rod.
- Pour in the bleach into the water heater through the hot water outlet opening.
- Install the A420 anode rod and reconnect the hot water supply line to the hot water outlet.
- Turn on water supply and drain through the faucet until chlorine odor is noticed.
- Turn off the water and allow the bleach to sit for 3 hours to a day.
- After leaving to sit, turn on and draw water until chlorine odor is no longer present.
- Turn on the power supply.
Cleaning with CLR
What you need
- A gallon of CLR ( Calcium Lime Rust) cleaner.
Steps
- Turn off the power supply.
- Attach a hose to drain the valve, open it, and drain the tank. Close the drain valve.
- Slowly pour a gallon of CLR into the inlet pipe.
- Wait for 5 hours for CLR to remove calcium from the hot water heater and mineral deposits.
- Open the inlet pipe valve and allow water to rinse lime away in the water heater.
- Close the drain valve and turn on a nearby hot water faucet until the water is bubbles free.
- Turn on the power supply.
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