Tankless Water Heater Maintenance Considerations

Tankless water heaters aren’t difficult to care for, but like any other appliance, they do require regular upkeep to continue performing at top efficiency. Proper tankless water heater maintenance depends on the type of water in your home. Both hard and acidic water affects these water heaters.

Effects of hard water

Hard water is a common problem in Wilmington and throughout Delaware. Because the water in a tankless system flows through quickly, sediment doesn’t have much time to settle, so buildup doesn’t develop as quickly as in a conventional water heater tank. Even so, some will stick to the copper tubing and form scale buildup. This buildup can cause the system’s heat exchanger to overheat and shut down. If this happens, you’ll need to call a technician to flush the buildup out of the system and reset the heat exchanger. If your home has hard water, your tankless water heater maintenance should include regularly flushing the system to prevent buildup and maintain your water heater’s efficiency.

Effects of acidic water

Water with a pH lower than 7 (neutral) is considered acidic. Acidic water is more common in private well water supplies and is unlikely in a public water supply. If you have acidic water, you may have already noticed corrosion on your faucets and other fixtures, and red or blue staining inside your toilet tank or elsewhere. Acidic water causes pinhole leaks in copper piping and corrodes your water heater’s copper heat exchanger. Once pipes or components are corroded the only solution is to replace them.

Protect your water heater

While flushing your water heater helps in some cases, problems will reoccur as long as you’re running the same type of water through the system. Prevention requires treating the water. If you have hard water, consider installing water softening devices. Treating acidic water may mean installing a calcite neutralizer filter.

For more pro tips on tankless water heater maintenance and caring for other home comfort systems, get in touch with us at Sobieski Services, Inc.

Our goal is to help educate our customers in Delaware, Pennsylvania, Maryland and New Jersey about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC & plumbing systems).

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