Care And Cleaning; Draining; Maintenance - Rheem PowerVent Series Use & Care Manual

Care and cleaning of the water heater
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
Tall Models
Location of Dilution Air Holes
Short Models
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 drain valve.
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
vapours or blockage of the combustion air
inlet openings. Please contact a Qualified
Service Technician if this occurs.
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