Care And Cleaning; Draining - Rheem HG 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 coming in
contact with 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.
18
Draining the Water Heater
CAUTION: Shut off gas to the water
heater at the thermostat gas cock or
manual shut-off valve before draining
water.
DANGER: Before manually operating
the 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 suggested that a routine preventive
maintenance program be established
and followed by the user.
It is further recommended that a
periodic inspection of the thermostat,
burner, relief valve, internal flue-way and
venting system should be made by
service personnel qualified in gas
appliance repair.
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.
NOTE: 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.
Housekeeping
Vacuum around the base of the water
heater for dust, dirt and lint on a
regular basis.
To insure sufficient ventilation and
combustion air supply, proper clearances
must be maintained.
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.
A water heater' s tank can act as a
setting basin for solids suspended in
the water. It is therefore not uncommon
for hard water deposits to accumulate
in the bottom of the tank. 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.
DANGER: Combustible materials,
such as clothing, cleaning materials,
or flammable liquids, etc., must
not be placed against or next to
the water heater.