Service And Adjustment; General Upkeep; Venting System Inspection; Blower Maintenance - Kenmore 153.331350 Use & Care Manual

General Upkeep
Make it a habit to look around the heater, the vent
piping, and the hot and cold water pipes. Do not
allow any material to be piled up against the heater.
Do not place any object on top of the vent pipes.
Every 3 - 6 months or as necessary:
• Clean lint from blower, top of heater.
Once per year:
• Inspect the Vent System
• Burner Operation and Inspection.
• Combustion Chamber for scaling or sooting.
• Temperature-Pressure Relief Valve Test.
• Anode Rod Inspection.
• Flush a pail of water from the heater drain valve,
once per year.
If any deficiencies or abnormalities are encountered
during these inspections call a qualified service
technician.
Venting System Inspection
Breathing Hazard - Carbon Monoxide Gas
• Flue gases may escape if vent pipe is not properly
connected.
• Be alert for obstructed, sooted or deteriorated vent
system to avoid serious injury or death.
• Do not store corrosive chemicals in vicinity of water
heater.
• Chemical corrosion of flue and vent system can
cause serious injury or death.
• Analyze the entire vent system to make sure that
condensate will not become trapped in a section of
vent pipe and therefore reduce the open cross
sectional area of the vent.
Breathing carbon monoxide can cause brain damage or death.
Always read and understand instruction manual.
At least once a year a visual inspection should be
made of the venting system. You should look for:
• Obstructions which could cause improper
venting. The combustion and ventilation air flow
must not be obstructed.
• Damage or deterioration which could cause
improper venting or leakage of combustion
products.
Be sure the vent piping is properly connected to
prevent escape of dangerous flue gasses which
could cause deadly asphyxiation.
Obstructions and deteriorated vent systems may
present serious health risk or asphyxiation.
Chemical vapor corrosion of the flue and vent
system may occur if air for combustion contains
certain chemical vapors. Spray can propellants,
cleaning solvents, refrigerator and air conditioner
refrigerants, swimming pool chemicals, calcium
and sodium chloride, waxes, bleach and process
chemicals are typical compounds which are
potentially corrosive.
If after inspection of the vent system you found
sooting or deterioration, something is wrong. Call
the local gas utility to correct the problem and clean
or replace the flue and venting before resuming
operation of the water heater.
Blower Maintenance
Inspect the top of the heater and around the
ventilation openings of the blower motor for any lint
and dust that may have accumulated. Depending
on the location of the heater, significant quantities
of lint may accumulate. The lint may obstruct the
free flow of air to the motor, and cause the motor
and blower to run hotter than normal.
To clean any dust and lint, proceed as follows:
1. Unplug the water heater.
2. Using a nylon bristled paint or toothbrush, brush
away any lint. Pick up the lint with a cloth.
Better results can be achieved by using the small
brush on a vacuum cleaner to remove all lint and
dust which have accumulated on top of the heater,
the Iouvres of the air intake snorkel, and motor
ventilation openings.
IMPORTANT: Do not insert any foreign object into
the ventilation openings of the motor.
Cleaning The Blower.
In dusty and contaminated air conditions, the
interior of the blower and the blower wheel may
require periodic cleaning. This is often indicated
by nuisance failures of the air pressure switch or
the high limit temperature control. A collection of
dust or debris on the rear blower air intakes can
also indicate reduced blower capacity. To clean the
inside of the blower assembly and the blower wheel
requires the removal of the blower/motor from the
mounting plate located on the top of the heater.
Tools required include an 11/32" nut driver, small
(1") paint brush, toothbrush and vacuum cleaner.
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