Tankless Water Heater Cleaning

If you have a tankless water heater be aware that it must be maintained, or it will breakdown and not work properly. I have previously outlined the steps need to drain and clean the pipes with descaling fluid and a pump via bypass valves... but there is another piece of maintenance that must be performed periodically. The internal high rpm blower fan must be disassembled periodically and cleaned. Dust builds up on the unit and causes the blower to run out of balance at high rpm causing tremendous vibration through out the whole house. This will lead to eventual destruction of the blower motor and potentially other problems if not dealt with. Adjusting the fan speed with dip switches will get rid of the vibration problem for a short time, but unless you clean the blower - the noise will return.

Additionally, the gas channels need to be cleaned out as well. they accumulated debris and must it must be removed. a combination of q-tips, pampers baby wipes (use a chopstick to get in the nooks) and an air compressor are the tools of the trade.

The connectors and screws come apart pretty easily, just take a few pics as you take it apart, so you remember how it goes back together.

I would plan on doing this cleaning once a year to keep it running in top condition. It runs so much smoother you can barely hear it when it runs. We have an external intake on our heater to get the most fresh air to the unit as possible - a 4" foam intake filter is recommended to keep the grime out. There are some ATV ones that are available online that fit with a hose clamp.