49-6000245 Rev. 3
11
CARE AND
CLEANING
Water Tank
Draining and Flushing the Water Heater
Over time, minerals contained in the water supply will
begin to accumulate in the water heater’s tank. Drain
and flush the water heater at least once a year to clean
any mineral deposits from the tank and ensure they do
not interfere with proper functioning of the water heater.
If the water supply is particularly hard (high in mineral
content), it may be necessary to perform this process
more often.
Draining the Tank:
1. Turn off the water heater and turn off gas to the unit.
(See To Turn Off Gas To Appliance, page 7.)
2. Attach a garden hose to the drain valve located at the
bottom of the unit and direct to a suitable drain.
3. Turn off the cold water supply.
4. Admit air to the tank by opening a hot water faucet or
lifting the handle on the relief valve.
5. Open the drain valve.
Flushing the Tank:
1. Follow the steps above to drain the water heater.
2. Once the water heater is empty, with the drain valve
open and garden hose attached to the drain valve,
turn on the cold water supply.
3. Allow several gallons to flush through the drain valve
and hose to an open drain.
4. Turn off the water supply and allow any water
remaining in the tank to drain.
5. Repeat steps 3 and 4 until water runs clear.
6. Close the drain valve and completely fill the tank
before turning on gas and relighting the unit. The tank
is full when water runs continuously from an open hot
water faucet.
Flushing should be done with an empty tank to promote
additional removal of sediment.
Use flathead
screwdriver to turn
stem of drain valve
Alternate Valve
