Flush Rinnai Tankless Water Heater

[@cmorr70]

Great video but you are missing an important step for a Rinnai. Before you flush, unplug the unit for 30 seconds. Plug it back in and it will open all of the internals that need resetting. That's what's happening when you hear those noises from plugging it back in after you were done..... after it completely resets (about 20 seconds), go ahead and unplug it again and proceed with the flush. Thus will ensure not to miss any spots in the heat exchange. I learned this from a Rinnai technician and verified on other youtube videos.

[@srivatsand]

Fantastic… thx so much for this … it made my job easy

[@10leesan]

Thanks for sharing!! I’ll be sure to watch this when we do our Tankless Maintenance for work :) 👍🏾👍🏾👍🏾

[@9to5Here]

Hope it helps!

[@danielhuynh01]

Thank you for taking the time to make this video, very helpful

[@9to5Here]

Thank you for the comment. It encourages me to make more.

[@danielhuynh01]

@@9to5Here I thumbed up and subscribed. Thank you

[@rong8324]

Great video and narration. Thanks much for doing this!

[@IsNull0rEmpty]

You should remove the inlet filter prior to pumping the flushing fluid through the unit so you can get adequate GPH flow through it.

[@9to5Here]

Good point

[@Truthfulfisherman]

How you do that?

[@IsNull0rEmpty]

@@Truthfulfisherman With the water and gas to the unit shut off, do this : kzbin.info/www/bejne/jZa9gHuerMuqmrs . Be gentle.. you do not want to crack the plastic ring. I use to use a wrench to grab onto it but now I use a flat piece of metal that fits in the middle grooves that the plastic ring has and twist gently because I have cracked the plastic ring. I also add grease to the thread so it does not seize up and is easy to remove. You can try to spin it by grabbing the inside (middle) plastic "wings" but they tend to break... they can break without having an impact on function but if the outer ring breaks you will most likely have to replace the filter because it might leak. Not to mention it will be impossible to remove without carefully drilling out the center plastic than prying the plastic off the threads gently without damaging the thread. So, it is always good to have a spare and be ready for that procedure (worst case scenario). Just try and spin it... if it is stuck then don't force it and wait until you have a spare on hand to try it. The flat piece of metal I use to fit into the grooves and spin the plastic inlet filter is 1/16th of an inch shy of 3/4 inches wide.

[@Fragoso93]

Forgot to turn off the gas during this. Do you think I damaged anything? Everything seems to be working fine after doing everything

[@kylehoke4806]

What size Rachet fitting do you use to open the service valve?

[@beavis4play]

nice vid!

[@zurkeydurkey]

How often would you recommend a flushing when the water is soft?

[@9to5Here]

According to this site, they said every 3-5 years. I personally going to do it every 2 years since this first time didn’t really have much minerals. homeinspectioninsider.com/maintenance-tips-for-tankless-water-heaters/#When-Should-You-Descale-a-Tankless-Water-Heater

[@beavis4play]

it's just me living in my house and i don't use that much hot water. and my water is soft (checked with my local water dept. and did tests on the water) i still do the vinegar flush once a year. remember, it's better/easier/cheaper to do this once a year than to have your unit go bad and have to replace it sooner than necessary. also, if you start getting build-up inside the unit- it'll flake off and could clog up all of your plumbing and lead to more repairs. doing the flush is very easy - no reason to not do it once a year. the plumber who installed mine said i could go 2 years, it's still safer to do it once a year.

[@rags9er]

Appreciate this very much.

[@9to5Here]

I’m glad it helped

[@grahamwarbreck5907]

Why does it take so long for my water to heat up?

[@rags9er]

My annual check in. Thanks!

[@jlee3787]

Hi I run the pump for 2 hours. The vinegar turned blackish and hot. Metal part for the hose got rusty. All those blackish vinegar went through my heater. Is it ok? My Rinnai heater is 4 yrs old one. It’s same as yours. Hope I didn’t damage anything to my heater 😢

[@9to5Here]

Did you unplug the water heater? Sounds like it was on when you flushed it. If your water is still getting hot then I would assume everything is fine, if not, then I’ll call a plumber.

[@sungt188]

Thanks!

[@bjbhehir]

Great video!! Looks like a Costco hose?

[@9to5Here]

Good eye, it is!

[@bjbhehir]

@@9to5Here that's a good hose!

[@jesusbaez4427]

That was real easy, but Rinnai recommends you use Vinegar to flush out the system and my Plumber says and other Plumbers i talk to say if you get a water softener system installed your tankless water heater should be pretty much maintenance free.

[@9to5Here]

Good to know. Thank you!

[@beavis4play]

if you're suggesting that having a softener means yearly flushing isn't necessary, good luck; but i think anyone who doesn't do a yearly flush will be replacing the unit earlier than necessary. and FYI, the plumber in my area who installed my tankless heater does not agree with what you're saying.

[@jesusbaez4427]

@@beavis4play don't get me wrong i know a FLUSHING is recommended and NEEDED but from what i was told it would be like 1 1/2 year's or slightly longer with a softener system, i guess it all depends how hard your water is but yes for now I'm doing yearly flushes.

[@beavis4play]

@@jesusbaez4427 - maybe. i'm just saying, preventive maintenence is just that - i'm doing it once a year just because that beats replacing the entire unit. and don't forget, if you start gettting build-up, it'll flake off and could clog the screens in all your fixtures. good luck however you do it.

[@jesusbaez4427]

@@beavis4play thank's, same to you as well.

[@DarthDaddy-cg6ro]

Thanks.

[@9to5Here]

No problem

[@Steve-bm2zm]

Is that chemical good for your grass and tomatoes?

[@9to5Here]

According to the product description, it's completely safe. I didn't see any issue either. "Flow Aide System Descaler is a non-toxic concentrate which is certified to NSF/ANSI 60 for use as a cleaner in potable water systems. FLOW-AIDE System Descaler is specifically designed to dissolve the toughest water scale, lime, and rust deposits from virtually any piece of water based equipment. This powerful, yet totally safe, liquid is non-toxic, non-flammable, non-hazardous, non-corrosive and biodegradable. FLOW-AIDE System Descaler will not harm your personnel, equipment or our environment!"