Rheem Professional Electric Series Use and Care Manual - Page 14

Care and cleaning of the water heater. Draining the Water Heater CAUTION: Shut off power to the water heater 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. 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. 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. NOTICE: 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. Routine Preventative Maintenance Properly maintained, your water heater will provide years of dependable troublefree 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 operating controls, heating element and wiring should be made by service personnel qualified in electric appliance repair. Most electrical appliances, even when new, make some sound when in operation. If the hissing or singing sound level increases excessively, the electric heating element may require cleaning. Contact a qualified installer or plumbing contract to inspect. 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. 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. 14