Rinnai Flush Routine - Tankless Maintenance DIY
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 16 ต.ค. 2024
- Flow-Aid Tankless Flush KIT - amzn.to/2hKEYau
OR Make your own kit with these parts:
Flow-Aid Flushing Fluid - amzn.to/2iImOTE
Pump - amzn.to/16vJprP
Hose Kit - amzn.to/193Z7YI and any 5 Gallon Bucket amzn.to/1gkAGdr
Huge thanks to our sponsors Marvin Windows, DAP, Cosella-Dörken, and Sugatsune for helping to make these videos possible!
For more information on their products visit them in the links below:
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www.Sugatsune.com
Good afternoon, Matt… I’ve been in my current home for about 18 months and this is my first house with a tankless water heater system. Until about two weeks ago, I had no idea that it required any maintenance until a local plumbing company placed post cards in all the neighborhood mailboxes. I did some research on it, determined it was a legit requirement, and then did some searches on TH-cam. I came across your video and you were the best teacher of the five videos that I watched. You saved me a few hundred dollars and I wanted to say thanks by sending this to you. I hope it will get you a nice dinner wherever you live. Take care, Matt!
So kind of you Neal! Thanks so much!!!
Every now and then that super helpful how to video, not too long, to the point, and saves you a bit of cash. This is most definitely one of those videos. Like you Neal, I had no idea this was recommended/required. Hey, there is a filter in most dishwashers too, check yours if you haven't
@@dragonetti25 Thanks so much for the extended conversation and the tip about a dishwasher filter. I will be checking mine today. Much appreciated!
you should clean out the air ways as wellen
I didn't know for 15 years. Now I have two in a series that are not working.
I have come back to this video year after year and I can't thank you enough. Rinnai's manual and video doesn't come close to the ease with which your video guides us through this annual process. THANK YOU for another successful Rinnai tank flush!!
Great video with step-by-step explanations. The product he recommended was perfect for use and included everything needed for the job. Followed his instructions which match the insert provided, but Matt's step-by-step demonstration made a novice like me and my wife complete the task with little plumbing fear. we have lived in our house for 5 years and never knew it was needed or if done by the previous owner. The cleaning descaler flow-aid started a light yellow, after 45 minute clean it was a gross black. Now our hot water heats up faster than ever! Thanks again!
Just watched the video and read Rinnai instructions and the instructions with a pump kit. All instructions were the same-of course this video helped immensely to see everything. None of the instructions mentioned what is stated in the comments about that internal valve. I couldn’t quite understand what to do per those extra instructions but since they weren’t mentioned in the Rinnai manual I followed the same thing Matt said. Thanks so much!! All working fine now too! I was waaaaaaay overdue.
Thanks so much for providing the masses with all the info needed to do this important job on our own. I return to your video year after year to refresh my memory & I am very grateful. Thanks a million!!!
Yes, when we do something only once every 18 months (small household), we need reminders. Have a great day, everyone!
You’re really helping everyone out here that doesn’t have the money to pay for some of these overpriced plumbers taking advantage of people. Thank you!
Yes just had a plumber do ours in rural South GA. $175! Never again.
Oh please
Plumbers
Overpriced?😂😅
Plumbers show up with years of experience, knowledge, buckets, pumps, hoses, chemicals, and 2 hours of his/her time to perform maintenance on your unit. $175 to $200 for annual maintenance and you’re crying about “over priced”. Unbelievable!
Thanks for this video Matt.
I was able to do my 1.5 year old Tankless Water Heater that came with my new house. I was surprise that the distilled vinegar turned to greenish solution.
I was able to buy all that I needed for $80.
$45 for a 1/5 HP Pump
$25 for the washing machine hoses
$8 for 3 gallons of distilled vinegar
$2 for 5 gallon bucket
Do you mind posting where things were purchased?
Bought my 1/6 hp pump at harbor freight $65
Machine washing hoses 4 feet - $14.99 Amazon
Bucket - 5 gal Walmart $3.84
Distilled vinegar - Walmart
If you buy too strong of a pump, your exceeding the gpm rating of your system…you should be using a 1/8 hp pump…allows it to circulate slower…cleans better
Hey Matt, super helpful as always. I had no idea I needed to do this.
I will add that when you initially open the flush values junk will flow out of the heater. So allow both flush lines to flow into an empty bucket first, then wash out the bucket, THEN create your flush mixture. So that you aren't circulating all that unnecessary junk.
Ryan Jones hope do you allow the two flush line to flow out the junk first? I have never done any of these cleaning before. I'm learning for the first time.
This California girl was able to do her own maintenance and save some $$ because of your easy-to-follow and detailed instructions. Many thanks, Matt!
Two additional suggestions: 1) During that annual cleaning, also clean the air filter (usually slides out at the top of the water heater, at wherever the air intake is (lack of airflow throws a common 012 error in Rinnai's). 2) Add a spin down filter (50 or 100 micron) sendiment filter downstream on the hot water line (i.e. as it exits the tank). The sendiment that normally settles to the bottom of a conventional water heater, has no place to go but down the hot water line. That can foul your faucets, shower heads, and applicances, and for recirculating units, also eventually foul the water line intake (i.e. check valves, etc.) to your hot water heater itself. Don't ask me how I figured this out, i.e. my WH threw "water flow" error codes when it sensed insufficient water supply, and fouled check valves resulted in hot showers turning cold for my wife (i.e. tends to become an acute situation for the family during winter weather 😁). The spin down filter at 50 micron has miniumum flow inpact. Hope this helps.
Thanks for the heads up. This is my first tank-less and I'm pretty clueless.
Matt, I’ve watched a couple of your tankless water heater videos and when I looked at this know that it was time to descant mine. After watching this video it was straight forward and all went well. Great video. Thx CB
Wow... you should do DIY videos for everything on the planet! Thanks for the help.
I have a Rheem, your directions were so detailed. I was able to do this whole job in 1.5 hours. Thank you, just subscribed.
G.B. Stein said" silent gratitude isn't much use to anyone." - with that I say thank you sir!
Please know that you are awesome for this truly STEP-by-STEP video. Thanks.
Wouldn't have thought to try myself until I saw this video. This will be a money saver for me. Thanks.
I've been putting this off for way too long. I just purchased the Flow-Aid kit on Amazon. Cant wait to tackle this project. Thank you!
I just did mine today after one year. Very easy thanks to this video! Thank you
You don't need a plumber to install the service valves :) you know this is an amazing video, everything is super clear and I now totally regret spending so much money on these fancy valves. I could have just made an equivalent myself with some PEX valves. I am going to use a Ryobi 18V pump to to the flush, and I am going to use food grade citric acid from amazon to make the descaling solution. Matt, I do have one thing to recommend back to you. That blue PEX pipe that you have on the video, this is not supposed to be exposed to UV like that. In fact, if this has been exposed like that for a few years, at this point I would consider replacing the pipe. At the very least you certainly need to cover it as soon as possible. That PEX is meant for plumbing inside walls and is not supposed to be exposed to sunlight, direct or otherwise.
Thank you for this video. After trying it for two years, I recommend adding a step. When I was pumping water through the heater, the flow rate was real low, a little above a dribble. After the third try, I got an aha. Maybe the cold inlet valve is plugged? So, like you recommend flushing out through the hot water valve at the end, I now flush the cold water valve at the beginning. I did get some solids, but the best thing was that the flow through the heater was much much higher.
Tip: Have a spare filter and black plastic plug handy. Order a couple and have then on hand when you flush. The black plastic filter plug is notorious for getting brittle.
When I do this on my Rinnai, I use three gallons of vinegar and let it run for two hours.
So true. Those suckers are hard to remove without breaking them. I wish Matt would've included the removal and cleaning of the filter in the video.
I used this video to clean my Rinnai tankless unit today, using vinegar instead. I bought a pump and 2 hoses for $65 and spent $15 on vinegar. Thanks for the great video!
Jeff, Do you think the vinegar removed deposits? Where did you find the pump and hoses separate? Thanks. Paddy
@@paddytawada2166 The vinegar was definitely darker after I ran it. I bought the pump and hoses on Amazon.
hi jeff by chance do you have links to the products you used to flush your Rannai ? I was looking into getting a flush kit but i think getting a pump and hoses is the same yeah?
@@AngelicaRodriguez-ff3to Here is the Pump - www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000X07GQS/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1 and here are the hoses - www.amazon.com/gp/product/B077XWBJGM/ref=ppx_od_dt_b_asin_title_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Thanks for the video. We moved into a house 5ish years ago. It had a tankless water heater. No one ever said anything about maintenance. 3 years later our water pressure is constantly dropping and faucets and shower heads are filled with what looked like sand. Finally, 3 pulumbers later, I assume the first two just liked making money telling us they did not know the problem and insisting we replace stuff, a plumber asked if we had ever cleaned the unit. Instant fix but we still need to clean out all of the faucets and shower heads occasionally because of the build up.
Thanks! I am mechanically all thumbs but your video walked me through the entire process without a hitch 👍
before unplugging the unit run some water so the heater fires up then you unplug the power that way the servo valves stay open and the flow aide reaches the heat exchanger.
If you want to save money you can buy the parts separately; washer hoes are about 6 bucks at Home Depot, pump is 40 at harbor freight and vinegar is about 1.50 at your grocery store
Thank you for the tips and suggestions!
I’ve been using a water softener for about 15 years with my rinnai without any problems so far. I’m hoping to prevent the build up in the first place!
great video Matt. I always come back to it just to fresh up the memory before I flash my water heater.
Thanks for a great video. I watched a few videos on this and they were inconsistencies among them. Because of that, I asked my plumber to come out and maintain mine for the first time. He wanted to teach me so I could do it myself the next time (great guy). His steps were exactly like yours, and it all makes sense. In a world of mediocrity, you excel. Thank you!!
Good video. However, I ran into a problem where the water refused to circulate through the Rinnai, (from pump into tankless, out to hot. Nothing was coming out of the hot hose. Checked pump, valves all open. All worked.
Problem was that the Rinnai shuts off a valve internally. I fixed this by turning the unit back on, it opens the valve (you can hear it), and then immediately shut off the power. After that, the loop worked. Ran it for a good 45 min. And then 10 min rinsing the unit out with regular water.
Hi Matt - Great video as usual, thanks. I've had an indoor Rinnai tankless for three years now, and with pretty hard water I've been flushing yearly. I just created an annual calendar reminder on my phone. I'm using the exact pump and hoses that you linked to in your description, purchased through Amazon, and a 5 gallon bucket from Home Depot. The only difference is that I use 2 gallons of household vinegar as the circulation fluid, instead of what you recommended. This setup has worked great, and I'm really hoping to get that 20 year life you mentioned. :)
Ed Swindelles fantastic! Vinegar works too. Sounds like you are set!
I just did it with vinegar too. Works well.
I purchased a Akagi tankless water heater back in 2001, I live in Tenn. & i've never had to do anything to it . It dosent have flush valves & it serves two bath rooms & one kit6chen. I thought about changing it out only because i've had it so long, but it works perfect. 21 & 1/2 years old & still kicking.
Great video - was able to descale my tank without issue + worked like a charm. Thanks for the guidance!
Great DIY. Saved hundreds on a plumbers and worked like a charm. I have 2 tankless same brand as in your video so thank you so much.
Thanks, followed you step by step and it was exactly how you said. I did have a problem with the cut off valves but I was able to loosen them after a day and finish the project great work.
thank you again for making this vid!!! using your link/amazon flush kit it was quick and easy not to mention I saved tons of $$$. it was easy and water was sooooo black (after using the using the unit little over 2 yrs.) it didn't occurred to me I had to descale every yr. and when I called plumber to come out to see how much they charge they were quoting us $265 in California. thanks!
Rinnai explicitly states to use vinegar instead of any cleaning chemicals..
Correct. Chemicals are too harsh to the system. 3-4 gallons of distilled vinegar works great
I read that in the installation instructions of my new beauty. Thank you for reminding me.
Besides Rinnai recommending vinegar, it’s also a much cheaper cost than the chemicals!
@@toxicsmear6652 vinegar is a chemical, so is water
Very well done. I used your video to create a small checklist with the steps in order so I don't leave one out. I used white vinegar and damn it was blue by the time I was finished. I'll be doing it again next year. Thanks for sharing.
Awesome video Matt! Thank you for taking the time to do this. It was super helpful!
Perfect! Thanks. Recommend a drill pump if you want to save even more.
I appreciate your willingness to help people with this process. It seems like a simple concept. You're just trying to cycle some cleaning fluid through the system to clean it out. I have a Rinnai, but mine does not look exactly like yours. I see there is a plug to unplug, a switch to turn of the gas, but apparently for my system I just see one blue and one red kind of switch to turn off cold water and hot water, and I see caps for cold water and hot water, only in your unit you have the switches above the caps for cold and hot which you turn on when you're doing the flush. My system does not have those switches. Mine has just one blue for the cold and one red for the hot. Any suggestion? I want to try to do this, but I'd feel a lot more comfortable if as I do the process I could follow your process exactly. Thanks.
I took advice from someone in the comments and zip tied a sock to the return line in the bucket. I've done this for the past 3-4 flushes on my Rinnai and have always captured a lot of junk.
Thank you! I just got this done following your video and now we got hot water once again
Thanks for a great video! I’m hoping this is all that needs to be done on our 6mo old system. Very disappointed that we’re having issues so soon, but we do have hard water. Plumber said do this as everything else looked good. 🤞🏻
Matt, thanks so much for the informative video! My husband and I purchased a house with a Rinnai tankless hot water heater and were not aware of the maintenance needed. I was able to flush my own Rinnai all by myself. I didn't even need any help from my hubby. Thank you!
Woman Power!!
Thanks for the help. Followed the steps and made this an easy DYI maintenance.
Same deal, vinegar. I usually start with backflushing first, THEN forward flushing it. Filter removed.
what is the ratio?
@@Andre-jp4yt Rinnai says 4 gallons of vinegar, straight up.
sweet. Thanks for video. I use about 4 gallons white vinegar in 5 gal bucket (submersible pump has volume). Video is a good refresher.
I just did mine week ago, lol mistake I made was not running cold water thru after flush for min. I ended up cleaning all my faucets in home with chunks of debris, so that is critical when you do this. I did not cut the gas or electric, just turned off unit, seemed to have zero issue.
On a side note, just get a cheap pump with two garden hose extenders you can save $$$ and get for like $90. I also used Vinegar at $5 a bottle x 3 for $15. So once you own equipment its like $15 a cleaning. Lastly, I have super bad water in area on well, city told me to flush this thing 3-4x a year so if you have same bad water do this way more often.
Cheers
Thanks, this helps a lot. I live in the middle of nowhere and it costs a lot of drive time just to have someone out before the do the flush.
Matt this was very helpful and easy to follow. Thank you for making this video.
Very nice work to demystify this process. Easy to follow instructions and tips.
This works on shower control units also. Our water pressure in the shower in the 3/4 bath had gotten so low you couldn't rinse the shampoo out of your hair, we quit using it. I was ready to buy new valves when I saw this video. I did this procedure and it's like a new unit, the spray almost stings. Ran two gallons of vinegar thru it cycling back and forth from cold to hot (has anti scald stuff) until it stopped hissing(don't know why it did that). Thanks Matt!!
I really wish there were more qualified plumbers out there. I've called 3 highly rated plumbing companies in my area and all 3 said they don't install tankless - due to the maintenance involved. After watching this it's unbelievable to me how misleading the local plumbers are to potential customers. I would love to install one of these in my home. 👍👍
Mangos as Weapons - If you happen to be in the northeast US we used this company, who has offices as far "south" as MD/DE, and were great: www.superiorplusenergy.com/residential
Ed Swindelles I appreciate that Ed. However I am in Missouri. Water is hard here so that could be a driving factor, and initial cost. But still would be nice to find a qualified plumber in my area that does something other than the standard gas fired tank units. Even hybrid heat pump would be nice! lol. thanks
Mangos as Weapons I have mixed feelings on that. If their good plumbers and they warranty their work they will be naturally concerned that they’ll get call backs in a few years from lack of flushing.
They don't want to install a tankless water heater, that doesn't need to be replaced for 25 years, as opposed to $1500.00 to replace a tank unit every 7 to 10 years. If descaling the unit is this easy, what's the point of involving an over priced plumber.
That's because they had bad experience in the past and don't want their name dragged through the mud later. In my area many sale guys would love to sell you one of these, because it's that much more commission they'll make. About 10 years ago when it was a trendy thing, and many people got those installed and later kept complaining because it wasn't what they all expected. your standard water heater will also last a lot longer if you flush it regularly and replace sacrificial anode rod that's nobody does. And when time comes and it breaks down, parts are readily available unlike tankless and far less can go wrong and not as expensive. And retrofitting one of those isn't always easy, such as running stainless venting, and electrical and if you leave in a cold climate, gas input of water heater will need to be high, so gas line might need to be up sized, and then your gas meter may not be able to handle the load and gas company might have to run new gas line to the meter. And then if you have hard water, you'll get tired of cleaning aerators and shower heads, and it could be as bad as a weekly thing. So a smart plumbing company doesn't want to deal with an angry customer later.
Great vid. I have Rheem. Worked perfect. Bought kit from AMZ. If you’re reading this, use he washers that come with the kit on the supply line - stops leaks. Super easy to use!!!
Sweet instructions!! So easy to follow; saved me about 400$$. Thank you so much!
Thanks! I just installed a tankless water heater this past October. This is some good info!
Ditto. Thanks for the video and product link. My plumber didn't set up the valves, so there'll be a little to do before I can make the first flush.
@@netkev92 Just having my first unit installed, I will make sure the valves are included in my setup.
Follow-up. When I plugged in the pump for cleaning, I actually plugged in the Rinnai. So, I think an internal valve (safety) must have closed preventing fluid from entering/exiting the system. So I turned the Rinnai back on (gas, water, etc.) And ran it for 2-3 minutes. Then hooked up flushing system again, and voilá! Thanks for the vid.
Very important to know this. Happened to us . Didnt have no water flow because we accidently plugged in the heater and then unplugged it to plug in the pump. Closed something off inside the water heater and wouldnt allow for the valves to open so you could flush.
Matt, thank you so much for this tutorial. I was able to do it myself with no problems!
I've had this bookmarked for years. I refer to this video every time I flush my tankless. I've been trying to rinse every 6 months. I installed it in 2014 and religiously rinsing on a biannual basis. The extra treatments I'm hoping will give me a couple extra months or years out of her!
Can’t go wrong doing this every 6 Mo. I’ll bet you get 20-25 years out of your tankless unit
Your video is amazing - is there any tips on how to remove a very crusted on filter trap? And what to do if one of those handles just breaks?
Add a strainer between the tankless WH and your hot water supply line (i.e. WH exit)!! Had a heck of a time dealing with HW scale in a relatively new Rinnai Tankless water heater. Compared to my original home in Southern California, my Idaho water is "pure". (Didn't check the PH, just know from the symptoms.) However, the PH is high enough to really crud up the works, including check valves, every shower head, and the rest of the system. (Hint: Clogged check valves = cold water flooding backwards in a re-circulation tankless system, which means sudden cold water during your shower.) Anyhow, my blanket recommendation for ANY Tankless system, regardless of your water quality, is to put a clear bowl strainer with a flush valve on your hot water exit line (i.e. out of the WH), to both catch and measure the amount of sediment leaving the system. You can easily flush the filter in second, monthly or bi-monthly. This protects all of your fixtures, including your WH check valves (for recirc systems) from any sediment a tankless WH may throw. There's sediment in every WH system, conventional or tankless, but with a 40 to 60 gallon conventional tank, the sediment can drift to the bottom, and won't end up in the hot water line. In a tankless system, there's no place for the sediment to collect, and it goes right down the pipe to the rest of your fixtures. Solved ALL of my tankless WH problems (along with vinegar flushes three time a year. This worked for me: 9SIAA6U4RC4905 iSpring WSP50 50-Micron. Tried a fiberglass one previously, but it leaked and eventually replaced it with this brass unit. No regrets. (Newegg happened to have the best price on this unit by far (about $50), but you can find them at Amazon, Wal-mart (online), Ebay, and probably, even a good plumbing shop if you're willing to pay about $100. (Lowes, Home Depot - not carried)). It took me about 9 agonizing months of toying with the WH to figure this out. Aside: I built my own house, and yeah, I also had problems finding a plumber that knew enough about tankless WH's to install mine. Ended up reinstalling it myself. Wasn't that difficult - just read the manual, understand the schematic diagram, and add those extra little valves where they tell you to. Condensing WH==PVC exhaust, and cost effective. Very nice. Also, you're going to need to add an expansion tank for a recirc system, a whole house strainer on the mail is a wise idea, a pressure reducer on the intake if needed (So. Cal. city water could range from 60 to 120 PSI, on any given day of the week; you knew it was high when all the plastic sprinkler valves in the neighborhood started blowing out and flooding the street :-) , and a condensate neutralizer for a condensing WH, if you're condensate drains into your septic system. I run propane gas into a Rinnai RUR98i, turn the recirc pump on manually which heats the whole 2200 sq foot house within 2 minutes, for about $15.00 in propane a month. Very economical. Great system, but needs to be installed correctly and maintained.
Looks like a WikiPedia Post!
perfect-- that's how my flush went -- thanks so much for sharing -- I do have a note -- I had a lot of calcium build-up, and since I had the lowest hot water faucet in the house open to relive backpressure when the system refilled the lines it blasted some calcium crumbs then clogged the little aerator filter on the faucet and slowed the water down -- so if you get a slow down after a flush don't forget the clean the aerator filter on the faucets
Hey, used your video as a reference today, procedure worked great, thank you!
Well this video showed me what all I did wrong plumbing mine in ugh.... well I guess in about a year I'll replumb and do this. Thank you sir.
Thanks Matt, Followed your instructions to the tee and all went well. Great video thanks again
I just flushed my Rinnai outside mounted tankless water heater. For some reason with mine, when I disconnect the power it won’t let flush recirculate. Not sure if there is an internal safety valve that closes when power is lost, which I guess makes sense.
For me I turned the gas off and also turned off the interior controller where I set the temp. I left the power to the unit turned on and flushed with no issue following your instructions. Only other audible I called was to pull and clean the filter before and after the flush. Just wanted to share in case anyone else has issues following your example!
Great. Our Rinnai is in the attic. Any suggestions for how to do this without making a huge water disaster in the attic?
Great video Matt! I just ordered the kit and will give a try. Thanks
Great video very helpful. Only thing I'd add is make sure you're plugging that pump into a GFCI-protected outlet.
I refer to this video every year I go to flush my tankless water heater! Thank you so much!
My new well is producing a lot of sediment. It has caused all my appliances and faucets to run super slow. I put a spin out sediment filter on my well to get the large stuff out and will put a finer micron filter on the inside of my house, but I am thinking that the little filter you pulled out at the end is the reason I am losing hot water during showers. My guess is that it is restricting my water flow into the tank which is cause my hot water to run out during my showers. This is the first video that showed the inlet filter. I think this is going to solve my problem.
Really appreciate this guide. Thank you for this and your other great content. Keep it up.
Just an FYI for everyone following this 5 years later ..... Today 10/27/22, the Flow Aide kit on Amazon is $152 and the Flow Aide solution is $21 for one quart. Happy Descaling!!
Realize this is old, but its a great video and very helpful. One question; my bucket ended up with about 5g of water when I did the solution, from water in the system. Is that normal/bad, and how to prevent that?
Some tankless water heaters have a filter in the combustion air inlet- it's worth looking for and cleaning that if present. Otherwise, another of Matt's excellent videos.
Thanks!
What about the filter on combustion air inlet. Tell me more. Where is it, etc
@@buildshow How to you remove the pre filter? What tool do you use and which way do you turn?
Thanks for this awesome video! Really nicely explained and makes it so easy to do!
Appreciate the video! Anytime i can do something myself it is quite fulfilling!!
New-ish house to me. Not sure if my Rinnai has ever been flushed. Within one minute of turning on the pump the water is very dirty. Should I just flush it one time or should I get another quart and do it again?
Definitely going to install a whole house water filter!
Thanks Matt great video. I will be flushing my two Rinnai RUR's tankless this week. $300 charge for my two units from a plumber, hah, I don't think so!
Everything is cheaper if you do it yourself ... Actually your plumber isnt charging enough to spend 2 hours at someones house.
Best is to DYI to avoid anyone on your property!!!
Thank you so much that video was perfect. Very well done and easy to follow
Followed video to a T, easy as heck, thank you. Not sure what yahoos gave you a thumbs down, couldn't have been anymore descriptive.
But but but... he forgot to say "See you next time, ON THE BUILD SHOW!!!" Thumbs down.
In your previous video (Sept 2013) for this method, you left the water heater plugged in. Why then or why not for this video?
Also in the older video, you drained the unit first, which seems like a good idea, else you'd be diluting your cleaning solution a lot.
You CAN do this without isolation valves! Through your washing machine valves. You turn off the main to the house, follow the same process by hooking that flush kit to the valves your washing machine hooks to and make sure every other faucet is off in the house this forces the water through the water heater and back out the hot side the same way... the vinegar or flow-aid has nowhere to go but back into the water heater and out again, where do you think your washing machine gets its hot water from?
Hi Matt - Discovered your videos lately and they are great. Thanks so much. Quick question ... In an earlier video you used vinegar and in this one Flow Aide. What are the pros and cons. My Rinnai manual only references vinegar. Thanks! Todd
Hi Matt, in one of your videos you said to not to unplunk the power but this one you said to unplug. Mine is indoor Rheem tankless heater. Should I unplug the power? Please advise. Thank you! I just subscribed to your channel. Real happy to learn this!
Because last video was made a few gear ago. This one was made in 2017, so I think those are the updated steps. Also last video he mention to flush in reverse have pump go in cold first then do hot water but this video he only mention flush via cold water valve only. No need to do it again via hot water valve.
I saw your other video using vinegar. Which do you prefer using, vinegar or the Flow-Aid. I haven't used the vinegar yet, but I don't like that the Flow-Aid makes everything turn yellow if it touches something and hasn't been diluted. Flow-Aid seems to do what it says it will do though. Thanks for doing the videos.
The heater is outside and had a switch next to the unit, TURNING OFF THE SWITCH DID NOT ALLOW THE WATER TO FLOW BACK THROUGH!. I finally figured out that the off switch had to remain on and the controll panel push button switch, in the garage, had to be shut off for the water to circulate through the system. After an hour of frustration it was a simple job.
Perfect step by step instructions. Thank you
Thanks for the great video. Question, during descaling, water initially comes through the hot water side back into the bucket, but after a few seconds to a minute, water output through the hot water side back to the bucket barely shoots out. Any idea why this happens? Thank you
Awesome video Matt.
These videos are awesome because they make so much more business for me.
Great video Matt.
I was able to do this on tankless system that has no flush valves.just turned off the hot/cold supply lines and I ran a vinegar solution through it. Seemed to work just fine.
Great step-by-step video.
Thank you for the great video Matt! I have used it every time I flush my Riannai. Today though there seems to be something going on. Water come out of the heater in a great stream then gradually looses pressure to a trickle. I pull the plug on the pump and it starts again at full stream. It's as if there is an air block or something. Any ideas? Thanks again!
Thanks for the wonderful video!!
I learned two things from this video. That they make valves to make flushing your tankless unit easy and I should be flushing it once a year. I guess I should have done more research before installing my unit. Thanks. I've been enjoying your videos.
Very useful, thanks, Matt!
I don’t have a flush valve on the hot water side, but I have about 6 feet of line from my tankless heater to my washing machine - could I just cycle it through that line? (Since I can easily disconnect the hose) Thanks for the very informative video!
Matt, great video! We had our tankless for about 5 months and we noticed the hot water was very low in our upstairs bathroom and we were told that the piles has to be changed. instead of waiting 12 months to use the flush technique or can it be done now. Thanks