How often should you flush a tankless water heater?
Once a year in most Northern Virginia homes. Our water is hard enough that scale builds up inside the heat exchanger, and a tankless heats water through a narrow path that scale chokes fast. A water softener can stretch it to every two years.
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From one of our jobs
A tankless water heater with its service stickers
Right now: Find the last service sticker on the front of your tankless. Over a year old, it’s due for a descale.
Those stickers on the front are how you know when it was last done: the date, what was done and who to call. If yours has none, or the last date is more than a year old, it’s due.
Skip it and the signs show up in order: hot water that swings hot and cold, a unit that’s slower to heat, then a scale code and a shutdown. A descale runs a cleaning solution through the heat exchanger with a small pump hooked to the service valves, and we clean the inlet filter while we’re there.
Quick answers
What people ask about tankless descaling
How often should a tankless water heater be flushed?
Once a year with Northern Virginia’s hard water. Every two years if you have a water softener.
What happens if you never flush a tankless water heater?
Scale coats the heat exchanger, hot water gets uneven, and the unit throws a scale code and can shut down.
Can I flush my tankless water heater myself?
You can with a pump kit and the service valves, but a yearly visit also checks the venting, the filter and the error history.
What does a scale code on a Navien mean?
The unit sensed scale building up and wants a descale. Our Navien error codes guide covers it.
Who descales tankless water heaters in Northern Virginia?
Call SwiftPro at (703) 997-9757. We descale and service tankless water heaters across Northern Virginia.
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SwiftPro Heating, Cooling & Plumbing
4230 Lafayette Center Dr N, Chantilly, VA 20151
44679 Endicott Dr, Suite 211, Ashburn, VA 20147
SwiftPro Plumber & Water Heaters
4200 Lafayette Center Dr, Suite N, Chantilly, VA 20151
Virginia Class A contractor license #2705192276