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 KZread. 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!

@buildshow

Жыл бұрын

So kind of you Neal! Thanks so much!!!

@dragonetti25

Жыл бұрын

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

@nealvaught8176

Жыл бұрын

@@dragonetti25 Thanks so much for the extended conversation and the tip about a dishwasher filter. I will be checking mine today. Much appreciated!

@hayzus143

Жыл бұрын

you should clean out the air ways as wellen

@ajjohnston78

Жыл бұрын

I didn't know for 15 years. Now I have two in a series that are not working.

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

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!!!

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!

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!

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.

Wouldn't have thought to try myself until I saw this video. This will be a money saver for me. Thanks.

Awesome video Matt! Thank you for taking the time to do this. It was super helpful!

Please know that you are awesome for this truly STEP-by-STEP video. Thanks.

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.

@JC-fd4xu

9 ай бұрын

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.

Wow... you should do DIY videos for everything on the planet! Thanks for the help.

Very nice work to demystify this process. Easy to follow instructions and tips.

Thanks for the help. Followed the steps and made this an easy DYI maintenance.

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.

@Simbathegreat1

11 күн бұрын

Thanks for the heads up. This is my first tank-less and I'm pretty clueless.

Matt this was very helpful and easy to follow. Thank you for making this video.

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!

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!!!

Great video - was able to descale my tank without issue + worked like a charm. Thanks for the guidance!

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!!

Great video Matt! I just ordered the kit and will give a try. Thanks

great video Matt. I always come back to it just to fresh up the memory before I flash my water heater.

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.

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.

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!

Thanks Matt, Followed your instructions to the tee and all went well. Great video thanks again

Perfect step by step instructions. Thank you

Thank you for such an informative video.

Matt, thank you so much for this tutorial. I was able to do it myself with no problems!

Thanks! I am mechanically all thumbs but your video walked me through the entire process without a hitch 👍

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!

@davebosse48

Жыл бұрын

Yes just had a plumber do ours in rural South GA. $175! Never again.

@TeamTnA44

Жыл бұрын

Oh please Plumbers Overpriced?😂😅

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!!

Thank you! I just got this done following your video and now we got hot water once again

Thanks for this awesome video! Really nicely explained and makes it so easy to do!

Hey, used your video as a reference today, procedure worked great, thank you!

sweet. Thanks for video. I use about 4 gallons white vinegar in 5 gal bucket (submersible pump has volume). Video is a good refresher.

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. 🤞🏻

Perfect! Thanks. Recommend a drill pump if you want to save even more.

Great detailed video, thank you!

Excellent. Thanks for making this video.

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.

Thanks! I just installed a tankless water heater this past October. This is some good info!

@netkev92

7 жыл бұрын

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.

@williamterry3177

3 жыл бұрын

@@netkev92 Just having my first unit installed, I will make sure the valves are included in my setup.

Great video Matt.

Great video very helpful. Only thing I'd add is make sure you're plugging that pump into a GFCI-protected outlet.

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.

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.

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 explanation and detailed video. Thank you!

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

@williamterry3177

3 жыл бұрын

Thank you for the tips and suggestions!

Great step-by-step video.

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.

Thanks for the video. Great instructions!

Thank you, this video was beneficial and very well made.

Thank you so much that video was perfect. Very well done and easy to follow

Very clear video - super helpful. Thanks.

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.

@orangejamify

5 жыл бұрын

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.

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.

This made it so easy!! Thank you!

@Mr.Caring

3 жыл бұрын

Wow hello. Beautiful smile. Where are you from?

This was just excellent ... ! Thank you for the great explanation and detail. Simple and easy. I followed the video to the letter and it worked like a charm.

You are awesome Matt. very useful video !

Thanks for the wonderful video!!

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.

Really appreciate this guide. Thank you for this and your other great content. Keep it up.

Appreciate the video! Anytime i can do something myself it is quite fulfilling!!

this was very timely thanks for a "REAL how to video"- guess what I'm doing this weekend- every 2 years- forgot to mention how great all that vinegar smells

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!

@buildshow

Жыл бұрын

Can’t go wrong doing this every 6 Mo. I’ll bet you get 20-25 years out of your tankless unit

I refer to this video every year I go to flush my tankless water heater! Thank you so much!

Great video! Really appreciate the information

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

@dannyboii_reps

Жыл бұрын

Do you mind posting where things were purchased?

@vcmember

Жыл бұрын

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

@TheAcenightcreeper

11 ай бұрын

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

Great detailed video

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. :)

@buildshow

7 жыл бұрын

Ed Swindelles fantastic! Vinegar works too. Sounds like you are set!

@pbrooks4040

Жыл бұрын

I just did it with vinegar too. Works well.

Great video 👍🏻👍🏻 I’ll get back for questions ...

Thank you! This was very helpful.

Very clear video. Thank you.

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.

Awesome video. Thank you!

Thanks Matt, we all have learned from you.

Rinnai explicitly states to use vinegar instead of any cleaning chemicals..

@toxicsmear6652

3 жыл бұрын

Correct. Chemicals are too harsh to the system. 3-4 gallons of distilled vinegar works great

@williamterry3177

3 жыл бұрын

I read that in the installation instructions of my new beauty. Thank you for reminding me.

@andywright3393

3 жыл бұрын

Besides Rinnai recommending vinegar, it’s also a much cheaper cost than the chemicals!

@michaelkuzmin

3 жыл бұрын

@@toxicsmear6652 vinegar is a chemical, so is water

This video was made for me! Thanks!!!

Sweet instructions!! So easy to follow; saved me about 400$$. Thank you so much!

Thank you so much. This was super easy!

Clear and concise. I also appreciate the extra tips.Thanks, Matt!

Great video mark soo dang helpful

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.

Worked well. Thanks

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.

@williamterry3177

3 жыл бұрын

Looks like a WikiPedia Post!

Excellent video! Subscribed

@buildshow

4 жыл бұрын

Thanks! Glad to have you

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!

@paddytawada2166

3 жыл бұрын

Jeff, Do you think the vinegar removed deposits? Where did you find the pump and hoses separate? Thanks. Paddy

@jeffgonder3131

3 жыл бұрын

@@paddytawada2166 The vinegar was definitely darker after I ran it. I bought the pump and hoses on Amazon.

@AngelicaRodriguez-ff3to

3 жыл бұрын

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?

@jeffreygonder481

3 жыл бұрын

@@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

Same deal, vinegar. I usually start with backflushing first, THEN forward flushing it. Filter removed.

@Andre-jp4yt

3 жыл бұрын

what is the ratio?

@williamterry3177

3 жыл бұрын

@@Andre-jp4yt Rinnai says 4 gallons of vinegar, straight up.

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

Matt, when I flushed my Rinnai the flow on the discharge hose degraded. I found I needed to screen the discharge thru some paper towels in a sifter. Also swapped paper towels several times.

@charlesleeuwenburg9640

4 жыл бұрын

Bruce, some of the flush kit pumps have a foam screen that filters out the scale, preventing it from recirculating back in to the water heater. I used a kit made by HAYMAKER that worked very well.

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!

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.

@buildshow

5 жыл бұрын

Thanks!

@mikelinderman751

4 жыл бұрын

What about the filter on combustion air inlet. Tell me more. Where is it, etc

@madeinthe562

4 жыл бұрын

@@buildshow How to you remove the pre filter? What tool do you use and which way do you turn?

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.

@nwsvndr

3 жыл бұрын

But but but... he forgot to say "See you next time, ON THE BUILD SHOW!!!" Thumbs down.

Thanks!

Thank You so MuCh for your great tutorial my friend!!! Really helpful 👍🏻 “You RoCk”

Also the manufacturers manual said nothing about putting those flush valves in so I have ordered them and the flush solution.

@williamterry3177

3 жыл бұрын

Yes, I see. Rinnai says to have a professional do the flushing.

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!!

Thank you!

Thank you so much!!!