GE PR06DSATB Series Owner's Manual page 19

Care and Cleaning
Draining and Flushing the Water Heater
CAUTION
Risk of Shock -
the water heater before draining water.
DANGER
Risk of Scald -
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.
A water heater's tank can act as a settling basin for
solids suspended in the water. It is therefore not
uncommon for hard water deposits to accumulate in the
bottom of the tank. To clean the tank of these deposits, it
is recommended to drain and flush the water heater tank
once a year. To drain the water heater, follow these
steps:
1. Turn off power to the unit. The electric heating
elements will become damaged if operated without
water.
2. Turn off the gas supply at the LP container.
3. Turn off the cold water supply.
4. Remove the anode rod using a 1 - 1/16" socket to
drain the water heater (see anode rod maintenance on
page 20).
5. Admit air to the tank by opening a hot water faucet or
lifting the handle on the relief valve to drain.
Flushing the Tank:
1. Follow steps above to drain the water heater.
2. Once the water heater is empty, with the anode rod
removed, turn on the cold water supply.
3. Allow several gallons to flush through the water
heater.
4. Turn off the water supply and allow any water
remaining in the tank to drain.
5. Repeat steps 3 and 4 until water runs clear.
6. Replace the anode rod and fill the tank before
returning power to the unit. The tank is full when water
runs out of a nearby open hot water faucet.
Flushing should be done with an empty tank to promote
additional removal of sediment.
Shut off power to
Before manually
Winterizing the Water Heater
In the event of freezing weather or long term storage,
the water heater must be winterized to prevent
damage.
1. Follow the previous steps to drain and flush the
water heater.
2. Check the anode rod condition and if necessary
replace with a new one.
3. If the RV plumbing system will be filled with anti-
freeze, it is important for the water heater to be
installed by with a bypass system on the hot and
cold water connections. When winterizing with
anit-freeze, make sure to engage the bypass
valves such that anit-freeze will not flow into the
water heater.
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