A Reminder On How To Avoid Freeze Damage

Dec 4th 2014

In extremely cold weather conditions, it is possible that your tankless water heater may freeze and stop working. In most cases, if you fail to maintain your tankless water heater when winter arrives, certain damages that occur may not be covered under the manufacturer's warranty. The best way to protect your tankless water heater from freezing is to completely drain the water from the inside pipes.

For our L5 and L7 units, please remember that these are portable units, and although they are for outdoor use only, be sure to bring these units indoors when they are not in use to avoid freeze damage. Freeze damage commonly occurs as a split on the pipes that run across the heat exchanger, or at the elbows of these pipes, as well as inside of the gas water valve assembly. Please see below for steps on avoiding freeze damage to your tankless hot water heater.

Turn off the power supply for your tankless water heater.

• Unplug the power cord from the electrical socket and turn off the circuit breaker if necessary. If your tankless water heater is powered by gas, use the main gas supply line valve to power off the water heater.
• If there is a powered display on the tankless water heater that is normally lit up when on, it should be completely blank or black after the power supply has been turned off.

Wait until the hot water in the tank cools off completely before performing any additional tasks or maintenance that may injure you.

• This may take several minutes or a few hours depending on the temperature in which your tankless water heater is located.

Turn off the main water supply using the main shut-off valve.

• Refer to your tankless water heater's manual for help finding the main shut-off valve if you are unsure of its exact location.

Open the cold and hot water taps to drain all the remaining water from the system and to release any pressure that has built up inside your plumbing system.

Disconnect and remove all of the incoming and outgoing water hoses and pipes that are attached to your tankless water heater to help them dry completely.

Detach and remove the inlet water filter completely from your tankless water heater.

• Refer to your tankless water heater manufacturer's manual if you need help locating the inlet water filter.
• You may also want to use an air compressor to blow air directly through the inlet water filter connection to rid the tankless water heater completely of any remaining water.

Brush snow/ice from your tankless water heater immediately if your system is an outdoor unit.

• This procedure will prevent melted snow from refreezing on your system, which may become increasingly difficult to remove later on.