Will Vinegar Damage A Hot Water Heater

One of the most widely used things to clean a water heater is vinegar. But the question is will vinegar damage a hot water heater?

A water heater is an essential gadget in our daily life at home. So, it should be well maintained by the owner.

But under many circumstances, your water heater can get damaged, which can cause health issues in your family members. In addition, the repair bill might cost you thousands of dollars.

However, let’s get to know why vinegar is used for water heaters. And does it cause harm to this gadget or not?

Will Vinegar Damage A Hot Water Heater

The answer is No. vinegar will not damage your water heater.Vinegar is one of the weakest acids. As a water heater is made of stainless steel, it can’t be damaged, for instance. But the acidity in apple cider vinegar is pretty strong enough to clean the mineral deposit inside the water heater.

The water heater can’t function well when the pipeline in the heater gets clogged. As a consequence, you need to clean your heater with vinegar to prevent unexpected monthly bills.

You can use vinegar in 2 ways to clean your water heater. Which is-

1.  deep cleaning
2.  spot cleaning

Deep Cleaning

In case of deep cleaning, remove all the water in the tank first. Then fill half of the tank with vinegar.

After 30 minutes, clear out all the vinegar. And scrape the tank’s walls inside to make sure the mineral buildup is removed.

Now wipe and rinse the water tank to clean properly.

Spot Cleaning

If you are willing to do spot cleaning, mix water and vinegar in equal amounts. Now spray the mixture evenly on the spot. Then wipe the tank with a clean fabric.

However, vinegar also works as a tankless water heater cleaner. Read the next segment to know how to clean a tankless water heater.

Vinegar for Cleaning Tankless Water Heater

You must flush your tankless water heater once a year.  For flushing tankless water heaters you’ll need some tools, such as a small submersible pump, paper towel, a 5-gallon bucket, 3-gallon vinegar, washing machine connection hoses, etc.

Here is how to flush tankless water heater with vinegar:

• First, prepare the area by cleaning and making some space to work.
• Turn of all the electricity and gas connections connected to it
• Prepare the unit now. Shut the valves to isolate and clamp the hoses ( hook them up to the hose bibs)
• Put an end of the hose to a bucket so that it can catch the water that comes out.
• Now a small amount of water can come out after opening the valves connected to the hoses.
• Attach the submersible pump to dispose of any leftover water. Pour the vinegar, turn on the pump and leave it for 3-4 hours to circulate. It works as a tankless water heater flush
• Now drain all the vinegar out of the heater after the recirculation and finish the cleaning process.

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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Final words

That was all about hot water cleaning using vinegar.  Hopefully, it was helpful for you. Now that you know the answer of will vinegar damage a hot water heater or not, you can try this flushing operation. But you should consult the water heater manual before starting.

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