Tankless Water Heater Descaling and Maintenance in West Palm Beach
Descaling per unit: $150 to $350
A tankless unit heats water as it passes through a small heat exchanger. Scale builds up inside that exchanger faster than in a tank, because the water is heated hard in a small space. Palm Beach County tap water is pumped from limestone aquifers and stays on the hard side even after the county and city plants lime soften or membrane treat it, and homes in the Acreage and Loxahatchee run on private wells with iron and hardness, so scale and sediment build up inside water heaters here faster than the label assumes.
What scale does to a tankless
- Hot water swings hot and cold during a shower.
- The unit takes longer to deliver hot water, or the flow drops.
- A scale or overheat error code shows on the display.
- The unit shuts off mid-shower and has to be reset.
- Eventually the heat exchanger cracks or the unit locks out for good.
What a descaling visit includes
- Power or gas off, isolation valves closed.
- Pump and descaling solution connected to the service ports, circulated through the heat exchanger for about an hour.
- Fresh-water flush until the water runs clean.
- Inlet filter screen pulled and cleaned.
- Burner, igniter and flame rod checked on gas units, and the vent and intake checked for blockage.
- Error history read and cleared.
- Flow and temperature tested at a fixture.
Softeners and filters
A water softener or a scale-reduction cartridge on the inlet slows the buildup and stretches the time between visits. It does not replace descaling.
What it costs
Descaling is $150 to $350 per unit in West Palm Beach. Adding isolation valves to a unit installed without them is priced on the phone. If the visit turns up a failed part, you get that price before it is replaced.
Read the error code off the display before you call (561) 264-5624. It tells the plumber what to bring.