The buildup of scale is increased with heat and thus the inside of a tankless heat exchanger will accumulate an efficiency reducing “blanket” over time. To combat this problem a tankless is usually (always by a reputable company) installed with flush valves, which isolates your homes water pipes yet allows vinegar to be pushed through the system in turn dissolving the build up and returning the tankless to its original efficiency. This process takes roughly an hour. If you live in Ontario we offer a tankless flushing service.
 

There is really no way to descale a conventional storage type tank water heater, those systems simple become increasingly less efficient over time.

Hard Water Causes Inefficiency

Below is an extensive list of Ontario cities and the corresponding hardness that is present in the water supply. The higher the number of grains the harder your water is, this in turn produces more scale and deposits in your water heater, on shower heads, around faucets etc. A conventional water heater will become much less efficient with time in a hard water situation; in which case I would recommend a tankless that can be cleaned with a vinegar solution, restoring efficiency.

Quick Hard Water Exercise:

1. Lookup your city and see if you have hard water
2. Think about how old that 40 gallon hot water tank is in your house
3. On average at 7.5 grains of hard water a regular tank loses 2% efficiency a year to due scale build up
4. That 2% doubles to 4% at 15 grains and so on…..
5. After you do the math a tankless that is able to be cleaned of all scale becomes very economical
6. Don’t have a tankless? Get a Free Quote Below!

Request a Tankless or Water Heater Quote from us

Ontario Hardwater Chart

This Chart is for reference only and can be used as a rough guide as to what your homes hardness might be. As an example, the water hardness at my house is 23, a friend 4km down the road has a water hardness of 7. Having your water tested by your local municipal government will give you your homes exact hardness. Or you can purchase an easy home test kit that gives you hardness by just dipping a test strip in your water from Amazon here.

It’s always a good idea to have your water tested to determine not only water quality, but also water hardness. This list should be considered just a rough guide and not used as an exact hardness indicator.

Get an hardness home test kit here from Amazon