Washington DC: Water Heater Maintenance – Clean Your Air Filter

Water heater maintenance is straightforward, and many property owners in Washington DC know how to do the basics, such as flushing the tank twice per year, checking the anode rod, and other aspects. However, many property owners either do not know about or forget about the air filter, which is often a black mesh ring circling the bottom of your water heater.

This air filter helps keep dust and other grime from getting into your heater’s heating system. However, dust will build up on this filter, and this reduces the air flow to your heater, creating a less efficient heater since your heater requires air to ‘breathe’. You should clean the filter each time you flush your tank. Cleaning your filter only takes a few minutes and requires no special tools.

Follow these steps:

• Turn Off Gas/Pilot Light: You do not want any dust flowing up into your heater while you are cleaning, so shut off the gas flow first.
• Remove Filter: The filter is kept in place with a simple catching mechanism. Find the catch mechanism, undo, and remove from your heater’s bottom.
• Clean: To clean your filter, you can use compressed air to blow away the excess dust. If you don’t have an air compressor, then lay out your filter on the ground, and then spray with water until the dust is removed.
• Dry: If you use water to clean your filter, then hang your filter to dry, or wipe down with a cloth.
• Put Filter Back in Place: Once your filter is dry, replace underneath your water filter by stretching around the bottom, and then using the grasping mechanism to secure. Check on all sides to ensure that your filter is sitting properly and without any gaps to allow dust through.