PlumbingBossPro Blog — Water Heaters & Maintenance Plans

Tankless Descaling Plans: Recurring Maintenance for Tankless Water Heaters

Tankless water heaters do not have a tank full of sediment to drain, but they have their own upkeep. Scale builds up inside the heat exchanger, especially with hard water, and a unit that is never descaled tends to give its owner trouble sooner or later. Homeowners who paid for a tankless unit usually want to protect it, which makes them some of the easiest maintenance plan members to sign.

Tankless Work Is Different Work

The replacement process in Running a Water Heater Replacement Job From Approved Quote to Paid Invoice often ends with a tankless install, and the descaling plan is the natural next step. But a tankless visit is not a tank flush. It uses different equipment, takes different steps, and often happens in a different spot in the house.

That is why the first field on a water heater record in PlumbingBossPro is the type: tank or tankless. When the house record says tankless, the office knows the yearly visit is a descaling, and the tech knows to bring the pump, the hoses, the bucket and the descaling solution.

Record the Unit Properly

Tankless units vary a lot, so the record matters:

• Type and fuel: tankless, gas or electric.
• Brand, model and serial number, which tell the tech what service valves and filters to expect.
• Year installed.
• Location and access notes: “Exterior wall, side of house by the gas meter” or “Attic, access in the hall closet, bring the long hoses.”

Note whether the unit has service valves installed. A unit without isolation valves is a much longer visit, and the office should know that before booking it.

Setting the Days Between Visits

Recurring work in PlumbingBossPro is set by minimum days between visits. A yearly descaling is 365 days, the same as a tank flush. In areas with very hard water, some plumbers recommend a shorter cycle. The hardness reading on the inspection checklist gives you something concrete to base that on.

When the days are up, the visit comes due on the Waiting List like any other plan. Pins show not due yet, due now or overdue past a 7-day grace. Tankless descaling visits can be routed alongside tank flushes on the same maintenance van, since the tech is doing similar work in the same neighborhoods.

What a Descaling Visit Typically Includes

Practice varies by plumber and by manufacturer, but a typical yearly tankless visit looks something like this:

• Shut down and isolate the unit using the service valves.
• Circulate a descaling solution through the heat exchanger with a small pump for the time your company uses, then flush with clean water.
• Clean the inlet water filter or screen.
• Check for leaks at the connections and the unit.
• Check venting on gas units.
• Test the relief valve if the installation has one.
• Check the temperature at the tap and the setting on the unit.

The inspection checklist on the tech app covers the readings: water heater setting, hot water at the tap, flow rate, hardness and leaks found. The condition and recommendations work the same as for a tank. Follow the manufacturer's guidance for the specific unit.

Pricing and Billing

A descaling visit usually takes longer than a tank flush and uses consumables, so many shops price it as its own plan rather than lumping it in with the tank flush. Put it on your service list as its own line, for example “Tankless descaling (yearly plan)” at a price that covers the time. Pricing in general is covered in How to Price a Water Heater Flush Plan for a Plumbing Company.

Billing works like any plan visit. With a card on file, the tech taps Complete, the invoice is created and the card can be charged.

Selling the Plan

The best time to sell a descaling plan is the day you install the tankless unit. The customer has just made a sizable purchase and is listening. Explain that scale builds up over time, that yearly descaling is basic upkeep, and that you will text them when it is due.

Existing tankless owners are a second source. Tankless units installed by someone else show up on repair calls all the time. Add them to the house record, and offer the plan at the end of the visit.

Keep Tank and Tankless Separate

When a house switches from a tank to tankless, update the house record and switch the plan. A tech showing up with a drain hose for a tank that no longer exists wastes a visit and looks careless. Keeping type on the record and the right plan on the house prevents that. For the full maintenance program, from equipment records to auto-charge, return to the water heater service software page.