Descaling on Kannapolis water
Manufacturers write one descaling interval for the whole country, and it is set for hard water. Yours comes from the City of Kannapolis, and where that supply is soft the exchanger fouls considerably more slowly than that schedule assumes.
We will tell you honestly where you sit on that, because the alternative is descaling a unit annually that does not need it. Two caveats worth knowing before you skip it entirely: some manufacturers require documented annual servicing to keep the heat exchanger warranty valid, which is worth more than the service costs, and a property on a private well is a completely different conversation from one on the municipal supply.
- Descale on an interval that matches your actual water rather than the manual's default.
- Inlet filter clean, which is the most commonly skipped job and the cheapest.
- Flow rate and combustion check, so a declining unit is caught before it fails in January.

What Kannapolis itself changes
The housing in Kannapolis
Kannapolis is a genuine mill-village barbell with real income behind it. 29.7% of the housing predates 1960, concentrated in the former Cannon Mills village, while 40.7% was built in 2000 or later in the newer subdivisions. Two very different jobs in one town: old tanks in old houses with tight access, and second-cycle replacements in modern garages.
Where the heaters sit
The mill village housing is crawlspace-dominant with genuinely restricted clearances, and we quote that access before the visit. The post-2000 subdivisions are straightforward garage and closet installs.