Right now I'm in the process of having my water heater replaced. It didn't give out but it's 14 years old and was original to the house, and we have a lot of boxes on the floor which I would prefer not get wet. I have never really done any maintenance on my water heater LIKE DRAINING IT as I am under the impression that draining them cause the bottom to rust out quicker. What say you, drain or not drain, which gives the longer life time.
Question about Water Heaters
- Thread starter Bear Paw Jack
- Start date
Jimbo357mag
Hawkeye
Modern tank storage water heaters do not need periodic draining as did water heaters of the past. The inlet tube goes to the bottom and stirs any sediment and prevents siphoning. The plastic or cheap drain valves won't stand much use either. Unless you have unusual water conditions just leave it alone. I still prefer a tank water heater but many folks now have tankless water heaters installed to save energy and money.
If your tank is 14 years old it is time to replace it whether it is leaking or not. The calcium buildup in the tank is cutting your efficiency. Does it knock?
If your tank is 14 years old it is time to replace it whether it is leaking or not. The calcium buildup in the tank is cutting your efficiency. Does it knock?
OP
No problems with it what so ever. Plenty of hot water too.
graygun
Hunter
Mine is also 14 and I'll replace it soon.
OP
FWIW the EPA has decided that Water Heaters have to be revamped. Same size (content wise) will be wider, taller and more expensive. If you are due for a change now is the time, because with re-manufacturing changes prices will be going up significantly. I just paid $1200 installed, a new one would be closer to $2000.
Rick Courtright
Hawkeye
Bear Paw Jack said:
Hi,
The house I live in is 50 years old this summer. I replaced the water heater about 17 years ago, and around the first of each month I try to remember to drain just a few gallons (2 1/2 gal bucket filled once or twice.) The water here is very hard, and sometimes the first bucket comes out with a pretty good amount of crud so I'll drain another one which normally will be clear...
I can't be sure, but I think this one replaced the original! It's doubtful the old people ever drained it at all, let alone on a regular basis: it wouldn't even start to drain from the valve when I tried. And it must have weighed about 10,000 lbs with all the calcium buildup! It finally started leaking just a tiny drip... maybe all that crud was self-sealing?
I also got nervous about the plastic drain valve on the new one, and keep a brass cap on it when I'm not using it. So far, so good, knock wood!
Rick C
One word of advice. Tank-less.
ronto
Hunter
My well water is loaded with minerals. I drain my electric water heater twice a year and the discharge is so full of minerals that it is pure white for the first few seconds. It came with the house 11 years ago and is still working fine. I don't fix things that ain't broken so I'll keep it until it doesn't heat water or starts to leak. I remember hearing the plumber on "Ask This Old House" recommending draining the water heater periodically so that's good enough for me.
Don Lovel
Hunter
On demand and even small electric point of use for under say a sink are a better way to go
RonT said:
Ron, it wouldn't be hard to install a softening system that would remove most of the minerals. You really don't want to remove them all like most folks do. But a softener with a very simple pressure regulating bypass would do a good job. The parts can be picked up at the local big box hardware store.
Heck if you have copper pipes and aren't up for soldering them there are fittings that just slip right on.
I run this type of setup at my place. It's a bit more high tech, but that's what I do for a living so it's easy for me to install and maintain. The bypass regulator, other than cleaning from time to time, is a simple mechanical device that once install and set you can usually forget about.
pete44ru
Hunter
.
I'd be willing to bet that not many folks replace (regularly or not) the 2 sacrificial rods, accessible on the heater's top surface, that are supposed to erode along with any calcium.
.
I'd be willing to bet that not many folks replace (regularly or not) the 2 sacrificial rods, accessible on the heater's top surface, that are supposed to erode along with any calcium.
.
Big Old Boy
Hunter
Mine just started to leak this week, over 20 years old, getting a new one installed tomorrow $749 total it is gas.
Big Old Boy
Hunter
Mine just started to leak this week, over 20 years old, getting a new one installed tomorrow $749 total it is gas.
RugerHound
Hunter
A lot has to do with the quality of your water and whether its electric or gas. When I lived in town, the city water was horrid. So full of calcium and minerals that a water heater would only last a couple years. Mainly due to the elements. You can buy more robust elements which is what I did, and the last heater I installed was 7 years ago. (I still own the house)
Out here in the desert we have a 575 foot deep well with very good water, so we expect long life from the heater.
Draining & flushing won't cause the heater to rust out, but it's probably not necessary unless you have a LOT of 'junk' in your water.
Out here in the desert we have a 575 foot deep well with very good water, so we expect long life from the heater.
Draining & flushing won't cause the heater to rust out, but it's probably not necessary unless you have a LOT of 'junk' in your water.
RolandDeschain
Blackhawk
- Joined
- Jan 31, 2011
- Messages
- 508
Jeepnik said:
That is what I have and really like it.
Funny that this topic is here. I have to replace mine. It's about 20 years old and leaks. One from Home Depot around $500, and a fiend can install for $175, total $675. Not bad.
OP
taz, what a great price. I had a buy that would do that for me in Anchorage. Makes it a LOT less painful.
Thanks. I was thinking tankless, but there is a possibility of moving in the next few months.
On the face of it tankless seems the way to go.... especially if you are a tree huger that thinks we need to save the planet.... I'm a tree huger but think the planet is laughing at us.... but anyway, the one problem with tankless... on average a good gas powered tankless unit will take over 20 years to pay for itself. Do the numbers... also, they don't save you that much if you are like me and really like showers....
Why not just find a comparable 2014 unit (not one of the newer government approved units)... buy it and put it in storage until you need it? When the existing one goes bad, replace it yourself.... not that hard to do. Also, the existing unit should be installed so that if it does develop a leak it will drain out of the house.
Why not just find a comparable 2014 unit (not one of the newer government approved units)... buy it and put it in storage until you need it? When the existing one goes bad, replace it yourself.... not that hard to do. Also, the existing unit should be installed so that if it does develop a leak it will drain out of the house.
coach
Hunter
Hard to beat a good old tank unit for cost and reliability. Be sure to have the new unit installed on a metal pan and pipe it to a drain or sump pump. It will keep your boxes of stuff dry. I would say probably time to replace it or be ready for a cleanup.
blume357 said:
My reasons for tank-less have nothing to do with the environment, or the pay back. When I had a 50 gallon hot water heater, I never got a hot shower. This was after the kids left home. At least with a tank-less I can have hot water.
RolandDeschain
Blackhawk
- Joined
- Jan 31, 2011
- Messages
- 508
Jeepnik said:
That is why I like mine. Unlimited hot water.
OP
Mine wasn't unlimited but even being the 2nd shower I never ran out of hot water with the 50 gal WH. I hope this new one is just as good.
coach
Hunter
My 50 gal heater seldom ran out of hot water even with three teenagers. The only thing that caused it to get cold were multiple showers with many tubs of laundry. If a 50 gal heater runs cold all the time, something is wrong with it.
HadEmAll
Bearcat
Due to hard water, I drain mine every six months or so.
You're not only getting out calcium, but the parts of the aluminum or magnesium sacrificial anodes that have dissolved.
The best advice I can give, based on experience, is right off the bat, replace the plastic drain valve with a good brass hose bib or ball valve.
It'll save you a lot of misery and cursing later on.
You're not only getting out calcium, but the parts of the aluminum or magnesium sacrificial anodes that have dissolved.
The best advice I can give, based on experience, is right off the bat, replace the plastic drain valve with a good brass hose bib or ball valve.
It'll save you a lot of misery and cursing later on.
mikewriter
Blackhawk
Another vote for tank-less. We went that route when basically rebuilding our house after tornado damage, and have been VERY happy with it. Ours is gas, and in our situation I suspect it to be more economical than a tank unit, since you only heat the water you use - instead of keeping 30 to 50 gallons hot at all times - and we do have basically unlimited hot water. The only problem we've ever had was that if we had a power outage, the thermostat would have to be reset. Then the thermostat went out altogether, repair guy found out the unit had a default setting that kept the output temperature exactly where we usually set it anyway, so we didn't even replace the thermostat. This solved the problem of having to reset it after power blips, also.
mikewriter said:
The only other potential problem with gas fired heaters, that's what I have, is that most have combustion blowers. These run on 110v. If the power goes out, and you don't have a generator, you have no hot water.
In my case, my wife has no clue how to start the generator. Please don't offer suggestions, I've tried. What I did was put a large UPS on it. It will run for the better part of an hour, which should last her one shower.
Seriously, the UPS is a nice thing to have. You will have hot water available all night without running the generator. That keeps the neighbors happy.
xtratoy
Hunter
I checked into tankless 5 years ago and found that if using electricity instead of gas you will probably have to add another breaker box if yours is at capacity. It takes 80 to 160 amps depending on the water heater. You may want to check on the price of adding an additional breaker box. "The biggest issue to the utility is the untimely load these units place on our system. Family sized units require 240 volts and up to 160 amps capacity to operate. In some cases the unit peaks up to 36 KW. In addition to the cost of the tankless heater (which is priced about the same as a Marathon® water heater) significant wiring upgrades are almost always required." http://www.diversepower.com/truth_about_tankless.php
powder smoke
Hawkeye
Tankless is the way to go. I would not change out a tank water heater
that works fine. If it needs replacement go for tankless. ps
that works fine. If it needs replacement go for tankless. ps
