Water heater dissection, pics galore

[Russel Nash]

I've always been curious about what's inside a water heater. Once you peel off the sheet metal and insulation, this is what you end up with:

http://i603.photobucket.com/albums/tt112/gryphon1994/28C60AC9-2B3E-47C9-896D-FAA6842534FF-246-0000009C608B0EE3_zpsd0a03a29.jpg

I was able to get so far with a sawzall, up one side, over the top, and down the other side. The bottom has such a curve to it that my sawzall's blades were too short.

Then it was time to break out the plasma cutter.

http://i603.photobucket.com/albums/tt112/gryphon1994/CDC8F9BE-A1AA-4057-BDE7-077E47B8E1E4-246-0000009B54C124EB_zps4c8591d0.jpg

This pic shows the extreme dome shape of the bottom:

http://i603.photobucket.com/albums/tt112/gryphon1994/698CD26D-A2E2-419A-8959-BF8EFC11147C-246-0000009B86B7F67D_zps0601e168.jpg

And this pic shows the reason why, to catch all the sediment:

http://i603.photobucket.com/albums/tt112/gryphon1994/CDC8F9BE-A1AA-4057-BDE7-077E47B8E1E4-246-0000009B54C124EB_zps4c8591d0.jpg

Here's another pic of the sediment:

http://i603.photobucket.com/albums/tt112/gryphon1994/EB2E9359-618A-44EA-AA18-AD59D5F1B6B6-246-0000009BFDCA5C69_zps5f00455e.jpg

The heating element:

http://i603.photobucket.com/albums/tt112/gryphon1994/19DAB58F-F9F6-44D4-BD35-F2A90E3F615D-246-0000009C2DC250C4_zps6daff524.jpg

This water heater was installed in 1996. It is a city water connection, NOT a well.

I had heard once on an episode of This Old House by their plumber Rich Trethewy that a water heater should be drained once a year to get sediment out of the tank.

Anyways.... Makes me wish I could weld stainless. I'd make my own water heater. It always seems like they break and start leaking at the worst possible time.

[Bullet Caster]

Nice photos, Russell. BC

[felix]

Rich also said to change out the cathode once a year. He said if taken care of, the unit will last 15-20 years instead of 6-12. ... felix

[Whiterabbit]

yep, change the anode, it wont rust out.

[dudits]

hhhmmmmm i may have found the body of my next forge :)

any chance of a thickness measurement of the steel sheet?

[Dutchman]

Dang! I was sure you were going to shoot it before you cut it apart.

What a letdown :(.

Dutch

[Sasquatch-1]

It always seems like they break and start leaking at the worst possible time.

I had one let go on Christmas Day about 3 years ago. Unfortunately, Christmas was on a Friday that year if I remember correctly. Took a while to get it replaced.

[6bg6ga]

You could have sold it to someone down south to make a still out of.

[6bg6ga]

Dang! I was sure you were going to shoot it before you cut it apart.

What a letdown :(.

Dutch

Would have made a good pressure cooker. They will have to put it on the ban list also.

[mold maker]

There's lots more fun goodies in an old gas w/heater. Maybe even a burner for that liquid refreshment still.

[sbeatty1983]

Ive seen alot of smokers made from old water heaters.

[Rojelio]

I made a charcoal retort out of one. All kind of uses for these things.

[ABluehound]

It can still make a nice BBQ grill or smoker.

[Russel Nash]

hhhmmmmm i may have found the body of my next forge :)

any chance of a thickness measurement of the steel sheet?

it was surprisingly thin. I will have to get back to you on the actual measurment, though.

If I ever come across another broken water heater again like that, I will have to turn it into a smoker or a BBQ grill.

I am kicking myself now that I did such a poopey job of cutting it apart. If I had actually drawn some lines on it and made straight cuts.

http://www.addictinginfo.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/homer-simpson-doh.gif

[Frank46]

Some of the really old hot water heaters had the tank made from an alloy of phosphor bronze. When the old one at work died. A buddy whacked off the insulation and jacket. Got some nice $$ from the junk yard. Frank

[Reg]

I think the older ones ( 40's 50's ) were made of much thicker metal. My Granddad would split them in half long ways and make chicken and calf waterers and feeders out of them. Still have a few laying around the place

[Nobade]

The gas ones are very useful for making a lead smelting setup that can run on street gas. Cheaper to run than propane if you do a lot of melting.

-Nobade

[jeepyj]

It's definitely cool to see what's inside different stuff. It helps get to wheels turning for future projects. Thanks for sharing.
Jeepyj

[leftiye]

Quote Originally Posted by Dutchman View Post
Dang! I was sure you were going to shoot it before you cut it apart.

What a letdown .

Dutch


Would have made a good pressure cooker. They will have to put it on the ban list also.

Won't fit in a backpack.

[jmorris]

They are too thin to make a decent smoker but you can cut them in two and put feed or salt mineral blocks for cows in them.

One of my favorite uses in this video.

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o213/jmorrismetal/reloading/bbc/th_VIDEO0144_zps658b32b8.jpg (http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o213/jmorrismetal/reloading/bbc/VIDEO0144_zps658b32b8.mp4)

If you use them again as a pressure vessel you need to fill them back up with water and apply twice the working pressure you intend to use. The water taking up almost all the volume is for safety.

[Russel Nash]

were those bowling balls?

if so, that was impressive!

[jmorris]

Yes, two 16# and one 12#.

http://i664.photobucket.com/albums/vv5/qvideo/DSC02182.jpg

[jmorris]

It creates an incredible amount of energy.

[jmorris]

Some more videos here.

http://s121.photobucket.com/user/jmorrismetal/library/reloading/bbc?sort=3&start=all&page=1


Always wanted to do a black powder one but compressed air is a lot cheaper to reload and somewhat safer.

[warf73]

jmorris

How much water is in the tank? Then the next big Q how much air pressure.

I've kicked around what to do with my spare O2 tank(failed inspect). I also happen to have a hot water heater that I was going to make into a keln to aneal brass for maken swaged bullets. hmmmm put the two together and BAM instant fun lol.

[Junior1942]

They're lined with plastic/fiberglass and make really bad meat smokers. The reason they should be drained annually is the sediments in the bottom. Incoming water keeps the sediments swirling and grinding against the liner. The result = leak. My town water system's main line headed to my neck of the woods is repaired two times or more a year. Invariably they get sand, mud, etc., in the line during repairs. Some of it ends up in the bottom of every downline water heater. Last time I drained mine I got some sand and about 1 cup of BB-sized and colored rocks. I need to install a main line water filter on my house, but I haven't gotten a roundtoit.

[jmorris]

How much water is in the tank? Then the next big Q how much air pressure.

When I pressure tested it, it was as full of water as I could make it. I then pressurized it to over 200 psi. The idea is, if it is going to fail you, you want it to do so with something that doesn't compress like air. If it fails full of water it will just start leaking, full of air can make a bigger mess.

In use there is no water, just some vapor from compression.

Depending on what compressor I am using 90-120 psi is all I put to it.

[warf73]

In use there is no water, just some vapor from compression.

Depending on what compressor I am using 90-120 psi is all I put to it.

OK was thinking the tank needed filled with water to almost full or close to it, then pressured up with air.

[Salmon-boy]

Just got one from the neighbor.. He was asking "What are you going to do with it?" I had to reply "What can't you do with it?"

I've made furnaces (for melting aluminum), a tumbler, heat shrouds for the turkey fryer, and best is just a large, sturdy can for holding stuff..

Oddly whenever I'm at the dump, one always seems to jump into the back of the pickup..

[Russel Nash]

hhhmmmmm i may have found the body of my next forge :)

any chance of a thickness measurement of the steel sheet?

The sides appear to be about 0.090" thick. The top is about 0.130" thick . Either dimension seems to be on par with the higher end charcoal grills or smokers I have checked out at Lowe's and Home Depot.

EDIT: yeah, now I am wishing I had been more careful about how I cut it apart.

[Russel Nash]

They're lined with plastic/fiberglass and make really bad meat smokers. The reason they should be drained annually is the sediments in the bottom. Incoming water keeps the sediments swirling and grinding against the liner. The result = leak. My town water system's main line headed to my neck of the woods is repaired two times or more a year. Invariably they get sand, mud, etc., in the line during repairs. Some of it ends up in the bottom of every downline water heater. Last time I drained mine I got some sand and about 1 cup of BB-sized and colored rocks. I need to install a main line water filter on my house, but I haven't gotten a roundtoit.

The one I cut apart is lined with something, not sure what it is. It has a purple-ish or blue-ish hue to the inside. I just ASSumed it was some sort of coating just to keep it from rusting....or not rusting so quickly.

[Russel Nash]

Yes, two 16# and one 12#.

http://i664.photobucket.com/albums/vv5/qvideo/DSC02182.jpg

DANG! I didn't realize that compressed gas cylinders had walls that were so thick.

[Russel Nash]

I went to a fancy shmancy store today that deals in Big Green Eggs, Traegers, and other smokers/grills. The Big Green Egg is like all ceramic, and it comes with a $1,000 plus price tag to match. The Traegers, meh! I wasn't impressed at all. The metal was, well, sheet metal. The outside skin of my old water heater was probably thicker than the Traegers. There was some digital looking display on the Traeger which I assume was some sort of temperature read out, and there was a cord, so I assume you have to plug it into the wall and it somehow keeps the heat at such and such a range, maybe by controlling the damper to the "smoke box".

Anywhoo...yeah, after I saw how thin the Traegers were I was kicking myself for cutting up the water heater the way I did.

I had done some googling previously, and I am obviously not the first one to think of turning an old water heater into a grill or a smoker. Some gent on another forum said he took his water heater to a sandblaster to knock the coating off the inside. After $100 in sand or media, his sandblaster guy gave up. The coating barely budged.

If somebody wanted to make something equivalent to the Big Green Egg, I am thinking buy two galvanized steel trash cans, one a 20 gallon, and the other a 31/32 gallon. Pour some sand into the bottom of the big trash can, drop in the smaller trash can, put lid on smaller trash can, center it up, then pour sand between the two trash cans. Of course the tricky part will be getting a vent to the bottom of the the smaller trash can, to the outside, so the fire or lump charcoal has some air to breathe and to draft the heat upwards. The sand, of course, acts like insulation.

http://www.thesmokering.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=16922&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=40

[jmorris]

DANG! I didn't realize that compressed gas cylinders had walls that were so thick.

An easy 3/8".

[Zymurgy50]

As a pipefitter/plumber i can say that if you drain 5-10 gallons of water from the heater once a month it will last up to twice as long.
living on a lake in the great white north I have the joy of "opening and winterizing" more than a few homes. The homes that are empty over the winter months all have water heaters that were made when Nixon was still in office, While the million dollar McMansions with state of the art water treatment systems seem to go through a water heater every 6-8 years.
My water heater is a 1975 vintage propane that shows no sign of leaking or giving up the ghost.

[Russel Nash]

An easy 3/8".

Maybe it is just a digital picture thing, but it looks closer to a 1/2" thick. By the way... What did you cut that with? That's a really clean cut that looks really square.

[Russel Nash]

As a pipefitter/plumber i can say that if you drain 5-10 gallons of water from the heater once a month it will last up to twice as long.
living on a lake in the great white north I have the joy of "opening and winterizing" more than a few homes. The homes that are empty over the winter months all have water heaters that were made when Nixon was still in office, While the million dollar McMansions with state of the art water treatment systems seem to go through a water heater every 6-8 years.
My water heater is a 1975 vintage propane that shows no sign of leaking or giving up the ghost.

Huh?

Really, 5 to 10 gallons each month?

I am not doubting you, I just never heard that before. If I was thinking, I should have collected the sediment and had it tested somewhere just to see what it was made of.

That would be great to stretch out its lifespan that much. Back in the fall of 2009, a girlfriend move in with me. The first shower she takes, a whole buch of rusty water came out of the showerhead. It was embarassing. I went down to the basement and sure enough there was stream coming from the water heater across the concrete floor to the drain. Argggh... So yeah, like the worst possible time.

[jmorris]

An easy 3/8".
Maybe it is just a digital picture thing, but it looks closer to a 1/2" thick. By the way... What did you cut that with? That's a really clean cut that looks really square.

I'll measure it when I get a chance.

I cut it on one of my big horizontal band saws.

I have a couple of these old machines http://s121.photobucket.com/user/jmorrismetal/media/tools/VID_20130403_142706_262_zps1dd44c50.mp4.html

[Epd230]

FYI: How It's Made just aired a segment on the construction of water heaters.

[TenTea]

Huh?

Really, 5 to 10 gallons each month?

I am not doubting you, I just never heard that before. If I was thinking, I should have collected the sediment and had it tested somewhere just to see what it was made of.

That would be great to stretch out its lifespan that much. Back in the fall of 2009, a girlfriend move in with me. The first shower she takes, a whole buch of rusty water came out of the showerhead. It was embarassing. I went down to the basement and sure enough there was stream coming from the water heater across the concrete floor to the drain. Argggh... So yeah, like the worst possible time.

So...you like redheads eh? :kidding:

[BAGTIC]

Ever think that the winterized water heaters may last longer because they are used less? Around here we drain our heaters because lime collects in the bottom. That collection of lime sludge makes the water even harder that it was when it was filled. Running water heaters at high temp settings makes things worse. If the temp is kept below 130 degrees or so it dramatically reduces scale deposition and even on the heating surfaces themselves. Our current house has electric water heaters. I take the elements out occasionally and de-lime them. It makes even cheap elements last much longer. The scale reduces heat transfer wasting power and causes the elements themselves to run hot which burns them out.

[Russel Nash]

I'll measure it when I get a chance.

I cut it on one of my big horizontal band saws.

I have a couple of these old machines http://s121.photobucket.com/user/jmorrismetal/media/tools/VID_20130403_142706_262_zps1dd44c50.mp4.html

Ahhh... Okay... Cool!

I have a Wells or Wellsaw #8, just got new blades for it last week. It takes an 11 foot 6 inch blade by 3/4".

So is there a trick to cutting cylindrical stuff like that?

Maybe I just need to put a couple of handles on my saw's vise "knob".

My saw is pretty ragged out. It literally look like it fell off the back of somebody's truck while going down the highway. Then whoever picked up the pieces off the shoulder welded it back together.

I'm guess there are some tricks to getting to cut square too???

That was a lot of angle iron in that one pic.

Somwbody else had previously mentioned the Ugly Drum Smoker you can make out of a steel 55 gallon drum. This appears to be the mother of all UDS threads:

http://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/showthread.php?t=23436

[jmorris]

No tricks except to clamp them enough so they don't move. It is actually easier on everything to cut pipe vs. most every thing else as you are cutting about the same material all the way through with an O. Angle or a box will give you thin sides and thick bottom L. If your saw is a manual clamp you can put the angle in like an inverted V and it's a better on the blade but the hydraulic clamps on thoes saws will just crush it in that orientation.

The pile of angle in the other photo was for another thread on another forum. Just showed how much more material you could go through with an Ironworker than an autosaw could although with less effort going to the bandsaw.