Hot water heaters

[Frank46]

Why do these things fail at the most inconvient times. Last night it decided to take a dump and start leaking. Picked up a new one at lowes. Changed out the gate valves to ball valves as I couldn't get a good shut off cause of the crud under the gate. had to shut off the water to the house. And get this, 12 years and 11 days since it was installed. Drained the old one with an old hose and rolled it out the back door. All is well now. Frank

[Sweetpea]

At least you weren't on vacation, a water heater is much cheaper than a water heater plus water damage!

[xs11jack]

I think you did well, most water heaters only last 7 to 8 years. Mine is on its last legs now, and it's 12 years old. The warrenty ran out at 9 years.
Ole Jack

[Bob in Revelstoke]

Whenever I go away for a period of time I follow a set routine. Turn off the water for the whole house, open the nearest hot water tap to take the pressure off the tank and, as it is electric open the circuit breaker. As the tank cools and contracts air is drawn into the pipe and this stops the tank from imploding under vacuum pressure. I know people who haven't done this and on coming home found a flood from a failed tank or a blown hose on a dishwasher or washing machine. My neighbour had the hose on his dishwasher blow last week. Fortunately he was home and shut it off before much damage was caused. My tank is 23 tears old and I am living on borrowed time. Also, one other thing, make sure you have a good pressure maintaining valve on your water line where it enters the house. You never know when you might get a sudden spike in pressure and that can blow hoses ect.

[DLCTEX]

My last water heater (propane) was well used when I bought the house and was still going when I changed it for an electric one 14 years later. I am totally electric now on one of the cheapest rates in the country. We are now being hit with a 10% increase now, but still cheaper than most.

[MaryB]

My next water heater will be on demand gas. Moving more and more towards off grid electrical and the water heater is an energy pig.

[KAF]

Be aware that a on demand water heater needs to have a certain Gallons Per Minute running through it to heat the water. Full bore hot water running will do that and be very hot, when you temper the water in the shower etc, the GPM is slowed down and you do not get hot water, it varies temps allot. Most require a 5 GPM rate for it to turn on the heat.
10 years is average for the life span of a appliance: (water heater)

[6bg6ga]

Where I live you used to be able to change your water heater and now they have things so screwed up that you can't legally change your own anymore. Soft water seems to extend water heater life. Have had both electric and gas and I prefer the gas model.

[LynC2]

Replacing the anode rod will also extend the life of a water heater. Once it is all used up and the glass liner goes, it usually doesn't take long for the corrosion to eat through the steel tank.

[CastingFool]

If you flush your water heater on a regular basis, they will keep working more efficiently longer. Flushing helps prevent the build up of lime, which coats the inside of the tank, and insulates the temp sensor on the gas valve. Our water heater is 17 yrs old and still going strong, although it does rumble (another sign of lime build up) As someone mentioned using a water softener helps. I have learned electric water heaters build up lime faster than gas water heaters. When you have to replace the heating elements, sometimes it's very difficult to do so due to lime build up. I have seen some water heaters where the lime came up about 12" off the bottom. this lime build up makes the water heater inefficient, as it insulates the heating element from the water. To facilitate proper flushing all water heaters should have a 3/4" full flo ball valve, with a garden hose connector installed, instead of the cheap plastic drain valve most manufacturers supply now. Some are brass, but the inner hole is only about 3/8" diameter, not enough to promote good flow.

[osteodoc08]

Hot water heaters bring back memories as I worked as a plumbers helper for several years when I was out of school. Avg life is around 8 years as already noted. Service life can be increased with an expansion tank, so long as it is set up correctly as well as the anode. Remember, as things heat up, they expand. The tank cools and heats untold number of times during its life.

[Bad Water Bill]

Why do people waste time and gas on old fashion WATER HEATERS?

I bought my home in 1972 and the heater died the next year.

My wife was from Germany and they have no room for big space and energy wasting water tanks.

We bought a "TANKLESS WATER HEATER" at that time.

You turn on the faucet and the burner kicks in heating the water as you use it and yes it can get very hot.

Turn off your water and instantly the burner shuts off.

No keeping many gallons of water hot 24 hours a day and it takes no longer to get HOT water from either one.

Yes they cost more but they last many years longer ,you save a ton on natural gas and you NEVER run out of hot water.

I replaced mine 35 years later and now the new one uses piezoelectric to ignite the burner saving even more gas.

Best of all when it was replaced I could carry the old one out using one hand only and the total time for replacement from water shutoff till turn on was less than 1 hour.

[6bg6ga]

Why do people waste time and gas on old fashion WATER HEATERS?

I bought my home in 1972 and the heater died the next year.

My wife was from Germany and they have no room for big space and energy wasting water tanks.

We bought a "TANKLESS WATER HEATER" at that time.

You turn on the faucet and the burner kicks in heating the water as you use it and yes it can get very hot.

Turn off your water and instantly the burner shuts off.

No keeping many gallons of water hot 24 hours a day and it takes no longer to get HOT water from either one.

Yes they cost more but they last many years longer ,you save a ton on natural gas and you NEVER run out of hot water.

I replaced mine 35 years later and now the new one uses piezoelectric to ignite the burner saving even more gas.

Best of all when it was replaced I could carry the old one out using one hand only and the total time for replacement from water shutoff till turn on was less than 1 hour.

This makes sense

[mold maker]

Several years ago I installed Tankless Water Heaters for both home heat and hot water. It took a while to get the system debugged, but it's a joy. Almost instant heat and water. The energy savings have already started to mount up big time. I'm looking at only a <7 yr payback.

[singleshot]

I did the calculation between propane hot water @ $2.40/gal vs. electric @ $0.12/KW-hr. It turned out that the electric was cheaper, so I went that way this last time.

If anyone is interested in the calculations, I have them around here somewhere, it takes into account the efficiency of each style of tank as well. Bottom line: electric heaters submersed in water are quite a bit more efficient than propane-style heaters. On the other hand, a propane boiler would be cheaper still (fuel costs.)

[Bad Water Bill]

Several years ago I installed Tankless Water Heaters for both home heat and hot water. It took a while to get the system debugged, but it's a joy. Almost instant heat and water. The energy savings have already started to mount up big time. I'm looking at only a <7 yr payback.

And the many years after that you will have lots more to spend on gun stuff.:)

You can fill your swimming pool from empty to full and still not run out of hot water.

Also no more banging from calcium build up in the bottom of that old nasty tank type heater.:drinks:

[Echo]

I've had solar heat for my hot water for nearly 40 years, and generally have minimum gas bills. Winter kicks the gas bill up, with the heater keeping me warm in our AZ desert (small lol). When I had the solar installed, the also installed a 72 gallon tank, that failed several years later. The replacement has lasted over 20 years. And when the sun is out (a usual situation in the desert), the water gets danged hot. When clouds prevail, the heater defaults back to gas, and I have that thermostat set at Medium. There is an automatic mixing valve (works like the thermostat in your car) to keep the temp @ 140, but it has gotten silted up, or lime deposits, whatever, and is frozen, probably wide open.
Solar rocks...

[6bg6ga]

In AZ solar rocks in Iowa solar would suck

[Three-Fifty-Seven]

......

[popper]

Keeping my fingers crossed on the 12 yr old one. Maybe I'll change it out soon.

[Rick N Bama]

Where I live you used to be able to change your water heater and now they have things so screwed up that you can't legally change your own anymore. Soft water seems to extend water heater life. Have had both electric and gas and I prefer the gas model.

Do you live in Kentucky?

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

I've had solar heat for my hot water for nearly 40 years, and generally have minimum gas bills. Winter kicks the gas bill up, with the heater keeping me warm in our AZ desert (small lol). When I had the solar installed, the also installed a 72 gallon tank, that failed several years later. The replacement has lasted over 20 years. And when the sun is out (a usual situation in the desert), the water gets danged hot. When clouds prevail, the heater defaults back to gas, and I have that thermostat set at Medium. There is an automatic mixing valve (works like the thermostat in your car) to keep the temp @ 140, but it has gotten silted up, or lime deposits, whatever, and is frozen, probably wide open.
Solar rocks...


In AZ solar rocks in Iowa solar would suck
Solar sucks even more in MInnesota.
But we have free Ice :)

[Rick Hodges]

Solar sucks even more in MInnesota.
But we have free Ice :)

Ah yes....I feel your pain. :drinks:

[GREENCOUNTYPETE]

my dad is a huge believer in the water softener , 2 years ago we replaced his 27 year old hot water heater and a 22 year old hot water heater , yes 2 - 40 gallon natural gas hot water heaters.

he also believes in soaking in his daily pains away in a big bath tub and likes it hot

when we started taking them out , they looked like brand new , they probably would have run many more years , but he wanted them replaced before he retired , he retired this year

I am getting to hate repairs like this , not because of the work i don't mind that at all , but because I am hearing this will be the last , roof ,hot water heater , furnace , ect... I will ever need , meaning they expect the repair to last longer than they live , and that is just damnd depressing.

If he was healthy into his 90's I would replace the water heaters again no problem then again if I replace his hot water heater in his 90s I will be in my 70s , this just keeps getting more depressing.

[Charlie Two Tracks]

What ever you do, write the date you changed it on the tank in plain view. When it eventually goes, you will think it's only two or three years old when in reality it's been 10+. I know my brand new high efficiency furnace is 11 years old! Dang but I don't know how it does that!

[Alvarez Kelly]

My Dad has been thinking about replacing his electric water heater. It was installed in 1972. It still works fine...

I have replaced several just a few months after their 6 or 8 year guarantee ran out. I also have several that still work fine after 30 plus years.

I have 2 observations on tank type water heaters over the years;

1. The hotter you run the gas water heaters, the sooner they will fail.

2. There is not any way to predict failures. I installed 5 identical water heaters all at the same time in an apartment building about 10 years ago. One failed right after the 6 year warranty was up. The other four are still working fine.

[Duckiller]

Old hot water tanks cut lengthwise make great BBQs.

[cbrick]

My water heater gave it up nearly a month ago. It was an electric 50 gallon tank that was in the house when I bought it two years ago. My electric company (a Coop) has what I considered the best deal going. They offer an electric water heater (Rheem Marathon) with a lifetime warranty, no metal tank, top of the line and retail these run $850. It's also a 50 gallon tank and is twice the diameter of the old tank and a bit taller just for the amount of insulation in it. The Coop has these for $12 a month with 100% lifetime warranty & they pay the plumbers installation fee. If anything ever does go wrong they pay for repair or replacement. Not a dime out of pocket for me and it was installed 4 hours after I called them. At $12 a month it should save that much on the electric bill making the cost of a new water heater installed zero. Once installed and filled with winter time ice cold water I had hot water in 45 minutes of switching it on.

Rick

[Charley]

Ever situation is different. I'm in an all electric house, and a demand heater using resistance heat has a payback somewhere around the 18 year mark or so... demand heaters are great with gas, not so good with electric. I replaced my WH last year at the 14 year mark. I've got extremely hard water, very high lime content, so any plumbing fixture has a limited life under those conditions. I don't like water softeners, so I'll take the bad with the good. Next heater will probably be a heat pump model, my garage can stand some extra cooling.

[MT Gianni]

Last Jan (2013) we replaced our water heater installed in 1980!

Why do people call the HOT water heaters? When they really are COLD water heaters!

I wrapped my electric heater with 3.5" fiberglass insulation, plus the pipes ... Dropped the electric bill about $10 per month!
A Hot H2O heater was one capable of heating water to hot defined by most health boards as 150 F for running a commercial kitchen. Most residential today have been downgraded to a maximum of 130 F as to not scald tissue. It remains an old definition that is still in common use.
Our current AWH [Automatic water heater, ie a storage type] is 19 years old, we sold our last home with a 15 year old heater that was still going strong. A softener really helps.

[Jailer]

I replaced mine 2 years ago after it failed......on the opening day of deer season.......3 months after our remodel.

Yes they do fail at the most inoportune times.

[6bg6ga]

Do you live in Kentucky?

No.... worse .......Iowa At least in Kentucky you can get moonshine or make it. In Iowa there are cows and corn

[Ed Barrett]

When I lived overseas many year ago, the house I lived in had a gas demand heater. It was a little noisy, but it worked fine.

[Frank46]

Didn't think I would get only a couple posts on this. Almost two pages. Replaced the gate valves with ball valve to get good shutoffs. New stainless steel hoses and all new fittings. All the brass and copper into the scrap bucket. Found it was pennywise and pound foolish to re use the old stuff. They don't even make the old copper flex hoses anymore. And yes did the date of install on the tank. That's how I was able to say 12 years and so many days. I have one of those walking tubs with all the fancy nozzles on it. Felt really great just to fill it up and sit there getting pummled with the water jets. If you don't have one you are missing out on one of life's little pleasures. Wasn't cheap but the wife loves it. Money you can't take with you, so make it so you can enjoy it. Frank

[TXGunNut]

Replaced my 50 gallon water heater last year....or was it 2012? I decided a single man has no need for 50 gallons of hot water, downsized to 30. Saved money then, saves at least $5/month. If I have guests over we just space showers 20 minutes apart, doesn't take long to heat 30 gallons of water with two electric elements.

[winelover]

Few years ago, I had to replace my water heater on my B-Day-----good thing I was a Pipefitter----so just a hassle. Wife helped get it down the basement.

When I built the home in Arkansas, I went with a leased 90 gal. I have the same Co-op as cbrick, so same lifetime replacement. However, I did install a 40 gal. gas back-up, for extended power outages. I can take the electric off-line and reduce the load on the whole house generator.

Winelover

[txnative1951]

Around here, they like to put the hot water heaters in the attics. I guess they think that this makes them more centrally located so you get quicker hot water than when they are located in the garage, but I haven't really noticed it being that much quicker. On the other hand, it's a lot more of a pain in the butt to replace them when they are in the attic vs in the garage. Also, if it bursts or starts leaking in the garage, it's not that big of a deal from a damage standpoint whereas when that happens in the attic, you're usually looking at some ceiling sheetrock replacement at least.

[dragon813gt]

Hot water heater? Talk about one of my pet peeves ;)

[Mal Paso]

Efficiency figures for Demand Water Heaters are provided by Manufacturers and are suspect. They also have computers, sensors, and electric blowers. Expecting 7 years of trouble free service is a bit unrealistic. They have no interchangeable parts. Repairs are way more expensive. Will not work without electricity. There are a couple Funky demand heaters that run on batteries or an internal generator. A fellow up the road couldn't get his working so Bosch cancelled his warranty.

The tank water heater is a commodity item defended by no one. New regulation has made them much more efficient. Parts are mostly interchangeable and seldom needed. And they can work for 12 years without service. My Choice.

The difference in Tank Water heater warranties is usually just the price. Sometimes there is a second Anode but mostly it is a higher price to cover replacing more product.

The Anode is sacrificial metal protecting the steel tank. When it is used up any steel exposed by holes in the glass coating inside of the tank comes under attack. Anodes are replaceable but usually last long enough.

You can drain tank water heaters of sediment but if you do replace the drain with a ball valve. The valves they come with won't let much out.

Not much you can do about Minerals. They turn to rock on the outside of the chimney and when the deposit gets too thick to flex with the steel it cracks off and falls to the bottom in chunks. I've shoveled it out of access hatches on commercial heaters but you'll never drain it from a residential WH. Around here water heaters come out twice as heavy as they go in.

[Beagle333]

My heater gave it up (quit & sprung a small {thank goodness!} leak) exactly 2 weeks ago today. It was 17 years old. I didn't know they were supposed to be replaced at 8 or 9.
The new one from HomeDepot has a 9 year warranty. I wrote the date on the front in black marker. It's going outta here at 8 years and 364 days. :-D

[Old Dawg]

With electric water heaters the long life heating elements with the extra long rods are worth it. Scale deposits most heavily when the water gets the hottest. A long element uses the same power but spreads the heat over a larger surface so the contact area is at a lower temperature keeping the scale dissolved. Also don't run heater at highest temperature setting. If you keep it set lower scale will not precipitate as much. Unless you have a lot of kids and laundry it will still be hot enough for showers, dishes, etc.. We put a timer on ours so it shuts off at night and comes on about 45 minutes before we get up. It seems to save money. The new super insulated water heaters have the advantage of a lifetime guarantee and a bowl shaped base so all the sediment and sludge settle to the low spot where the drain valve is located so draining some of the water will flush the sediment out unlike the old tanks that leave it in the bottom. I extend the life on my heating elements by removing them every few years and descaling them with acid. The scale build up is what causes them to overheat and burn out.

[Old Dawg]

Own demand is okay for gas/propane units but I would not recommend for electric. They draw a lot of power and if your house already has lot of electric load it stresses the power supply. We have an all electric house as natural gas doesn't exist here and propane is higher than gasoline/diesel fuel. When we have power outages here, usually in winter my little 5500 Watt back up generator already works hard if everything kicks on at once so we don't use the ovens or cooking range. I don't want the added load of a water heater coming on line. Once a tank of water is heated it will remain water enough for showers for at least 3-4 hours and it can reheat when much of the remaining electric load is off line.