Good advice about water heaters

[mikeyis4dcats.]

Buy and install a flood pan. The house we moved into in September didn't have one, now I have half my basement carpet pulled out to dry.

Also, don't but Whirlpool water heaters. The previous owner installed a 50gal in 2006 that replaced a 40gal from 1989. They kept the old one installed in series. Of course the new one springs a leak. And the lifetime warranty is only good for the original buyer. :#

[In58men]

Awesome I was concerned.

[WhiteWhale]

Here's a good tip... drain them out once a year to slow down corrosion.

[Bugeater]

Only 5 yrs old and springs a leak bad enough to flood your basement? Yikes.

[plbrdude]

pulling the anode rod and replacing will extend tank life too. but in your case it was a whirlpool. prolly wouldn't made a difference.

[Phobia]

I'm not a fan of putting water heaters in series. I'll bet that voids warranties too.

[WV]

Why would you install them in series?

And why doesn't your basement have a drain in the floor in the room with you water heater?

I think mine contributes to my water smelling like sulphur....any advice on that?

[Phobia]

Why would you install them in series?

And why doesn't your basement have a drain in the floor in the room with you water heater?

I think mine contributes to my water smelling like sulphur....any advice on that?

You install them in series to double your hot water capability for less money. You can buy 2 40's or 50's for a lot less money than one 100.

A drain in the floor isn't going to contain a total failure.

Does only your hot water smell like sulfur?

[WV]

You install them in series to double your hot water capability for less money. You can buy 2 40's or 50's for a lot less money than one 100.

A drain in the floor isn't going to contain a total failure.

Does only your hot water smell like sulfur?
Running them in series makes sense in theory, but the multiple points of failure and other things would concern me.

My floor drain would do really well if I were there to remove the diffuser, but yeah i suppose without that it is fairlt slow.

It does seem to only be the hot side. I've read about a possible reaction occuring with my anode rod or elements and the minerals in the water, but really haven't seen any solutions. I'm not sure the anode rod in my whirlpool water heater is removable.

[SuperChief]

Hahaha very funny April Fools

[FlaChief58]

Running them in series makes sense in theory, but the multiple points of failure and other things would concern me.

My floor drain would do really well if I were there to remove the diffuser, but yeah i suppose without that it is fairlt slow.

It does seem to only be the hot side. I've read about a possible reaction occuring with my anode rod or elements and the minerals in the water, but really haven't seen any solutions. I'm not sure the anode rod in my whirlpool water heater is removable.

Your Annode rod is probably used up and needs to be replaced. Before you put the new one in, pour a gallon of bleach in the tank, re-fill it and let it sit for at least 3 hours. Then open all of your faucets (hot side) for about 10 min to bleach your pipes. That should do the trick.

[ChiefGator]

Running in series is interesting. I wonder if water heaters were meant to receive hot water in their intake though?

Would you set the first tank to a moderately warm value and then the second to hotter?

[OzarksChiefsFan]

Running in series is interesting. I wonder if water heaters were meant to receive hot water in their intake though?

Would you set the first tank to a moderately warm value and then the second to hotter?

I don't think a hot water tank cared if it gets hot water in its intake. I have seen them daisy chained and even used as a heat source replacing boilers. If a drain won't handle a catastrophe how will a flood pan?

Depending on installation I either run a hose from the drain or pvc pipe both the drain and the popoff. If the tank gets a big hole somethings getting wet period. That said any brand of tank will last a long time if you drain a little water once a month. State makes a tank that forces the water to circulate at the bottom of the tank when new water comes in.(They make a very good tank)

I helped my Father-n-Law keep one in good shape for over twenty years. We would take it out every few years and clean the build up out.

[Chieftain58]

why not just get a carpet cleaner and finish the job the water started and extract the water that way? You could have clean carpet plus have sucked up the water that way. plus if you don't add the carpet cleaning soap anyway you will get mildew

[Earthling]

Thanks for the info.

[WV]

Your Annode rod is probably used up and needs to be replaced. Before you put the new one in, pour a gallon of bleach in the tank, re-fill it and let it sit for at least 3 hours. Then open all of your faucets (hot side) for about 10 min to bleach your pipes. That should do the trick.

The tank is only 6 years old, but I suppose it could be something like that. I need to check into the anode rods more for my particular tank.

[Amnorix]

How do people like the tankless? I'm leaning that way if/when our current water heater goes.

[mikeyis4dcats.]

Why would you install them in series?

And why doesn't your basement have a drain in the floor in the room with you water heater?

I think mine contributes to my water smelling like sulphur....any advice on that?

are you on a well?

[kepp]

How do people like the tankless? I'm leaning that way if/when our current water heater goes.

That's what I'm planning. Definitely more expensive, but more convenient and cheaper to operate.

[FlaChief58]

The tank is only 6 years old, but I suppose it could be something like that. I need to check into the anode rods more for my particular tank.

It all depends on the quality of your water. The harder the water and the higher the temp is set at, the shorter the life expectancy of your tank is. Most standard tank water heaters carry a life expectancy of 8-10 years. I bleach lots of heaters to get rid of the sulfur smell, so even if you don't replace the annode rod, you should still bleach your tank.

[WV]

are you on a well?
Yes on a well.

It all depends on the quality of your water. The harder the water and the higher the temp is set at, the shorter the life expectancy of your tank is. Most standard tank water heaters carry a life expectancy of 8-10 years. I bleach lots of heaters to get rid of the sulfur smell, so even if you don't replace the annode rod, you should still bleach your tank.

All the water is hard as crap around here because of all the Limestone. Thanks for the info, I'll see about bleaching it. Right now we are using a charcoal whole house filter that we change every month or two that helps a lot.

[FlaChief58]

How do people like the tankless? I'm leaning that way if/when our current water heater goes.

The nat gas or LP tankless units are great however, you will need some kind of filtration to protect it from scale build up wich is a huge problem here in Florida. Navien is the top of the line right now. The burners are stainless steel, has a built in recirc pump, is 98% efficent and qualifies for up to 30% tax credit. It also has an industry best 15 year warranty. Although the start up costs are a lot more than a standard tank, the unit pays for itself. I'd stay away from the electric heaters, the energy savings just are'nt there yet

[mikeyis4dcats.]

Yes on a well.



All the water is hard as crap around here because of all the Limestone. Thanks for the info, I'll see about bleaching it. Right now we are using a charcoal whole house filter that we change every month or two that helps a lot.


http://www.waterheaterrescue.com/pages/WHRpages/English/Troubleshooting/stinky-water-in-hot-water-heaters.html

[ChiefGator]

I've also heard about using water heaters to heat the water to a medium level heat, and then use tankless at the point of use. Does this make sense, or is it unnecessary?

[FlaChief58]

I've also heard about using water heaters to heat the water to a medium level heat, and then use tankless at the point of use. Does this make sense, or is it unnecessary?

To me that makes no sense, why preheat water that will be heated by the tankless unit especially with a recirc pump wich ensures you have hot water almost instantly anyway. The whole idea is to cut down on energy use so having 2 heaters doing the job of 1 is not the way to go IMO.

[Stewie]

Buy a State brand water heater. I replaced an old State unit (40 gal. natural gas) in 1993 with another and it's still going strong. State wasn't caught up in the cheap dip tube disaster because they don't do cheap. During the summer my cost of gas is about $6/month and that includes running a natural gas grill. The ridiculous expense and maintenance of a tankless unit is proving, over time, to be a sucker's bet.

[Phobia]

My understanding is that almost all tank water heaters are manufactured by 2 factories and then OEM stickered by your distributors. So the disparity in quality between brands is largely a myth currently. Haven't yet verified accuracy on this claim so YMMV.

[Bugeater]

Buy a State brand water heater. I replaced an old State unit (40 gal. natural gas) in 1993 with another and it's still going strong. State wasn't caught up in the cheap dip tube disaster because they don't do cheap. During the summer my cost of gas is about $6/month and that includes running a natural gas grill. The ridiculous expense and maintenance of a tankless unit is proving, over time, to be a sucker's bet.
State did have issues with the filters clogging on their first generation sealed combustion units, the company I work for has several properties that are full of them and they're a pain in the ass.

[Stewie]

My understanding is that almost all tank water heaters are manufactured by 2 factories and then OEM stickered by your distributors. So the disparity in quality between brands is largely a myth currently. Haven't yet verified accuracy on this claim so YMMV.

I seriously doubt there are only two factories that manufacture all tank water heaters. That's urban legend stuff right there.

[Stewie]

State did have issues with the filters clogging on their first generation sealed combustion units, the company I work for has several properties that are full of them and they're a pain in the ass.

I don't own anything like that. What is the filter filtering?

[FlaChief58]

I seriously doubt there are only two factories that manufacture all tank water heaters. That's urban legend stuff right there.

Currently there are 3 factories in the US manufacturing traditional water heaters. Fact NOT fiction

[Phobia]

Currently there are 3 factories in the US manufacturing traditional water heaters. Fact NOT fiction

Thanks for pseudo-confirmation. So, 30+ different brands of heaters are manufactured by 3 people.

[Bugeater]

I don't own anything like that. What is the filter filtering?
It's filtering the combustion air, the newer ones don't have the opening where you light the pilot light. The combustion chamber is sealed and there's only a sight glass to see the pilot light. The filter is underneath the combustion chamber and you need a couple special tools to get to it to clean it. They've since redesigned it so they're easier to get to now, I was just pointing out that no brand is bulletproof.

[Stewie]

Currently there are 3 factories in the US manufacturing traditional water heaters. Fact NOT fiction

That's a far cry from, "There are only two manufacturers that make water heaters." I assume that meant in the world.

[FlaChief58]

Thanks for pseudo-confirmation. So, 30+ different brands of heaters are manufactured by 3 people.

Exactly. All standard tank water heaters no matter what the sticker on the outside says are identical inside. They are all manufactured with the same interchangeble parts. seen one you've seen em all. There are better quality heaters available, but standard heaters are all the same

[Stewie]

Exactly. All standard tank water heaters no matter what the sticker on the outside says are identical inside. They are all manufactured with the same interchangeble parts. seen one you've seen em all. There are better quality heaters available, but standard heaters are all the same

I'd love to see the plant that can produce tens of thousands of water heaters a day in all configurations and fuel sources.

Edit: There were 8.2 million water heaters sold in the US in 2009. That ain't coming out of three factories. I call BS.

[FlaChief58]

I'd love to see the plant that can produce tens of thousands of water heaters a day in all configurations and fuel sources.

Edit: There were 8.2 million water heaters sold in the US in 2009. That ain't coming out of three factories. I call BS.

Again, I'm talking about US factories. Not all water heaters used in the US are made here. That said, even those made overseas use the same manufacturing processes and parts.