[PonchoV8]

Why do they electric units start leaking? I found water around it so I pulled the lower and upper element covers to look. I found water at both upper, and lower service covers for the heating elements. There are also rust stains from both covers. So it's at least leaking as high as the upper element.

[RAJ7395]

I'm not a fan of electric water heaters at all. The parents have had the same gas unit in their house for close to forty years before it started acting up.

My house has an electric one and I'm always messing with it. The well water here is really bad in terms of minerals that cake up on the electrodes and flake off and collect in the bottom of the tank. Once piled high enough, they blow out the bottom element which shorts out the circuit and destroys the thermostat. So about two times a year I have to replace the lower element and thermostat, drain the tank, and try and vacuum out as much of the chunks as I can. I had two spares of everything on hand at all times. The wife is pissed when she can't take her shower!!

Anyways, my electric water heater started leaking all over the floor last Wednesday night. My water tank had a rust pin hole so was not leaking at the connectors.

So.. I took yesterday off work to install a new high eff gas water heater. Took about 6 hours to install so it wasn't that bad. Running the new gas and power vent lines took the longest.

Keeping my fingers crossed that this one lasts longer and doesn't have the same reliability problems.

The plumbers told me that a a good water softener upstream of the water heater will buy you 2-3 years more water heater life. He also said not to run it over 130 degrees as the salt will break down and clump up inside the tank.

[LiL Jack]

Take a hose to the bottom of the tank and flush it out once a year and this will help, well water is rough on water heaters, gas or electric.

[4dblnkldude]

Originally Posted by LiL Jack

Take a hose to the bottom of the tank and flush it out once a year and this will help, well water is rough on water heaters, gas or electric.

Dittos! Read the manual.

[rexs73gto]

When I moved in to this house in 1986 the water heater was thumping & making all kinds of noise. I was use to soft water from my last house so I put one in. The water heater stopped making noise about 4-5 months later. That water heater was installed in 4/1956 as the sales tag & paper work was still hanging on it. Last aug. this one started to leak out the top. I replaced it with a new gas water heater. I won't ever have an electric because it cost about 1/2 to 3/4 more to operate then a gas water heater. Thas why they cost less because they cost more to run. Also I will always have a softner ahaed of mine because it does keep them a lot cleaner. We have terriable water in my town to so I need a softner in my area. That first water heater would never have lasted that long. I don't really expect to have this one last as long just because they don't make them like they use to. They can't & won't because there in it to sell you more not keep them a long time.

[PonchoV8]

I installed a timer on this one and it made a difference in cost to run it. Flushing last night showed it was full of junk. It hasn't been flushed in a couple of years. No water conditioner at this house.

[1beautifuldaughter]

If you replace your heater and you plan on flushing it once in a while, consider while its new replacing the drain valve with a strait nipple, and a full port ball type valve with a pipe to hose adapter on it.
Drain valves do not really allow flushing properly and get damaged by the grit that comes out. I have had to replace peoples valves many many times over the years because they read the instructions and decided to drain there heaters.

[PonchoV8]

Great advice! I'll do that. The cheap little plastic thing looks pretty easy to damage.
BTW, I flushed mine wrong. I drained it, turned the water back on but closed the drain valve too quickly when refillling. A ton of crap came up through the tub facet for 15 minutes at least. I should've filled the tank some, opened the tank drain and repeated that sequence several times before closing it for good.

[johnsma22]

You also have to replace the sacrificial anode rods in water heaters every few years to extend the life of the tank. Once the anode rods are gone the only thing left to corrode is the tank itself.

[hobbygto65]

Get a tankless. They work great and they don't have a lot of water sitting around in them, and my gas bill went way down.

[dataway]

Originally Posted by johnsma22

You also have to replace the sacrificial anode rods in water heaters every few years to extend the life of the tank. Once the anode rods are gone the only thing left to corrode is the tank itself.

+1 an electric tank can last for decades if the anodes are kept changed and they are flushed now and then.
JohnnyB

[rexs73gto]

The only problem with wanting to change the anode rods are they don't like to come out & when they do come out they tend to leak at the top where they screw in.

[johnsma22]

I've never had a replacement anode rod leak at the threads before, as long as you use tape and pipe dope. I do agree that they can be a pita to remove, as the water heater wants to turn with whatever wrench you're using to remove it.

I've found that using an electric impact gun and a deep socket work very well for removing stubborn anode rods. The other problem people can run into when replacing anode rods is that they may not have enough head room above the water heater to remove and insert full length rods. The old one can be bent as you're removing it, but the new one can't. They make segmented anode rods for this purpose.

[63Banshee]

Good advice here. No bueno if the insulation is wet top to bottom. The tank may have been compromised from cracked internal glass or any number of other issues. I don't waste money on box store water heaters. I found a supply house that sells Bradford White to the public. Be sure to install per current code or your insurance company could tell you to go screw if there's a flood after the new install.

[John V.]

Originally Posted by johnsma22

I've never had a replacement anode rod leak at the threads before, as long as you use tape and pipe dope. I do agree that they can be a pita to remove, as the water heater wants to turn with whatever wrench you're using to remove it.

I've found that using an electric impact gun and a deep socket work very well for removing stubborn anode rods. The other problem people can run into when replacing anode rods is that they may not have enough head room above the water heater to remove and insert full length rods. The old one can be bent as you're removing it, but the new one can't. They make segmented anode rods for this purpose.

John, I've mentioned the anode to people for years. 30 yrs ago I worked in a different div. for a co. that was and is a major player in the water heater biz. My water heater failed so I called a guy I knew on the water heater side and asked him for advice on what to buy. Back then they offered water heaters with 5 yr. and 10 yr. warranties and I asked him what the difference was other than price.

He told me the only difference, the 10 yr. heater had twice the anode material.

He also explained that nobody ever replaced the anode and that many were installed in basements that didn't have the head room needed for replacement. But he told me that if you did replace the anode when needed, the heater figured to last a long time.

Never heard of segmented anodes, they might not have had those back then.

Even knowing this, I have never looked to replace the anode in my heater, haven't stayed long enough in one place to have a failure since I replaced that one 30 years ago. Knock on wood, my current propane heater which is not especially efficient will be 20 years old by year end.

The passive, sacrificial anode is consumed to protect exposed steel in contact with the water from corroding.

After it is spent, the carbon steel will corrode. The inside of the tank is also protected by a silica glass porcelain coating. The coating is pretty rugged and durable and specifically engineered to withstand the high temps of a water heater (water is more aggressive with higher temps). But corrosion can start at a pinhole or other break in the coating and the base steel will corrode until there is a hole unless the anode is protecting it. IIRC, the coating will also tend to fail near the elements or burner because of the concentrated heat cooking it or heat stress cracking it perhaps.

I don't remember if hard or soft water was considered harder on water heaters. Softer water is usually considered more aggressive because of the lower TDS. Ultrapure water (no TDS) will dissolve solids, shorten anode life and even can dissolve glass. I think hard water is also tough on water heaters for other reasons, possibly because it will form scale that requires the heating element or burner to work harder.

But the anode was considered key to preventing corrosion of the tank when I talked to an insider 30 years ago, sounds like it remains true today.

As to price, 30 years ago I could get a co. discount but my insider friend advised me that I'd probably get a better price at a big box store. The highest margin biz was when they sold thru distributors that supplied plumbers for replacement installs. I assume this is still true because the co. I knew eventually concentrated on the replacement biz rather than chase the low margin biz, big box store sales and subdivision contracts.

I also think the tankless heaters have merit but I have a tree hugging, save the world neighbor that installed one 5-6 years ago tops, paying a premium vs. a conventional heater. I recently heard that it failed and they were having to replace it. If that is typical of the life expectancy, I'd pass.

[PonchoV8]

We have hard water here. If I've been told about the anode I've forgotten it. Didn't realize they had one. Is it typically under the pressure relief or where?

The tank started leaking a couple years ago at a fitting so I cut in a ball valve shut off and removed a long clear plastic tube that had a ball inserted in it. It was at least 3-1/2' long. It looked like a check valve. I took it to HD and they had no idea what it was.

[63Banshee]

Some have a stand alone rod under a small cover. Others, like on Bradford White, have the anode attached to the hot water outlet.

[John V.]

Google anode replacement for the brand of water heater you have, will probably find lots of info about replacement.

That plastic pipe sounds like maybe a dip tube.

Here's some info about dip tubes.

http://www.ronhazelton.com/tips/faul...nd_replacement

[PonchoV8]

I just checked my heater and there is no protrusion showing the anode. Some time I'll take the cover off the top to find it to satisfy my curiosity.

Here's a nice video of the segmented rod Johnsma22 mentioned above.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2IUNIUZz4Os

[dataway]

This is the best resource I have found for water heater information:

http://www.waterheaterrescue.com/

I remember his site years before it was a commercial site ...the dude just loves water heaters.

Remember with the "point of use" and/or "tankless" designs can need a VERY substantial electric service. Installation of a tankless unit can often require updated electrical components. Larger breaker/wiring/service depending on what the house has already.

JohnnyB