Is my water heater on it's last leg? - Page 2 - DIY Chatroom

gma2rjc · 10-08-2009, 09:45 PM

Hmmm.... a flooded floor would ruin my day. Not to mention the drywall and possibly the carpet on the other side of the wall.

Has anyone ever tried one of those alarms that let's you know if the water heater springs a leak? Do they work?

I was told that it's a good idea to put a pan under the w.heater. I've never seen one, but how would someone get it underneath without moving the w.h. and causing problems with all the things that are connected at the top?

log_doc_rob · 10-09-2009, 06:06 AM

Have plumber come out and repair WH : $130hrx2=$260

2 yrs later, WH rusts finally rusts thru and soaks your home
Replace WH $800
Replace drywall and carpet $500
Total $1560

Have plumber replace WH instead of repair : $800

gma2rjc · 10-09-2009, 08:54 AM

An ounce of prevention is worth......$760.

Good point. It would be much easier without the added repairs.

Thanks.

RegeSullivan · 10-09-2009, 01:14 PM

The pan for a HW heater is a very good thing to do and very cheap insurance. I know this will sound obvious but I have seen so may washer pans lately w/o a drain connected I thought I would mention this. Be sure to drain the pan to a floor drain or it will just fill up and overflow onto the floor anyway.

Yoyizit · 10-09-2009, 01:33 PM

Zircon makes a water detector that floats for $16 .

Re: $1560 vs. $800. This decision makes financial sense if the likelihood of a failure causing catastrophic damage while you own that heater is more than 100(800/1560) = ~50%.
Do you feel lucky?

Buying a water detector or a pan changes the equation, with the cost of either being like paying an insurance premium against water damage. It also makes the "failure" into a "graceful failure."
This assumes very few heaters fail by exploding [check your T & P valve] or by filling an unoccupied house with gas.

gma2rjc · 10-09-2009, 03:44 PM

My w.h. is about 4'-5' from the sump pump. It wouldn't be hard to hook a hose up to a pan under the w.h. The floor slants that way a little bit, but if it was a fast leak, the water could easily run under the furnace (right next to the w.h.) and damage the drywall behind it.

If that happens, I'll have some 'splainin' to do since I've been forewarned.

When a w.h. leaks, does the water come out of the bottom or side of it?

Yoyizit · 10-09-2009, 04:11 PM

OK.
I'm not a plumber but I have the impression that leaking water heaters seep water. The leak may get bigger with time but that is a graceful failure with plenty of warning.

This would be kind of like driving a car with a slow leak in the tire. As long as it's slow enough, you never have to replace the tire.

But, in this case, you are paying for your water.

How 'bout water sensor + pan?

gma2rjc · 10-09-2009, 06:33 PM

The water sensor and pan would be good. It might give me time to save for one that's more energy efficient.

How do you get the pan under the water heater? It seems like you'd have to move the w.h. to slide the pan under. Would that cause the problem explained in post #3?

Quote:

It is easy to have the whole tank rotate and snap off the gas connection and then you have an explosion or get asphyxiated. This is often used as an excuse to replace the entire heater.

Beepster · 10-28-2009, 05:03 PM

It appears this thread has veered off into a different direction from where it started.

I am having similiar problems, water heater not heating long enough. We just moved into a new house and the water starts cooling down towards the end of my wife's shower. I hop in 15 min later and have no problem with hot water. I don't want to hang around long enough to find out what she is talking about.

Perhaps an explanation of what is wrong with the old tube and how this leads to the aforementioned problem. I have never had a water heater apart.

Brian

RegeSullivan · 10-28-2009, 05:43 PM

This thread is going is a couple of directions. Here's the thing... Home Depot, 50 gal gas GE $398 or 50 gal electric $298. If it's broke or old or the wife pissed about a cold shower or what ever, replace it. Over the life of the appliance it's not a lot of money and there is a good chance you will actually save a few bucks because as these things age they become less efficient.

Rege

AllanJ · 10-29-2009, 02:56 PM

Usually the water from a leak will drip (our pour) out of the bottom because the outer shell prevents the water from squirting out in just any direction. But if the leak is lined up with an opening through which a pipe protrudes ...

Quote:

Originally Posted by Beepster

I am having similiar problems, water heater not heating long enough. We just moved into a new house and the water starts cooling down towards the end of my wife's shower. I hop in 15 min later and have no problem with hot water. I don't want to hang around long enough to find out what she is talking about.

Not exactly on topic but if no one has used hot water for awhile, the tank contents may have cooled off a little and the first person gets a not so hot shower and then the tank heater kicks on to give the next person a good shower. You may want to look into an insulating blanket to wrap around the heater. You might try setting the temperaturs a little higher but I don't think you need and I don't think you should set it to "very hot".

log_doc_rob · 10-31-2009, 07:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Yoyizit

OK.
I'm not a plumber but I have the impression that leaking water heaters seep water. The leak may get bigger with time but that is a graceful failure with plenty of warning.

This would be kind of like driving a car with a slow leak in the tire. As long as it's slow enough, you never have to replace the tire.

But, in this case, you are paying for your water.

How 'bout water sensor + pan?

I'm not a plumber either, but I have only had one water heater leak in my 47 years. It gave me no signs until I walked down the hallway and stepped in soaking wet carpet at 4:30am....not fun.

spark plug · 10-31-2009, 09:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by log_doc_rob

I'm not a plumber either, but I have only had one water heater leak in my 47 years. It gave me no signs until I walked down the hallway and stepped in soaking wet carpet at 4:30am....not fun.

That's why you should do something about it when the first symptoms show up! (No matter what)

don't Drink and Drive, Ever!!!