Advice on electric hot water heater

[grengadgy]

How do you know when to replace a hot water heater?

What to look for:

• Leaks: If your water heater is leaking, it must be replaced immediately. Leaks are usually the result of pressure buildup inside the tank. This happens when the water pressure or temperature is too high, or when the unit’s relief valve is not working properly. Neglecting a leak can lead to a tank explosion. Signs of leaks include moisture or puddles around the water heater’s base and water corrosion on the side of your tank. Contact a trusted professional immediately if you notice these warning signs.
• Knocking Noises: Loud noises are an indication of sediment buildup. As sediment hardens, it can move around the tank and cause knocking, rumbling and gurgling sounds. To preserve your water heater and prevent unecessary wear and tear, have it flushed regularly to remove any deposits from the tank’s heating elements.
• Rusty Water: Water discoloration is a clear sign your unit is underperforming. Rust-colored water or water with a metallic odor can mean a few things. Either the sacrificial anode rod needs to be replaced or the tank itself is beginning to rust, often due to corrosion at the steel lining. A corroded tank must be replaced as soon as possible.
• Cloudy Water: When you see cloudy water, it may indicate you have a sediment buildup in your water heater.
• Cold Water: If your water remains cold even after you turn on the hot water tap, a heating element may be broken.

 

[Nalt]

How do you know when to replace a hot water heater?

What to look for:

• Leaks: If your water heater is leaking, it must be replaced immediately. Leaks are usually the result of pressure buildup inside the tank. This happens when the water pressure or temperature is too high, or when the unit’s relief valve is not working properly. Neglecting a leak can lead to a tank explosion. Signs of leaks include moisture or puddles around the water heater’s base and water corrosion on the side of your tank. Contact a trusted professional immediately if you notice these warning signs.
• Knocking Noises: Loud noises are an indication of sediment buildup. As sediment hardens, it can move around the tank and cause knocking, rumbling and gurgling sounds. To preserve your water heater and prevent unecessary wear and tear, have it flushed regularly to remove any deposits from the tank’s heating elements.
• Rusty Water: Water discoloration is a clear sign your unit is underperforming. Rust-colored water or water with a metallic odor can mean a few things. Either the sacrificial anode rod needs to be replaced or the tank itself is beginning to rust, often due to corrosion at the steel lining. A corroded tank must be replaced as soon as possible.
• Cloudy Water: When you see cloudy water, it may indicate you have a sediment buildup in your water heater.
• Cold Water: If your water remains cold even after you turn on the hot water tap, a heating element may be broken.

The ONLY sure way to know when to replace your hot water heater is when it will not heat hot water. Duh...

 

[grengadgy]

The ONLY sure way to know when to replace your hot water heater is when it will not heat hot water. Duh...

The top element in a dual element water heater ends up heating hot water in the quick recovery mode. Because of layering cold water settles to bottom of the tank and hot water rises to the top of the tank. And no both elements aren't on at the same time. Bottom element heats the cold water and the top element heats the hot water all of this is after the initial start-up.

 

[CDGator]

How do you know when to replace a hot water heater?

What to look for:

• Leaks: If your water heater is leaking, it must be replaced immediately. Leaks are usually the result of pressure buildup inside the tank. This happens when the water pressure or temperature is too high, or when the unit’s relief valve is not working properly. Neglecting a leak can lead to a tank explosion. Signs of leaks include moisture or puddles around the water heater’s base and water corrosion on the side of your tank. Contact a trusted professional immediately if you notice these warning signs.
• Knocking Noises: Loud noises are an indication of sediment buildup. As sediment hardens, it can move around the tank and cause knocking, rumbling and gurgling sounds. To preserve your water heater and prevent unecessary wear and tear, have it flushed regularly to remove any deposits from the tank’s heating elements.
• Rusty Water: Water discoloration is a clear sign your unit is underperforming. Rust-colored water or water with a metallic odor can mean a few things. Either the sacrificial anode rod needs to be replaced or the tank itself is beginning to rust, often due to corrosion at the steel lining. A corroded tank must be replaced as soon as possible.
• Cloudy Water: When you see cloudy water, it may indicate you have a sediment buildup in your water heater.
• Cold Water: If your water remains cold even after you turn on the hot water tap, a heating element may be broken.

So here’s the kicker. None of the above applies. Seedy has drained it 2-3 times max in 17 years. He said one tank had some rust/sediment. Elements are testing fine. But they are 17 years old! We have no reason to believe that they will fail anytime soon but the lifespan says 10-15 years old for electric heaters. Maybe it’s because we have a double filtration water system coming into the house that they’ve done so well. Would you be pro-active and replace them now?

 

[soflagator]

I thought I could offer some help here but sounds like she’ll need a professional that’s an expert in this area. I’d just Google “biologists near me”.

 

[grengadgy]

Would you be pro-active and replace them now?

My wife and I built our house in 1982 and our water heater was still going strong in 2016 when a copper ice maker water line blew out and ruined the storage room , shot through an open door an did thousands of dollars damage to dining room and furniture. We chose to replace the water heater because the insurance company was paying to disconnect the water heater and after wall repairs were made they paid to reinstall it. So we just slide a new water heater in its place.

The dining room had venetian plaster walls and the contractor had no idea had what he was doing and the 1st wall that he did fell down over night. The insurance company ended up paying my wife to make the repairs..

Back to the water heater, I changed the bottom element twice but it had no leaks and no build-up in the tank so it had lasted 34 years when I relaced it .

 

[CDGator]

My wife and I built our house in 1982 and our water heater was still going strong in 2016 when a copper ice maker water line blew out and ruined the storage room , shot through an open door an did thousands of dollars damage to dining room and furniture. We chose to replace the water heater because the insurance company was paying to disconnect the water heater and after wall repairs were made they paid to reinstall it. So we just slide a new water heater in its place.

The dining room had venetian plaster walls and the contractor had no idea had what he was doing and the 1st wall that he did fell down over night. The insurance company ended up paying my wife to make the repairs..

Back to the water heater, I changed the bottom element twice but it had no leaks and no build-up in the tank so it had lasted 34 years when I relaced it .

Ouch, that’s a homeowner’s nightmare. We had a hose bust off under the kitchen sink once but we were home and heard it happen. Now we shut off the water when we leave town.

 

[CDGator]

Get a text this morning from our daughter. Her boyfriend's water heater busted in his apartment last night and he gets a call from the downstairs neighbor at 4am that water is leaking through.

 

[URGatorBait]

Get a text this morning from our daughter. Her boyfriend's water heater busted in his apartment last night and he gets a call from the downstairs neighbor at 4am that water is leaking through.

it's a water heater epidemic

 

[grengadgy]

Get a text this morning from our daughter. Her boyfriend's water heater busted in his apartment last night and he gets a call from the downstairs neighbor at 4am that water is leaking through.

Same happened at our condo in Jacksonville except it was a slow drip type leak.