Water Heaters - Water heater leak... please help

Our house was built in 1999, so our water heater (gas) isn't that old.

I came home last night to find one side of the garage flooded. It was dripping from the temperature/pressure relief valve. I hooked up a hose and let out a lot of water to clear any sediment that might be blocking it. That didn't fix the problem, so I drained most of the tank to change out the valve.

At the very end of the drain cycle, there was quite a bit of what looks like globs of wax (white, rubbery, small odd shaped) that came out of the hose. I got the new valve on and filled the tank back up. I've drained the valve a few times and it comes out clear.

The FIRST problem is that we just gave our daughter a bath and the water had a greenish tint to it and there was A LOT of sediment floating around in the bath. I confirmed that it's only coming from the hot side, and not the cold. I've since drained more water (from the drain, not the relief valve), but the sediment problem remains.

The SECOND prolblem is that I don't think the new valve fixed the problem. It appears the leak slowed down quite a bit, but it seems to still be dripping. I'll check it again in the morning.

The tank has a 2 year (I believe) warranty on parts, and 6 on the tank. Could this be a tank problem?

I do also have an expansion tank on it. Does the gas heater have thermostats that may need to be replaced?

Thanks so much for the help.

Justin

It sounds more like a water problem than a heater problem. Some water is high in calcium and the deposits build up rapidly. What you should do is turn off the water supply (and the gas) to the heater. Open a hot water faucet to prevent air lock. Hook up a hose and drain the tank. Then turn the cold water supply on with the hose still hooked up and draining. Watch the hose until the water runs clear. You can turn the water off every couple minutes to let the deposits drain out. When you quit getting anything out of the hose except water, you should be ready to go. Good luck.

Sounds like the dip tube has come apart, which would account for the white junk. The TPR valve may just need replacing, however I would take water pressure at a hose bib. There was a recall for dip tube some time back. Google it and look around

1999 is supposed to be beyond the dip tube problem era, but dont rule it out. A builder could have stockpiled some WH for a couple of years. Take the serial number off the data plate and go to the mfg. website. They wil have info as to whether or not your unit is affected.

Thanks for the suggestions. I'll look that stuff up. I changed out the TP valve yesterday and it was only dripping a bit. I put a bucket under it just in case. This morning, the bucket overfilled and completely flooded the garage. It's dripping quite a bit more now. It looks like I'll probably have to replace a 6-year old heater I guess. Would you agree?

Another area to check from your description of the problem would be if you have a water softener installed. Do you? Failed softeners can dump partially dissolved solids into your heater and caused the symptoms you described.