Water Heaters - LP 30 gal - 2 questions

This will be my first full 'cold season' with my mid-1999 GE Smart WH labeled '6 year'. When I moved in, at the end of last winter, it seemed to struggle with maintaining hot water (tank therm on 'hot') and produced cloudy water in the start of a hot water stream. I flushed it when I first moved in and again a month or two later. I don't know if or how often the P.O. did it.

It just doesn't seem to stay clear for anymore than a month or two. And it also seems to fall back to cold at the tap extremely fast and takes a while for hot water. By fast I'm talking a matter of a few minutes later I need to run it for a while to get hot again.

At the time that I had the gas turned on, the guy checked all flames in the house and said the WH was burning good and clean.

Do these problems translate into the need for a new WH? I don't want to get jammed over the winter or find a flood in garage, tho' I don't seem to see any leakage yet.

The house is still running under a 'new owner' type of warranty policy and should cover it.

So - should I plan on a replacement?
And all I see is 6 year tanks for propane - is that the limit?

I think your water heater is too small. 30 gallons translates to about 20 gallons of hot water due to mixing of incoming cold water with the existing hot water already in the tank. If possible get a bigger one when you decide to replace. It's also possible your dip tube is bad.

There is no way to predict when the tank will start leaking. The age suggests it's close to the end. I also believe your water has a high mineral content. Frequent draining is a good idea. My favorite brand is Bradford-White.

Since the majority of gas water heaters use natural as opposed to LP, most manufacturers only carry one model for LP. They don't want to set up another production line. My opinion is the shorter warranty unit's tank lasts just as long as the longer warranty units. Some brands simply change the label and nothing else, while others will give you a few extra bells and whistles with the same tank.

I agree the tank is too small. Being just me, it doesn't pose too much of a problem other than what I described. The next tank will be bigger The P.O. had a 4 bedroom house full of people and I wonder how many got short-changed on their showers!

All that cycling could accelerate any 'wear' couldn't it?


Let me ask you this, being I should be covered on that warranty - judging by the age of the unit and considering that, as you said, the dip tube may be bad or going bad, would it be wise to replace it (I think yes?)?

I've learned from reading here that having a Big Box do the install might not be a wise decision - true? I'm in the same boat as another poster in that I'm w/out a way to bring a unit home.

Not sure what is covered under home warranty.

When it's time to replace, find a good plumber and follow his advice.