Water Heaters - Hotwater heater leaking
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WiFiGuy
01-02-08, 07:43 AM
Hi and Happy New Year!!!
About a day or so I noticed that my electric hot water heater (82 gal. Kenmore, 15 yrs. old) is leaking from it's bottom.
Right now it's not flowing very hard, but it is showing up on the floor as a puddle of rusty water under and around the heater.
My questions:
1. Is this worth fixing or can it be fixed? I'm thinking 15 years on a HW heater is probably pretty good, and that it may be time to get a new one.
2. Since it's electric (30 amp dedicated from panel) it appears to be fairly straightforward with regard to the installation of a new one. Power is wired to a junction box on the heater which is easily turned off at the panel. There's a hot in and a cold out plus an overflow valve with copper tubing running to our sump pump in the basement. I've done a fair amount of sweat soldering and electrical work so I'm kinda leaning toward a DIY--let me know your thoughts on this.
3. Draining the existing heater looks like the biggest challenge. The sump pump is only about a 8 feet away and I was thinking about draining to it by using a garden hose on the heater drain spigot. By controlling the flow to the pump and not overwhelming it, it should pump the water outside. Once the existing heater is empty, it shouldn't be too heavy to haul out--I hope!!
4. I'll take any advice offered on a replacement heater. I haven't been paying too much attention to the current state of the art on these, so any advice would be appreciated.
Thanks
About a day or so I noticed that my electric hot water heater (82 gal. Kenmore, 15 yrs. old) is leaking from it's bottom.
Right now it's not flowing very hard, but it is showing up on the floor as a puddle of rusty water under and around the heater.
My questions:
1. Is this worth fixing or can it be fixed? I'm thinking 15 years on a HW heater is probably pretty good, and that it may be time to get a new one.
2. Since it's electric (30 amp dedicated from panel) it appears to be fairly straightforward with regard to the installation of a new one. Power is wired to a junction box on the heater which is easily turned off at the panel. There's a hot in and a cold out plus an overflow valve with copper tubing running to our sump pump in the basement. I've done a fair amount of sweat soldering and electrical work so I'm kinda leaning toward a DIY--let me know your thoughts on this.
3. Draining the existing heater looks like the biggest challenge. The sump pump is only about a 8 feet away and I was thinking about draining to it by using a garden hose on the heater drain spigot. By controlling the flow to the pump and not overwhelming it, it should pump the water outside. Once the existing heater is empty, it shouldn't be too heavy to haul out--I hope!!
4. I'll take any advice offered on a replacement heater. I haven't been paying too much attention to the current state of the art on these, so any advice would be appreciated.
Thanks
chandler
01-02-08, 08:19 AM
Yep, 15 years is on borrowed time, and you are correct in replacing it. Your methodology is right on. Turn the power off, hook up a garden hose to the bottom, Turn the inlet water off,open the valve and once water starts flowing, slowly open the T&P valve to allow head space air. Once it is MT, haul it off. Now, finding an 82 gallon heater may be your nemesis. If you have the floor space, as well as the breaker space, I would install two 50's in tandem. I would install the newer corrugated water heater lead-in pipes to make for an easier install and removal if necessary. Don't forget to route the T&P valves down and out of the way, or to a drain.
Who
01-02-08, 11:10 AM
1. Is this worth fixing or can it be fixed? I'm thinking 15 years on a HW heater is probably pretty good, and that it may be time to get a new one.
No
2. Since it's electric (30 amp dedicated from panel) it appears to be fairly straightforward with regard to the installation of a new one. Power is wired to a junction box on the heater which is easily turned off at the panel. There's a hot in and a cold out plus an overflow valve with copper tubing running to our sump pump in the basement. I've done a fair amount of sweat soldering and electrical work so I'm kinda leaning toward a DIY--let me know your thoughts on this.
As long as you feel comfortable with the electrical portion and can handle the wiring in a professional manner. Remember to never allow any current into the tank unless it is full.
3. Draining the existing heater looks like the biggest challenge. The sump pump is only about a 8 feet away and I was thinking about draining to it by using a garden hose on the heater drain spigot. By controlling the flow to the pump and not overwhelming it, it should pump the water outside. Once the existing heater is empty, it shouldn't be too heavy to haul out--I hope!!
If the hot and cold sides are closed, you can control the flow with the level of the safety valve on top.
4. I'll take any advice offered on a replacement heater. I haven't been paying too much attention to the current state of the art on these, so any advice would be appreciated.
If I were looking for an electric water heater I'd seriously consider the Marathon plastic tanks although some would oppose that choice. I would seriously consider how much water heater you truly need. We (family of 4) had a 46 gallon electric for years and would only ever run out when a certain friend would visit than takes long full hot showers.
No
2. Since it's electric (30 amp dedicated from panel) it appears to be fairly straightforward with regard to the installation of a new one. Power is wired to a junction box on the heater which is easily turned off at the panel. There's a hot in and a cold out plus an overflow valve with copper tubing running to our sump pump in the basement. I've done a fair amount of sweat soldering and electrical work so I'm kinda leaning toward a DIY--let me know your thoughts on this.
As long as you feel comfortable with the electrical portion and can handle the wiring in a professional manner. Remember to never allow any current into the tank unless it is full.
3. Draining the existing heater looks like the biggest challenge. The sump pump is only about a 8 feet away and I was thinking about draining to it by using a garden hose on the heater drain spigot. By controlling the flow to the pump and not overwhelming it, it should pump the water outside. Once the existing heater is empty, it shouldn't be too heavy to haul out--I hope!!
If the hot and cold sides are closed, you can control the flow with the level of the safety valve on top.
4. I'll take any advice offered on a replacement heater. I haven't been paying too much attention to the current state of the art on these, so any advice would be appreciated.
If I were looking for an electric water heater I'd seriously consider the Marathon plastic tanks although some would oppose that choice. I would seriously consider how much water heater you truly need. We (family of 4) had a 46 gallon electric for years and would only ever run out when a certain friend would visit than takes long full hot showers.