Water Heaters - Some questions - 5 year old Gas Water Heater with Rusty Water
Doityourself.com community forum was created to provide answers to all questions related to home improvement and home repair. Doityourself community can help you find information about how-to topics on small fixes to large remodeling projects. With comprehensive how-to content and expertly moderated community forums DoItYourself.com makes it easy to tackle even the most complex home improvement projects.View Full Version : Some questions - 5 year old Gas Water Heater with Rusty Water
Zak13
08-24-09, 10:55 PM
I have an A.O. Smith gas water heater that's about 5 years old. A few weeks ago I noticed the hot water having a red color to it. I flushed the water heater out a few times until the water was clear, but the hot water was still rusty the next day.
A called a plumber and after describing the symptoms he said it the glass lining probably is gone and the inside of the tank is rusting.
I gave him the serial# and model of the water heater and he said it was still under warranty (6 year warranty), but he said A.O. Smith would not cover the replacement unless the tank was leaking.
So I have a few questions:
What is the lifespan of these water heaters? I had an Oil one before and the thing lasted decades. 5 years seems pretty short.
The plumber said I could either pay for a new Water heater or wait the year out and maybe it would start leaking. This didn't seem very logical to me, I don't want to have a flood in my basement, plus I don't want to shower in rusty water for a year. Is it safe to bathe in Rusty water?
And do I risk a flood if I don't do something now?
Do all Water heater companies have the same warranty restrictions about rusty water? The A.O. Smith worked flawlessly until the rust.
thanks
A called a plumber and after describing the symptoms he said it the glass lining probably is gone and the inside of the tank is rusting.
I gave him the serial# and model of the water heater and he said it was still under warranty (6 year warranty), but he said A.O. Smith would not cover the replacement unless the tank was leaking.
So I have a few questions:
What is the lifespan of these water heaters? I had an Oil one before and the thing lasted decades. 5 years seems pretty short.
The plumber said I could either pay for a new Water heater or wait the year out and maybe it would start leaking. This didn't seem very logical to me, I don't want to have a flood in my basement, plus I don't want to shower in rusty water for a year. Is it safe to bathe in Rusty water?
And do I risk a flood if I don't do something now?
Do all Water heater companies have the same warranty restrictions about rusty water? The A.O. Smith worked flawlessly until the rust.
thanks
lefty
08-25-09, 11:15 PM
Zak13,
Welcome to the forums.
There are a lot of factors that enter into 'how long will a WH last?'
First, the water that's running through it. My gas WH is 13 years old and doing fine. I'm on city water. A couple of rentals that I do maintenance for get new WH's about every 5 or 6 years because of all of the crap in the well water that runs through them. The hot water piping gets replaced about every 15 years.
The plumber is probably right about the glass lining, but if you have galvanized pipe, it could be that THAT is what's causing your rust problems.
IF the tank begins to leak, chances are that you'll catch it before it actually floods your basement, as long as you are checking the tank regularly. More often than not WH leaks show up as a small one, but they do get worse from there.
Welcome to the forums.
There are a lot of factors that enter into 'how long will a WH last?'
First, the water that's running through it. My gas WH is 13 years old and doing fine. I'm on city water. A couple of rentals that I do maintenance for get new WH's about every 5 or 6 years because of all of the crap in the well water that runs through them. The hot water piping gets replaced about every 15 years.
The plumber is probably right about the glass lining, but if you have galvanized pipe, it could be that THAT is what's causing your rust problems.
IF the tank begins to leak, chances are that you'll catch it before it actually floods your basement, as long as you are checking the tank regularly. More often than not WH leaks show up as a small one, but they do get worse from there.
shacko
08-26-09, 03:04 PM
I would call A.O. Smith and ask them yourself if it's covered or not, I wouldn't take the word of someone that wants to sell you a water heater, luck.