Question about water heater

[kenimpzoom]

Guys, my electric water heater is inside the house (next to the washer/dryer).<br /><br />Do you think I would benifit from a water heater blanket?<br /><br />Also, my unit is 11 years old. They say the service life is 13 yrs old.<br /><br />What usually fails?<br /><br />Thanks, Ken

 

[deputydawg]

Re: Question about water heater

I would think your unit should last more than......wait you mean water heater?<br /><br />What I have seen go most on these is the heating element. It either burns out or around here things get clogged with hard water deposits.

 

[Limited-Time]

Re: Question about water heater

The heating elements generally go first followed by the t-stat. both easily replaced. The kiss of death is tank rust out, but that’s rare. As for the blanket, if your tank feels warm to the touch, it will help.

 

[Paul Moir]

Re: Question about water heater

Failure in an electric water heater is usually excessive rust causing a leak. Often it begins around the water inlet & outlet bungs. The elements can get caked up and burn out, but they're relatively cheap and easy to replace. Thermostat failure is sometimes caused by a leaking tank - check it for signs of rust.<br /><br />If you maintain the anode in them, they'll last a lot longer. A lot of people don't even know they're there. Fortunately they all seem to be a standard size and have the same fitting. They look like a pipe plug in the top of the water heater. Sometimes they're exposed, sometimes they're under a cover and sometimes you have to take the whole sheet metal lid off to find them, but all water heaters have them.<br />Normally there's a 3/4" bar of aluminium about 3' long hanging off the plug. If eaten away and crudded up, it's time for a new one. Cost is about $20, and you should check every couple years or so.<br />Around here, tanks last about two years longer than the warranty period if they're not maintained at all. Longer warranty tanks are simply thicker.<br /><br />EDIT: You can also get magnesium anodes for better protection, but they cost more. Naturally, they also disappear quicker because of that better protection.

 

[kenimpzoom]

Re: Question about water heater

Thanks guys, my tank doesnt feel warm so I think the blanket will be useless. It would be a stuggle to get one on cause its right next to the wall.<br /><br />I will check the annode.<br /><br />Ken

 

[aspeck]

Re: Question about water heater

Ken, a blanket is never useless, it is just added insulation. The amount of difference it will make depends. If your hot water heater is 10 years old, a blanket should help. Also helps to put the hot water heater on a timer so it just comes on in the morning and evening - before uses.<br /><br />Another help for the life of a hot water heater is to drain and flush them every year. I just learned this the hard way. My water authority puts Potassium Hydroxide in the water to control the acidity of the water. The problem is that this compound congels at higher temps, leaving a scum and eventually a white, flaky compound over everything. I circulate my hot water between the hot water tank and my geothermal heater. In 2 years it clogged and burnt out the circulating pump. Left a couple more years and I would have had it up over the heating element of the hot water heater!

 

[Paul Moir]

Re: Question about water heater

I agree 100% with what aspeck said there. Part of my anode check routine is to drain the tank. Attach the hose, shut off the water to the tank, open the drain and remove the anode to let air into the tank. I try to shut it off a few hours in advance too. When the tank is empty it might be pretty simple to move the tank an inch or two one way or the other depending on how it's plumbed.<br /><br />Putting a little insulation over the first couple feet of pipe helps a lot, as does insulating over the blowoff valve. The jacket helps a lot too, especially if the water heater is in a cold unheated place. <br />Actually, I suppose that wouldn't really apply to you since you have to pay to have heat removed from your houses. Around here we have an 8 month heating season, so 2/3rds of the time the energy wasted by the water heater just ends up relieving the furnace anyway.

 

[Boomyal]

Re: Question about water heater

I have been told that 'blankets' on later model (10-15 yrs) heaters are not necessary. They also can cause condensation that would shorten the life of the heater.

 

[ED21]

Re: Question about water heater

In my experience they rust out & leak. Unless you have a pan unde it, piped to a drain, you're in for a big mess when it goes. Hopefully you'll see shortly after it starts to leak.

 

[dhud64]

Re: Question about water heater

Anybody ever use a tankless water heater? <br />My water heater is about 11 years old, I've been hearing about tankless heaters, and even watched a DVD demo about a gas/electric version. I guess these things are popular in Europe, but I'm not convinced. <br />It sounds like if you try to over use it, it will provide the temp of water you want, but it will also reduce the flow to do it. BAH...

 

[ob]

Re: Question about water heater

The first thing I have found that fails on almost all water heaters is the cheap plastic dip tube below the water inlet.Most are made of plastic and are held in place by a thin flare lip just under the inlet fitting.Once this dip tube falls inside the tank,water inlet is no longer routed directly to tank bottom.This prevents waterflow agitation of suspended particulates which are then able to accumulate near tank bottom and eventually to the lower element.You can avoid this by scrapping the stock dip tube and replacing with one of copper or stainless and flaring the end just like the stock one.The plastic ones get brittle with age.Draining and flushing the tank annually will also remove any settled sediment from tank.The dip tube is very often overlooked.

 

[Ron G]

Re: Question about water heater

Very good point ob and when they do crumble up and get into your lines you talking about a mess all your values get clogged and faucets its constant taking them apart and cleaing.we average here 10 to 15 years on the tanks,we change out at least 20 a year some years more.