Build-up on top of water heater

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AlGreen

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I have very little experience with water heaters, including what's normal and what's not. Which category does this build-up fall into?
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Terry

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The copper and the galvanized aren't happy with each other. The galvanized loses that battle. You may have a small leak there, helping things to rust.
 

AlGreen

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The copper and the galvanized aren't happy with each other. The galvanized loses that battle. You may have a small leak there, helping things to rust.

Ah, ok. Makes sense. Is there anything I can do about this that doesn't require calling someone to replace a pipe?
 

Terry

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Ah, ok. Makes sense. Is there anything I can do about this that doesn't require calling someone to replace a pipe?

How old is the water heater? If it's over ten years old, I wouldn't bother spending much time or money on it.
They don't often last longer than 15 years.
 

Master Plumber Mark

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there is not much you can do for this , I would leave it alone
also it might be a good idea to place a shim or leg under that thermal
expansion tank down to the top of the heater,,,
to displace the weight and stress on the copper pipes...
If that expansion tank is already water logged it weighs about 25 lbs and can be part of the issue being something that is causing extra stress on the pipes...at that joint...
...



 

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AlGreen

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there is not much you can do for this , I would leave it alone
also it might be a good idea to place a shim or leg under that thermal
expansion tank down to the top of the heater,,,
to displace the weight and stress on the copper pipes...
If that expansion tank is already water logged it weighs about 25 lbs and can be part of the issue being something that is causing extra stress on the pipes...at that joint...
...



I didn't know they can get that heavy. Does it matter if I shim it with a piece of wood?
 

Master Plumber Mark

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Yea, a peice of wood works fine..... anything to displace the weight to the heater instead
of all the weight being transferred to the fitting arm.... Anything will work as long as you dont
cram too large a piece in there....

You can hang a piece of bailing wire down from the ceiling rafters and loop it around the tank a few times if you so choose.... I prefer the shim


If you see that heater you notice that I use
a peice of pvc pipe to firm up the arm under the thermal tank.....
 

Tom098

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For nothing:
Watts used to recommend locating the TET 24" from the W/H.

Whats happening with the Draft Hood Connector - the image isn't the best on my monitor but the connector seems "odd"?

The plastic rings at the tappings appear distorted - perhaps there's a venting issue?
 
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