Orange water from fairly new AO Smith water heater

[Jeff H Young]

bad tank

 

[Bojacked]

I phoned AO Smith and described the symptoms. AO Smith is telling me "its bacteria in the hot water heater". But, they really didn't have any concrete ways to remove the bacteria from the hot water heater.

Anyone have a solution for this apparently bacteria problem?

 

[Sponsor]

 

[WorthFlorida]

Is this a new problem? How long has the anode been installed? Have you tried bypassing the water softener? Have you cleaned the water softener with iron out or use salt with iron remover?

For nearly 40 years of troubleshooting telephone business systems, eliminate and isolate.

Remove the anode rod and cap it off. Empty the tank and pour in about a quart of bleach. With power off fill the tank and let it sit for a few hours. Drain the tank and flush water through it to rid of the chlorine. With a full tank turn the power on. When it heats up check the water, if it's clear. reinstall the anode rod. Let it heat up and check again.

I think you have a gas water heater and they usually get mineral deposits at the bottom of the tank but with a water softener there should not be much sediment? If you hear gurgling while the flame is on, it's the sediment there is a coating the bottom of the tank. This makes it less efficient. I'm

 

[Jeff H Young]

so why the electric anode , filter , and a softener water quality not so good ?. have you been testing the water ? bacteria should show up in test right?

 

[Jeff H Young]

actually a similar problem with a guy having his filter turn orange or red was commented in a similar problem today under the pumps and wells section. your problem is hot only

 

[Master Plumber Mark]

Here's a test that I did today.

1. I filled our washing machine with hot water, which of course was orange.
2. I then drained the hot water heater completely.
3. I then filled our washing machine with "hot" water, which of course was not hot as the cold water did not have time to reach temperature.
4. The water from #3 was for the most part "clear". Much more so than from #1 above.
5. I then let the hot water heater run for 2 hours.
6. Once again, I filled the washing machine with hot water, which by this time was hot.
7. The orange water returned.

This tells me that the orange water is being created during the heating process of the hot water heater.

Unless I'm missing something.

Well then you need a new water heater.... My guess is the glass lineing of the water heater has shattered somehow over the years and now it is leaching rust into the water from the steel.... that has got to be what is going on..

You have not said how old the heater is so I am thinking that maybe
it took a fall during shipping long ago and now it is gonna
bleed rust out until it finally leaks..... or it could just be wear and tear that has finally
started it rusting out...

I suggest you get a new water heater and spend the money in that direction...

 

[Jeff H Young]

Well then you need a new water heater.... My guess is the glass lineing of the water heater has shattered somehow over the years and now it is leaching rust into the water from the steel.... that has got to be what is going on..

You have not said how old the heater is so I am thinking that maybe
it took a fall during shipping long ago and now it is gonna
bleed rust out until it finally leaks..... or it could just be wear and tear that has finally
started it rusting out...

I suggest you get a new water heater and spend the money in that direction...

3 years old it was in thefirst sentance of the first post . Also the headline was" fairly new heater" I would have changed out the tank gotten a freebie from smith, lowes or whoever

 

[Master Plumber Mark]

3 years old it was in thefirst sentance of the first post . Also the headline was" fairly new heater" I would have changed out the tank gotten a freebie from smith, lowes or whoever

Sorry, I did not see how old it was..... just tell them its leaking and switch it out....

I bet it got dropped off the top shelf at lowes and smacked the floor hard but did not
injure the box or body of the heater.... Somewhere in shipping it took a hard drop.....

just change it
and if I am wrong,,, then you can give me a stern lecture....
you can even call me a low life duchebag
for steering you the wrong way

 

[Jeff H Young]

Sorry, I did not see how old it was..... just tell them its leaking and switch it out....

I bet it got dropped off the top shelf at lowes and smacked the floor hard but did not
injure the box or body of the heater.... Somewhere in shipping it took a hard drop.....

just change it
and if I am wrong,,, then you can give me a stern lecture....
you can even call me a low life duchebag
for steering you the wrong way

my thoughts exactly Mark, They never checked my leaky pos tank! but i think a droppewd tank would likely cause what you say I thought about it a lot I just have no way of knowing if this happens seems totaly logicalk though. Also I figure wewll you got another new tank out of it! of cource we dont pay labor for it

 

[Master Plumber Mark]

my thoughts exactly Mark, They never checked my leaky pos tank! but i think a droppewd tank would likely cause what you say I thought about it a lot I just have no way of knowing if this happens seems totaly logicalk though. Also I figure wewll you got another new tank out of it! of cource we dont pay labor for it

I bought a bunch of damaged gas rheem heaters back in 2013,
a semi load of rheem water heaters did a flip on the interstate
on the way to south bend indiana and the driver was even killed.. it was a bad accident.
I bought the whole load of 140 of them for something like 50 bucks each....
The gas controls and burner assemblies alone were that much each..
so I could not lose..
.
I sold them all on craigs list for 250 each and I kept maybe 40 of the best ones for myself.
and I installed them as scratch and dent units ... they sold like hotcakes..

I only had one of them that you could hear the porcelain glass clinking around in the tank
and the rest of the load to my knowledge
are still out there chugging along...... that was about 10 years ago