Disgusting Viscous Liquid Discharge from Hot Water Heater

[Jac]

We had a brand new Maxi-Therm indirect hot water heater from Crown Boiler Co. installed in March 2017. It is heated by an oil fed furnace. As stated by the Co. "Both the tank and the internal coil are coated with a porcelain enamel... The tank also contains three sacrificial anode rods... Combined with two inches of CFC-free foam insulation all around the tank..."

The relief valve was recently opened and out came a disgusting off-white viscous liquid. The consistency is thick, like adding syrup to water - not at all fluid like water. See photos. We took a sample to a lab to be tested, they said they had never seen anything like it before. We await the results.

Please could someone let us know if you have heard of this problem as we are concerned that this liquid might be dangerous to our health. Thank you.

 

[Reach4]

The photos look less alarming than your description. Let the glass sit 24 hours undisturbed, and take another photo.

EDIT: About this viscous thing... Are you sure you aren't exaggerating a bit?It has become obvious that this was not an exaggeration.

On an indirect water heater, is that T+P valve on the hot side from the boiler? I would think so, but I don't know how those are. But if the sample is from the hotter part, that is isolated from the part that goes to your faucets.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[Jac]

The photos look less alarming than your description. Let the glass sit 24 hours undisturbed, and take another photo.

About this viscous thing... Are you sure you aren't exaggerating a bit?

On an indirect water heater, is that T+P valve on the hot side from the boiler? I would think so, but I don't know how those are. But if the sample is from the hotter part, that is isolated from the part that goes to your faucets.

Thanks, back in 24 with photo.

 

[Reach4]

https://www.weil-mclain.com/sites/d...ired-water-heater-troubleshooting-guide_1.pdf causes me to now believe that the T+P relief valve is on the hot water faucet side rather than on the boiler side. That makes your discovery more concerning I think.

The boiler system would have its own relief valve.

 

[Smooky]

Take a look at the link below. This might be why you are experiencing a slimy substance in your tank. It could be a by product of the anode. Read the info in the link especially the section near the bottom titled: Why We Don't Like Aluminum Anodes
http://www.waterheaterrescue.com/Longevity/water-heater-anodes.html

 

[Reach4]

Take a look at the link below. This might be why you are experiencing a slimy substance in your tank. It could be a by product of the anode. Read the info in the link especially the section near the bottom titled: Why We Don't Like Aluminum Anodes
http://www.waterheaterrescue.com/Longevity/water-heater-anodes.html

Wow! here is the surprising text you are referring to:

• Second, it produces about a thousand times its original volume in corrosion byproduct, most of which falls into the bottom of the tank as a sort of jelly, and adds to sediment buildup there.

One good thing, such a compound would not be dangerous for washing. It would not ingest it. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21157018 says

The hypothesis that Al significantly contributes to AD is built upon very solid experimental evidence and should not be dismissed. Immediate steps should be taken to lessen human exposure to Al, which may be the single most aggravating and avoidable factor related to AD.​

Jac, I use a powered anode. It protects like magnesium, but it does not provide chemicals for reactions. But it is much more expensive than a conventional anode (it is now $257 for one like mine with the long titanium electrode). I expect to move mine to my next WH.

WH flushing can be done different ways. The simplest is to

1. Turn off the water, and put the WH in vacation mode, if it has one. Otherwise off.
2. Open a hot water tap to pass air.
3. Drain the WH completely
4. Turn the water supply on fully for a few seconds, and turn off. You are trying to cause turbulence to the bottom of the tank.
5. Do steps 3 and 4 several times. If you have a way to monitor the drained water, you could judge by what you are getting out.
6. Turn the water and WH back on. Close the hot water tap once the air has been expelled and just water is coming out.​

 

[Master Plumber Mark]

I would not drink that stuff if I were you...
I have seen much worse and have always
wondered if bathing in this tank full of hot water
with this crap at the bottom was healthy.....

That stuff looks common to most water heaters and boilers..
If you put a garden hose on that faucet and ran it full force for a few minutes every few months
it would probably keep the unit clean of this problem....

So do you have a water softener to cut down
the minerals in your water???

I like this picture .... its kind of a blue or aqua-marine sort of color....

 

[Jadnashua]

What temperature do you keep the WH? If it's organic verses a chemical reaction, running the tank at a higher temperature will kill most things. Let us know what the test people say it is...

 

[Master Plumber Mark]

What temperature do you keep the WH? If it's organic verses a chemical reaction, running the tank at a higher temperature will kill most things. Let us know what the test people say it is...

they claim that legionairres disease can happen if you do not have the heat set up high enough to kill
off microbes .... With the temp too low you basically have an Aquarium going on and everything can grow
in those lower temps....

 

[Reach4]

There are various references to aluminum hydroxide forming in water heaters. It can form a gel, and it can also contribute to noise generation. Here are some links:

http://www.hotwater.com/lit/bulletin/bulletin14.pdf
https://terrylove.com/forums/index.php?threads/aluminum-hydroxide.46680/
http://www.statewaterheaters.com/literature/technical-bulletins/noisy-water-heaters/

 

[Reach4]

The relief valve was recently opened and out came a disgusting off-white viscous liquid.

As far as I can see, the specific gravity of aluminum hydroxide gel would be well over one... it should sink. The relief valve is at the top. Did you mean the drain valve?

 

[Jac]

Take a look at the link below. This might be why you are experiencing a slimy substance in your tank. It could be a by product of the anode. Read the info in the link especially the section near the bottom titled: Why We Don't Like Aluminum Anodes
http://www.waterheaterrescue.com/Longevity/water-heater-anodes.html

Many thanks Smooky. I read the whole article which is really interesting. Now I feel more confident as to what is going on.

 

[Jac]

Wow! here is the surprising text you are referring to:

• Second, it produces about a thousand times its original volume in corrosion byproduct, most of which falls into the bottom of the tank as a sort of jelly, and adds to sediment buildup there.

One good thing, such a compound would not be dangerous for washing. It would not ingest it. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21157018 says

The hypothesis that Al significantly contributes to AD is built upon very solid experimental evidence and should not be dismissed. Immediate steps should be taken to lessen human exposure to Al, which may be the single most aggravating and avoidable factor related to AD.​

Jac, I use a powered anode. It protects like magnesium, but it does not provide chemicals for reactions. But it is much more expensive than a conventional anode (it is now $257 for one like mine with the long titanium electrode). I expect to move mine to my next WH.

WH flushing can be done different ways. The simplest is to

1. Turn off the water, and put the WH in vacation mode, if it has one. Otherwise off.
2. Open a hot water tap to pass air.
3. Drain the WH completely
4. Turn the water supply on fully for a few seconds, and turn off. You are trying to cause turbulence to the bottom of the tank.
5. Do steps 3 and 4 several times. If you have a way to monitor the drained water, you could judge by what you are getting out.
6. Turn the water and WH back on. Close the hot water tap once the air has been expelled and just water is coming out.​

Reach4, many thanks for all your info and links which I read. We don't have soft water and we are waiting to see what the pH test result is. This old gal of 59 will look at all the facts when the tests come in to decide what to do. If we can't get magnesium anodes to replace the aluminum ones (although when I looked at the Crown Boiler site, nowhere did it say what the anodes are made of), perhaps we'll replace this new heater with another new one that has magnesium ones. (Sucks).

 

[Jac]

As far as I can see, the specific gravity of aluminum hydroxide gel would be well over one... it should sink. The relief valve is at the top. Did you mean the drain valve?

Yes, I meant the drain valve.

 

[Jac]

What temperature do you keep the WH? If it's organic verses a chemical reaction, running the tank at a higher temperature will kill most things. Let us know what the test people say it is...

The temperature is set at 110. Will let you know test results.

 

[Jac]

I would not drink that stuff if I were you...
I have seen much worse and have always
wondered if bathing in this tank full of hot water
with this crap at the bottom was healthy.....

That stuff looks common to most water heaters and boilers..
If you put a garden hose on that faucet and ran it full force for a few minutes every few months
it would probably keep the unit clean of this problem....

So do you have a water softener to cut down
the minerals in your water???

I like this picture .... its kind of a blue or aqua-marine sort of color....

View attachment 41135

Love your photo Mark - exactly the same gloop that we have! We have no water softener. The health factors are very real and it's too bad that not more people know about it. Thanks for the input.

 

[Jac]

There are various references to aluminum hydroxide forming in water heaters. It can form a gel, and it can also contribute to noise generation. Here are some links:

http://www.hotwater.com/lit/bulletin/bulletin14.pdf
https://terrylove.com/forums/index.php?threads/aluminum-hydroxide.46680/
http://www.statewaterheaters.com/literature/technical-bulletins/noisy-water-heaters/

Thank you Reach 4 - great info. Read every one!

 

[Jadnashua]

Recommend that you set your WH temp to at least 120-degrees. You can set it higher, but you will need to add a tempering valve to limit the output. Where I live, it's required to install a tempering valve on any WH installation. Lower than that, and it tends to grow all sorts of things organic.

 

[Master Plumber Mark]

 

[Master Plumber Mark]

I had these other shots that took me a while to find from back in 2005 They are just as
yummey ... it seems that the color of the goo is never the same due to factors like water
and hardness.....