Old water heater and preventative maint.

[kmdakota1]

We bought our house 8 years ago and have not had any problems with the water heater. I have just learned about the whole flushing and replacing of the anode rod. I asked the previous home owner if they ever did maintenance to the water heater and they said no. I ordered the anode rod and also a full port 3/4 inch ball valve to do the professional flush. I'm quite sure the water heater is at minimum 15-16 years old. Looks in good shape but of course i can't see inside the thing. House has a water softening system. I hooked a garden hose to the spigot on water heater and opened it up and surprisingly the water was not dirty, just a little bit of some stuff that looked like rock salt but much smaller pieces. that was it. My dad cautioned me about trying to get the old anode rod out and that if there might be any corrosion in the tank that i may possibly destroy the tank by getting the old rod out because of the amount of force and torque on the tank and corrosion could break it. so now i'm worried to put the new spigot in or try to get old anode rod out. It's a state select 40 gal gas heater. Manufacturing date on tag says 1996. Should i just wait out the life of the tank or take the chance and replace rod and spigot? Again, no hot water issues at all. Nice hot water all the time and no smell. Just wanted to do preventative maint.

 

[Reach4]

I would replace the anode, but I expect that would need an impact wrench. If you do use the impact wrench, do it with the WH full of water. On the other hand, maybe you should follow your dad's advice and promote harmony in the process. I am not a pro. Most pros don't change anodes, if my observations are correct.

On flushing the WH, did you turn on the water on full for a short interval a few times once the WH had drained? The purpose would be to produce turbulence on the that would wash sediment out.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[Jadnashua]

Most of the time (unless you are on a well), sediment in the WH is from mineral deposits caused by the heating of the water, along the same line as what happens to your coffee pot or tea kettle. If you soften your water, you've removed nearly all of the minerals, so there's almost nothing to precipitate or accumulate in the WH (on a well, you might get some sand or other sediment). A buildup of minerals can act like an insulator, meaning the heat source might end up getting hotter than desired, creating higher stresses on things. Normally, the water absorbs that heat quite readily, limiting the peak temperatures. Have you ever boiled water in a paper cup? The top of the cup will burn off, but it will merrily sit and boil with what remains because the water is pulling the heat, limiting the heat gain from the flame. Only when the water is gone (or you insulated it from the water) will it burn up. Same concept in your WH...minerals can insulate the shell from the water, and the burner will get things hotter because the water doesn't draw the heat away.

Using a water softener can extend the life of a WH. With one that old, I'd leave well enough alone! Keep in mind that the average life of a WH is more like 6-8 years or so. Certainly, some do last decades, but they are in the very small minority situation. Electric ones tend to last longer because you aren't dealing with a burner and flue - there's more surface that can deteriorate and the temperature variations are higher which put more stress on things. Replacing the anode can extend the life, but it can't restore a tank that is already damaged...it can only slow it from happening in the first place, so must be replaced before it wears out and can't do its job.

 

[MACPLUMB]

save your maintenance for a new water heater All Mfg's will tell you not to miss with it at at this point the rust is the only thing holding the tank from leaking once you start messing with it it will leak

 

[Dj2]

If you want to perform scheduled maintenance, you have to start when your new heater is 1 year old. A 15 year old water heater has outlived its life expectancy, so save your money, don't get a new anode. Let this WH run till it stops and replace it. If you want to minimize your risk of flood, replace it now.

I replace 10 year old WHs or younger on a regular basis, it's just a planned expense when you own a house.

 

[Robert Snow]

Our house was built in 1927 and we purchased it in 1991. The gas hot water heater failed about 4 years later in an unfinished basement with a sump pump so not much of a mess. We are on city water. I installed a new water heater and performed no maintenance on it and it lasted about ten years before failing. No recollection of how many anode rods it had or the warranty. So my current heater was installed in 2005. I decided to check the anode rod in 2010. The anode was mostly consumed, so 5 years was a good call and I replaced it. Replaced it again in 2015 and same thing, mostly consumed. I've not been draining the tank, so I figure no reason to start now because the drain valve hasn't been touched in 12 years. If the heater is still going in 2020, what the heck, I'll replace the anode. I figure there is not much to lose now except efficiency. Seems to still recover quickly after a couple of showers. Both times the heaters failed, I just drove to the Home Depot and purchased the same capacity and height and installed in a couple of hours. Our gas boiler is 41 years old and if it fails I will probably use an indirect tank running off a new boiler and just eliminate the separate hot water heater altogether. Another reason to leave well enough alone. I think regular maintenance is a good idea, but only if you start early.

 

[Dj2]

Robert Snow,

You are lucky...so far.

BTW, this site is on a mission to correct all those who call it "Hot Water Heater"... it's actually only a "Water Heater".

Why? because hot water doesn't need heating.

 

[hj]

quote; because hot water doesn't need heating.
It does if it is 118 degrees and you want 120 degree water. The NEXT water heater I drain and, or flush, will probably be the FIRST one, and the same for anode rods, although I have changed a couple of them.

 

[Dj2]

"The NEXT water heater I drain and, or flush, will probably be the FIRST one, and the same for anode rods, although I have changed a couple of them."

Exactly.

 

[Reach4]

"The NEXT water heater I drain and, or flush, will probably be the FIRST one, and the same for anode rods, although I have changed a couple of them."

Exactly.

I'll bet you have seen some impressive looking water when you were draining a 25 year old WH in the process of replacing it.

I would think that would inspire me to flush my own WH.

 

[Dj2]

I'll bet you have seen some impressive looking water when you were draining a 25 year old WH in the process of replacing it.

I would think that would inspire me to flush my own WH.

Especially if there are galvanized pipes along the way. If there are, it would be impossible to drain out through the drain cock, in many cases.

Once I had a WH that was so plugged up, that nothing came out the drain, not even a trickle. I unscrewed the drain bib, stuck a long screwdriver and knocked out some of the rocks of Gibraltar in there. It took an hour to drain.

If you can move the water heater (after you drain about half), it would be faster to topple it and let the water come out from the hot/cold nipples.

Of course you can do it with WHs in garages or in WH sheds outside the bldg only.

But out here WHs don't last 25 years, not with So Cal water. We get our water from sources hundreds of miles away.

 

[Terry]

This was an old water heater that I drained.
Mark mentioned taking 1/2" PEX, putting it down the top inlet and siphoning the tank if the drain is blocked. I'm doing that next time it happens.

 

[Dj2]

"Mark mentioned taking 1/2" PEX, putting it down the top inlet and siphoning the tank if the drain is blocked. I'm doing that next time it happens."

I wonder how long it would take to drain out 40 gallons with such a tube.

 

[hj]

quote; I'll bet you have seen some impressive looking water when you were draining a 25 year old WH in the process of replacing it.
WHY? The water in the heater has only been there since the last faucet was turned off. IF the water looked "impressive" then the water from the faucets would look the same way and THAT would be why the heater was being changed.

 

[Reach4]

WHY? The water in the heater has only been there since the last faucet was turned off. IF the water looked "impressive" then the water from the faucets would look the same way and THAT would be why the heater was being changed.

Remember that the hot water exit is from the top. The colorful stuff is at the bottom.

I put a couple pictures that I took during flushing out my WH on https://terrylove.com/forums/index.php?threads/proper-gas-hot-water-tank-flushing.62015/#post-459818

The WH was about 11 years old at the time, according to the date code. Newer such stuff could not accumulate, because I had added significant filtering.

 

[Master Plumber Mark]

"Mark mentioned taking 1/2" PEX, putting it down the top inlet and siphoning the tank if the drain is blocked. I'm doing that next time it happens."

I wonder how long it would take to drain out 40 gallons with such a tube.

That bathtub looks like you just about stopped it up Terry

Doing the siphon thing
It does not take very long... and is much quicker than the slow process of going
out a clogged up faucet on the bottom of the heater..... The worst thing about this
process is you got to suck on the pex enough to get it to start the siphon process..........

I got some pretty colored ones too.......

 

[Dj2]

" The worst thing about this
process is you got to suck on the pex enough to get it to start the siphon process.........."

Mark, you can pick up a hand in-line pump from Harbor Freight. No need to suck up any of these minerals.

 

[Master Plumber Mark]

" The worst thing about this
process is you got to suck on the pex enough to get it to start the siphon process.........."

Mark, you can pick up a hand in-line pump from Harbor Freight. No need to suck up any of these minerals.

Thats a good idea.....

I rarely have had to do this so odds are that I will probably not have it with me when I finally need one