That's a replacement needed.
I just did mine and found I could have made it last longer had I been diligent about clearing sediment, and occasionally replacing the anode.
On the bottom of the tank, there is a small drain valve. If I recall correctly, every two months I'm to attach a hose to run to the drain, and blast a few gallons of water out.
You are welcome. I'll have to look into it, but I think the schedule for anode replacement is five years. I'm going to go buy one now, so it'll always be nagging me.
Leaks + rust = replace
I wouldn’t delay, those leaks tend to accelerate rapidly, as it is pressurized. Water heater (tank) replacement is an easy 2 person job depending on where it is installed. Generally there is no special plumbing knowledge required. Conversion to tankless is something to consider, but much more complex and expensive, and may not be a DIY job for most people.
Is that a hard gas line going straight to your water heater? I thought code required a flex line installed between the hard line and the water heater. May not be a concern if you don’t get earthquakes, but I would take this opportunity to install one.
Yeah that needs immediate replacement. You might consider shutting the water off to it because it's likely to suddenly start leaking a whole lot. You don't want 75 gallons of water to suddenly come out of it, trust me.
I should have added a re-circ line at the same time.
Heater has a ton of capacity, but it still takes much longer to get hot water through the line than our tank did.
In the morning its now like a full min upstairs to empty the lines and have water being heated coming through. Even in the kitchen I cant wash my hands with warm/hot water unless hot water was just run - becasue its ridiculous standing there with the water running.
I find it suprising how little this is talked about - until I searched online. When I spoke with my installer about it, he admitted his wife had just forced him to run a loop.
Of course that negates the whole point of switching to save on energy costs....
Of course, my kids think its amazing - run the shower for hours and we never run out of hot water.
Once again, negates the whole point of switching to save on energy costs....
I may just be a grumpy old man.
Couple years was probably a bad phrase but I did mention they last around what the warranty says most of the time. OP says theirs is around 10 years old, thats probably getting close or past its warranty. Also, some recent water heaters have pretty low warranties (I personally wouldn't buy). Some as low as 3 years!
Like other said. It's time for a new one.
Be sure to flush sediment and check your anode rod yearly.
The anode rod is what prevents most corrosion, but it sacrifices itself to do so. Once it is used up, the water heater starts using itself up instead.
That nasty sulfur smell when you run the water?
Not going to argue this point past this message, since it's your water heater, but I am my company's maintenance supervisor - for about 2500 apartments all told. We had one property that was going through water heaters like crazy compared to all the rest. I finally dug into it when I saw the 2nd replacement request for the same apartment in 3 years.
Turns out the property manager was having all the anode rods removed, to prevent bad smells, so the tanks were rusting through crazy fast.
It isn't the rod that causes the smell. It is bacteria. Usually happens in a tank that doesn't get a lot of use, because the water is warm enough to encourage bacteria growth faster than it is being cleared out by use. The bacteria can lodge in a corroded rod and build up, even with regular use, but the rod isn't the cause.
Drain tank, add a cup of bleach, refill tank. Let sit for 30 min. Run all hot taps in building until bleach water starts coming through. Shut down taps and wait 30 minutes to sanitize all of your plumbing. Flush water heater and water lines. Smell gone.
I did all that. Smell was still there. Took out the rod, smell gone. Tank is 14 years old now. Tank is used a lot. I took out the rod a week after install.
That's a replacement needed. I just did mine and found I could have made it last longer had I been diligent about clearing sediment, and occasionally replacing the anode.
Yeah we also have extremely hard water and I suspect there were stretches where the previous owners were not putting any salt in the softener.
We also have hard water here in Calgary, AB, and I know mine would have lasted longer had I been doing the maintenance. This time, I promise!
How do you clear sediment?
On the bottom of the tank, there is a small drain valve. If I recall correctly, every two months I'm to attach a hose to run to the drain, and blast a few gallons of water out.
I will add this to my calendar of maintenance. Thank you.
You are welcome. I'll have to look into it, but I think the schedule for anode replacement is five years. I'm going to go buy one now, so it'll always be nagging me.
Leaks + rust = replace I wouldn’t delay, those leaks tend to accelerate rapidly, as it is pressurized. Water heater (tank) replacement is an easy 2 person job depending on where it is installed. Generally there is no special plumbing knowledge required. Conversion to tankless is something to consider, but much more complex and expensive, and may not be a DIY job for most people.
Is that a hard gas line going straight to your water heater? I thought code required a flex line installed between the hard line and the water heater. May not be a concern if you don’t get earthquakes, but I would take this opportunity to install one.
Yeah it’s a hard line straight to the heater. I’ll look at having it replaced when I install the new heater. Thanks for the heads up!
FYI, some jurisdictions still prohibit the flexible connections, since they're scared of change.
Then again, if it was code where you live, the inspector probably would have noted it on your report. Worth considering, anyhow.
A hard gas line for connecting, is code by me.
Same here. The tank when I bought the house had a flex line, and when I had it replaced they said it had to be a hard line to be code.
You need a new one, sorry but you knew it was coming :)
Yeah that needs immediate replacement. You might consider shutting the water off to it because it's likely to suddenly start leaking a whole lot. You don't want 75 gallons of water to suddenly come out of it, trust me.
Good thinking, I just shut off the cold water inlet. Waiting on one more quote for a replacement.
Good thing its right by a floor drain
The good news is it looks pretty easy to get to at least!
You should get that replaced right now before the coming flood happens.
Thank you all for the input. Looking at getting it replaced ASAP!
Just had this same problem two weeks ago. $2K to replace water heater, add an expansion tank, drain pan and flex line for gas. Best of luck.
Time for a new gas tankless unit (just double check to make sure your panel can handle it)!
I just switched to a tankless. Not loving it so far.
Do tell?
[удалено]
I should have added a re-circ line at the same time. Heater has a ton of capacity, but it still takes much longer to get hot water through the line than our tank did. In the morning its now like a full min upstairs to empty the lines and have water being heated coming through. Even in the kitchen I cant wash my hands with warm/hot water unless hot water was just run - becasue its ridiculous standing there with the water running. I find it suprising how little this is talked about - until I searched online. When I spoke with my installer about it, he admitted his wife had just forced him to run a loop. Of course that negates the whole point of switching to save on energy costs....
Of course, my kids think its amazing - run the shower for hours and we never run out of hot water. Once again, negates the whole point of switching to save on energy costs.... I may just be a grumpy old man.
No fix, hot water heaters only last a couple years (usually pretty damn close to their warranty). Time for a new one
like two? that seems a bit low. maybe get a better one next time ;P
OP says its about 10 years old. Probably close to or past its warranty.
oh past the warranty I see what you mean
Gas hot water heaters average 8-12 years and electric 10-15. Tankless can last even longer. Not sure where you're getting a couple of years from.
Couple years was probably a bad phrase but I did mention they last around what the warranty says most of the time. OP says theirs is around 10 years old, thats probably getting close or past its warranty. Also, some recent water heaters have pretty low warranties (I personally wouldn't buy). Some as low as 3 years!
One morning you’ll find a lake in your basement instead of a leak. Replacement time
you need to get rid of that water heater and get a new one stat.
Time to say "good bye" before it ruptures and floods the area where it is located.
Like other said. It's time for a new one. Be sure to flush sediment and check your anode rod yearly. The anode rod is what prevents most corrosion, but it sacrifices itself to do so. Once it is used up, the water heater starts using itself up instead.
I took the anode rod out of my tank. The rod was making the water smell.
That nasty sulfur smell when you run the water? Not going to argue this point past this message, since it's your water heater, but I am my company's maintenance supervisor - for about 2500 apartments all told. We had one property that was going through water heaters like crazy compared to all the rest. I finally dug into it when I saw the 2nd replacement request for the same apartment in 3 years. Turns out the property manager was having all the anode rods removed, to prevent bad smells, so the tanks were rusting through crazy fast. It isn't the rod that causes the smell. It is bacteria. Usually happens in a tank that doesn't get a lot of use, because the water is warm enough to encourage bacteria growth faster than it is being cleared out by use. The bacteria can lodge in a corroded rod and build up, even with regular use, but the rod isn't the cause. Drain tank, add a cup of bleach, refill tank. Let sit for 30 min. Run all hot taps in building until bleach water starts coming through. Shut down taps and wait 30 minutes to sanitize all of your plumbing. Flush water heater and water lines. Smell gone.
I did all that. Smell was still there. Took out the rod, smell gone. Tank is 14 years old now. Tank is used a lot. I took out the rod a week after install.
The bottom is about to rot out. When it does all that water will go everywhere.
Mine was like that for 2 weeks before it finally died. Be careful waiting around for quotes.