Lazy WP Posted February 5 Share Posted February 5 Everyone should replace a water heater as their first project after Covid. It wasn’t an emergency, but took twice as long as it should have, and we only had to go back to town once. Still have a stinking drip, but it’s where the union is, so I think I can get it stopped. Went from a 30 gallon to a 40. Both electric so it was relatively easy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dasnake Posted February 5 Share Posted February 5 Damn lazy I just replaced ours three weeks ago in our fiver, bloody thing started on fire when we were home or I don’t know what could/would have happened, put a new 12 G in and being new both electric and propane fire up to heat it at 16 G per hour, great for back to back showers, normal use is electric at 6 G per hour, and also had the proverbial leak, but I could have done without the hole in my wallet at 1500.00, but saylavee, good luck on your leak. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hobbyfarm Posted February 6 Share Posted February 6 Water heaters stink because when they let go is so unpredictable. Yeah when you have been down and out is not when you want to this sort of thing. I've become a pretty good shade tree plumber. 3/4 braided flex lines, pex, and some of these exotic fittings make things easier then they used to be. I'm not a shark bite fan. Glad you got it done. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
acem Posted February 6 Share Posted February 6 I bought water heater with the plastic tank. It's not supposed to rust out. We'll see. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SASW6 Posted February 6 Share Posted February 6 I have a buddy that's a plumber we hoarse trade works out great and no leaks when finished. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Diesel Doctor Posted February 6 Share Posted February 6 14 hours ago, acem said: I bought water heater with the plastic tank. It's not supposed to rust out. We'll see. Those are great and super insulated but an old plumber says you need to drain and scrape out the silt in the bottom once in awhile. The minerals build up and short out the lower heating element. He had a special pipe made to hook to his shop vac. He would go in the drain and the hole for the lower heating element to get it clean. Overall, he loved them heaters. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
searcyfarms Posted February 6 Share Posted February 6 17 hours ago, Lazy WP said: Everyone should replace a water heater as their first project after Covid. It wasn’t an emergency, but took twice as long as it should have, and we only had to go back to town once. Still have a stinking drip, but it’s where the union is, so I think I can get it stopped. Went from a 30 gallon to a 40. Both electric so it was relatively easy. good deal!!!! You sound like me, every time I fool with plumbing I have a leak and it frustrates me to no end. Its the one thing I feel so inadequate and humbled by every time. I'm afraid every time I work with plumbing. I went with the Stebel Eltron electric instant heaters for my shop/apt and house back in 05. I have a whole house filter and softener. This seems to have helped - Didnt havfe one in the shop/apt and it quit after about 5 yrs. Clogged up the elements. The house ran till a couple yrs back, took the elements out, soaked them in vinegar for a couple days, put them back in and been running since. Love them - can take a 30 minute shower and never run out of hot water!!! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
New Englander Posted February 6 Share Posted February 6 Thanks for reminding me to replace the anode. Last heater leaked and when I pulled the anode, well, what anode? So I made a mental note to replace the one in the new heater when it was a couple of years old. Well, it's probably 4 years old now but it seems the anodes are good for the warranty period unless the water real acid. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dasnake Posted February 6 Share Posted February 6 1 hour ago, New Englander said: Thanks for reminding me to replace the anode. Last heater leaked and when I pulled the anode, well, what anode? So I made a mental note to replace the one in the new heater when it was a couple of years old. Well, it's probably 4 years old now but it seems the anodes are good for the warranty period unless the water real acid. With our water even going through the filter system my anodes bung up 6-12 months, how hard is yours to change? Like I mentioned in another thread I do ours every 6 months or so and flush the tank, but mine is super easy to do. And 20.00 is cheep insurance especially after that bloody fire stepped out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Stearns Posted February 6 Share Posted February 6 The worst part is finding one and the price. I use to pick up one anytime we needed one, but now they are a week out. The price has been going up 8-10% every couple of months Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lazy WP Posted February 6 Author Share Posted February 6 1 hour ago, Dasnake said: With our water even going through the filter system my anodes bung up 6-12 months, how hard is yours to change? Like I mentioned in another thread I do ours every 6 months or so and flush the tank, but mine is super easy to do. And 20.00 is cheep insurance especially after that bloody fire stepped out. Never changed an anoid rod. The house where I grew up in, still has the original water heater, from the 60s. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dannyredfan Posted February 6 Share Posted February 6 Do all water heaters have one. I have changed heat elements, but I don’t know where the anoid rod is. I just put in a new water heater past spring I think. Lol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dasnake Posted February 6 Share Posted February 6 3 minutes ago, Lazy WP said: Never changed an anoid rod. The house where I grew up in, still has the original water heater, from the 60s. Do you guys remember the old style tanks, riveted top and bottom, our first family house had one, we moved out when I was three and it was an old house when the old man bought it in ‘46, but if it sprung a leak the hole was tapped in with a rubber gasketed deep thread plug, now phone pete the plumber and throw it away. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poor farmer/logger Posted February 6 Share Posted February 6 My brother came out and installed a new one here a couple months ago. Nephew had a new one from the house he just moved so he gave it to us. Hardest part was carrying that pig of a thing up the stairs from the basement. Without a word of a lie it was at least twice as heavy. Same water heater basically just that much sediment in it. Old tank was starting to leak so we had to change it before disaster struck. Brother has done this kind of work for years so he picked up everything he needed and brought his tools out to do it. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zleinenbach Posted February 6 Share Posted February 6 Anode is usually on top in about the middle. Looks like a bolt head. the dip tube is what shoves cold water to the bottom to be heated by the burner or bottom element. Sometimes they crack and let the cold water to “bypass” and go out the hot water side before being heated. If you have hot water to start but there’s no capacity- check that 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve C. Posted February 7 Share Posted February 7 2 hours ago, zleinenbach said: Anode is usually on top in about the middle. Looks like a bolt head. the dip tube is what shoves cold water to the bottom to be heated by the burner or bottom element. Sometimes they crack and let the cold water to “bypass” and go out the hot water side before being heated. If you have hot water to start but there’s no capacity- check that ^^^ truth. Water gets good and hot, but doesn't last long. I've actually replaced three or four dip tubes over the years by jury-rigging fittings and 1/2" rigid copper. Haven't done it lately, but tough times could someday necessitate this kind of repair again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
New Englander Posted February 7 Share Posted February 7 7 hours ago, Dasnake said: With our water even going through the filter system my anodes bung up 6-12 months, how hard is yours to change? Like I mentioned in another thread I do ours every 6 months or so and flush the tank, but mine is super easy to do. And 20.00 is cheep insurance especially after that bloody fire stepped out. Plenty of room overhead so not hard to change. I had pulled the rod out of the old heater while it was draining and was surprised that it was totally gone. I replaced a 40 with a 50. Your water must be tough stuff! Ours is low PH - copper stains in the tub. I grew up with a 30 gallon gas heater. Step in the shower, get wet, shut water off and lather up, then turn the water on and rinse. My daughter wouldn't survive. Heck, she gives a 50 gallon quick recovery a workout. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timothy56 Posted February 7 Share Posted February 7 Any one have a Marathon water heater. We bought one through the local electric coop 15+ years ago. 70 gallon but they can control it if needed.We have never run out of hot water. Only controlled if extreme heat or cold. Also have been getting a $7 credit every month for it. Think it was like $700 and paid for it over 3 years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zleinenbach Posted February 7 Share Posted February 7 7 hours ago, Timothy56 said: Any one have a Marathon water heater. We bought one through the local electric coop 15+ years ago. 70 gallon but they can control it if needed.We have never run out of hot water. Only controlled if extreme heat or cold. Also have been getting a $7 credit every month for it. Think it was like $700 and paid for it over 3 years. We have installed a slew of them. Big selling point was lifetime warranty on the tank. You pay twice as much for one though! lol not bad, I like that they are light. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dannyredfan Posted February 8 Share Posted February 8 Never thought about that tube giving problems? It seems like it's always the elements here Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldscoutdiesel Posted February 8 Share Posted February 8 We have an old Norge electric 40 gallon that was installed about 1962. I have drained it once in the 44 years we have lived here. It's a little different in that there are coil springs wrapped around the outside of the tank (like you see in a toaster), hence, no element in the tank. It will trip one of the element breakers once every 5 years or so, but has been leak free and reliable all these years. I've replaced 3 water softeners in those 44 years, but not the WH. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AKwelder Posted February 9 Share Posted February 9 Well karma stopped by, I replaced the water heater in July, came home last night and my boy said there was no hot water, hm. Breaker was popped. Ok, here we go, so I reset the breaker and hoped. This mornings shower was short of hot water, but I need to check the timer and make sure it’s been on long enough. I will be checking elements tonight and see what that shows, sigh. Less than a year old Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
New Englander Posted February 9 Share Posted February 9 5 hours ago, AKwelder said: short of hot water Maybe only top element was working. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dasnake Posted February 9 Share Posted February 9 Norge, man that’s a name I haven’t heard in a long time, we had one that lasted 25 years, it went just after I bought the house from my old man in ‘76. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AKwelder Posted February 12 Share Posted February 12 On 2/9/2022 at 11:46 AM, New Englander said: Maybe only top element was working. Yep. Bottom element was out. New water heater installed 7/24/21. waiting to see if I got everything working. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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