View Full Version : What are the signs a water heater is going out?



Achilleslastand
12-11-2014, 01:01 PM
The water heater seems to be going out slowly but surely, as the hot water capacity seems to have dropped over the last couple months. I have tried to drain any sediment by hooking a hose up an letting it run for about 25 mins with no change. Any ideas?

Just the facts
12-11-2014, 01:21 PM
Found this on Google

Here are seven signs to look for to know if your water heater is going bad.

1. If your water heater is close to or over 10 years old chances are it could be about to go. The average lifespan for a hot water heater is ten years. You should prepare to replace your water heater if it close to it’s life expectancy.
2.Changes in water temperature are also a good indication that your tank is about to go. Heavy sediment deposits can cause your water heater to produce limited amounts of hot water or no hot water at all. When this happens it is time to repair or replace your water heater.
3.Is your water heater making strange banging noises? This is usually caused by valves in the system shutting off without warning. These banging noises usually mean that your water heater is on it’s way out.
4.If you notice corrosion on the bottom of the hot water tank that means the interior of the tank is more than likely corroded as well. If your hot water tank that is corroded it is time to replace it.
5.Is water pooling underneath the hot water tank? This usually indicate a leak in your tank. If your hot water tank is leaking chances are it will not function properly for very long.
6.Cloudy water is also a sign that a hot water tank is going bad. Calcium and magnesium deposits that accumulate in your tank are the cause of cloudy water. Once calcium and magnesium start to build up they start to get pumped out along with the water.
7.If it starts taking longer than normal to replenish your hot water that can also be a sign that your water hetaer is wearing out and probably needs to be repaired or replaced soon.

rezman
12-11-2014, 03:29 PM
I just replaced mine, and have replaced several others over time. You did't specify if you have a gas or electric unit. If the tank starts to leak or seep around the bottom, that's a sure sign. If the pilot light or the burner won't stay lit, the themostat or thermocouple quit working, sometimes a part can be replaced to keep it going untill you're ready to replace it, but other times it can't be repaired. Large amounts of sediment and scale in the bottom will keep the water from heating efficiently, and eventually will kill the tank. On electric units, excessive sediment build up will reach the heating element and burn it out. No solid material should ever touch the element. If you replace the heating element and it burms out again in a short peripd of time, the tank has too much crud in it, which you will see when you pull he element. That's about time for a new tank as well. I do mine my self as it's not too difficult for me, and it saves having to pay a plumber.

Achilleslastand
12-11-2014, 03:34 PM
It is gas. As I mentioned earlier I did try draining the sediment and in all honestly it didn't look that bad ,kinda wondering at this point if I did it correctly{?}. And btw there is no leaks underneath.

TheTravellers
12-11-2014, 03:54 PM
Getting sediment out of a gas water heater can be tricky, I've heard, due to the way the heating element is in them. Our water heater sounded horrible (banging around, and slow to heat up, 10 yrs old, figured it had lots of sediment), so I did some research and for gas, it appears it's best to get some kind of wet/dry vac that has a small flexible nozzle that can fit into the spigot and suck it up, didn't even want to try that, and other methods were just as much of a pain. Turned out the intake on the top was corroded and broke off late one night and we had a mini-flood in our garage (we were home, luckily), so it just got replaced by the owner (we rent).

Good luck, a water heater failure can be catastrophic, hope you get it fixed before it blows...

PennyQuilts
12-11-2014, 08:14 PM
If you replace it, check with the utility to,see if you can get a rebate.

rezman
12-11-2014, 09:07 PM
On a gas unit, the burner is under the tank and heats just like a big tea kettle. The bottom of the tank is dome shaped and there is no access to get the crud out of them, other than what drains out through the spigot. On electric units, the heating element is inside the tank and is in direct contact with the water. When the element is unscrewed and removed from the tank, it gives you an access hole to stick a small diameter vacuum tube in the tank and get only some of the crud out. On units with dual elements, you have two holes to utilize. One above the other.

Achilleslastand
12-11-2014, 09:27 PM
Thanks for all the replies......will keep a close eye on it and probably get it replaced asap. I was always under the impression that they would "leak" before the actual failure.

TheTravellers
12-12-2014, 09:28 AM
Thanks for all the replies......will keep a close eye on it and probably get it replaced asap. I was always under the impression that they would "leak" before the actual failure.

Depends on the failure, ours was the input connection on top that was corroded and one night we heard a bang from the garage, went out and saw a waterfall coming out from under the door of the closet it was in, no warning at all, the connector coming out of the top had just snapped off.

MadMonk
12-12-2014, 10:00 AM
Key indicator: You've placed your house on the market and you get an offer. It's guaranteed to go out at that time. :D

Seriously, mine lasted 17 years, I NEVER ONCE cleaned it out, and it didn't start having a problem until I put the house on the market and an offer was made. The day before inspections, the tank started leaking. I'm pretty handy so I replaced it myself and it worked perfectly. However, I'm not a plumber and wasn't familiar with the code requirements so the prospective buyers insisted that it be inspected. The inspector show me that I had to re-do the gas line to include a sediment trap as well as re-route the pressure-relief outlet plumbing a bit, but it passed inspection a few days later.

The one that lasted 17 years was a Bradford White. Whenever I need to replace another one that I'm not selling right away I'd track down one of those.

ctchandler
12-12-2014, 10:18 AM
Key indicator: You've placed your house on the market and you get an offer. It's guaranteed to go out at that time. :D

Seriously, mine lasted 17 years, I NEVER ONCE cleaned it out, and it didn't start having a problem until I put the house on the market and an offer was made. The day before inspections, the tank started leaking. I'm pretty handy so I replaced it myself and it worked perfectly. However, I'm not a plumber and wasn't familiar with the code requirements so the prospective buyers insisted that it be inspected. The inspector show me that I had to re-do the gas line to include a sediment trap as well as re-route the pressure-relief outlet plumbing a bit, but it passed inspection a few days later.

The one that lasted 17 years was a Bradford White. Whenever I need to replace another one that I'm not selling right away I'd track down one of those.

MadMonk,
I have a Bradford White, installed 9/2004. I don't clean it out, it has a built in cleaning system and I have no idea how it works but they told me that I didn't need to flush it annually like models without the cleaning system.
C. T.

MadMonk
12-12-2014, 10:30 AM
MadMonk,
I have a Bradford White, installed 9/2004. I don't clean it out, it has a built in cleaning system and I have no idea how it works but they told me that I didn't need to flush it annually like models without the cleaning system.
C. T.
Yep, that's the one. I went to their website and found the term "Hydrojet" that I was looking for. That feature supposedly makes it so you don't have to flush it as often.
Here's an interesting video on their web site. Hydrojet® | Bradford White Water Heaters. Built to be the best. (http://www.bradfordwhite.com/hydrojet%C2%AE-total-performance-system-product-video)

People are learning more about water heaters than they ever wanted to from this thread. ;)

rezman
12-12-2014, 11:17 AM
The unit I just replaced was a Bradford-White ... almost a year to the day after we bought our current place. It started to slowly leak around the bottom, and the pilot would not stay lit. I don't know how old it was but it was obviously older that what the inspector thought it was. It got to the point where I had to relight it every morning before I went to work, and every evening after I got home. All the cleaning system does is circulate the water around so sediment doesn't accumulate as fast. ... it just comes out of the tap in amounts that you can't see.

kevinpate
12-12-2014, 03:13 PM
#1 sign the water heater is going out:

3.2 minutes in a long anticipated and well deserved hot shower, one hears from down the hall a
yelp and a curse, followed by a very loud:

HEY, WHUT HAPPAND TO THE DANG HOT WARTER ... JAYYYYSSS LOUISE, THIS BITES.

If you aren't replacing the heater on the very next day, this will likely occur again real soon.

oklip955
12-12-2014, 07:13 PM
#1 sign the water heater is going out:

3.2 minutes in a long anticipated and well deserved hot shower, one hears from down the hall a
yelp and a curse, followed by a very loud:

HEY, WHUT HAPPAND TO THE DANG HOT WARTER ... JAYYYYSSS LOUISE, THIS BITES.

If you aren't replacing the heater on the very next day, this will likely occur again real soon.
I
If I was going to replace my heater again, I would go back to a Rheem. I currently have a BW which I don't like as well as the Rheem. I know that I have to replace the bottom element. I had some super corrosion resistant elements in my Rheem and they lasted even to the point my tank started leaking. My prior one brand I forget, I was replacing elements every 6 months. The Rheem when I bought it, I replaced the standard elements and it lasted like over 12 years no trouble. I have a well and real hard water. I've had the BW for less then 3 years and the bottom element is gone. I only bought that one because I would have had to drive across the metro to Norman plumbing supple vs Locke. Dumb, lazy me. When buying a new heater go to a wholesale/retailer not a local hardware box store. You can get elements at the box store but for a heater or faucet go to the wholesaler. The faucet may look the same but the guts are not. You pay more but it'll last you.

ctchandler
12-13-2014, 10:34 AM
The unit I just replaced was a Bradford-White ... almost a year to the day after we bought our current place. It started to slowly leak around the bottom, and the pilot would not stay lit. I don't know how old it was but it was obviously older that what the inspector thought it was. It got to the point where I had to relight it every morning before I went to work, and every evening after I got home. All the cleaning system does is circulate the water around so sediment doesn't accumulate as fast. ... it just comes out of the tap in amounts that you can't see.

Rezman,
I remember that now and you are correct, however, I have a reverse osmosis filter that is plumbed into my coffee maker, my ice maker/water through the door, and there is a tap coming through the top of the kitchen sink for cooking or drinking water and that's why it didn't concern me that the sediment was coming through the system. It mainly flows through the washing machine, toilets, and dishwasher.
I didn't mean to mislead anyone, I had forgotten how it worked.
C. T.

ctchandler
12-13-2014, 10:51 AM
I
If I was going to replace my heater again, I would go back to a Rheem. I currently have a BW which I don't like as well as the Rheem. I know that I have to replace the bottom element. I had some super corrosion resistant elements in my Rheem and they lasted even to the point my tank started leaking. My prior one brand I forget, I was replacing elements every 6 months. The Rheem when I bought it, I replaced the standard elements and it lasted like over 12 years no trouble. I have a well and real hard water. I've had the BW for less then 3 years and the bottom element is gone. I only bought that one because I would have had to drive across the metro to Norman plumbing supple vs Locke. Dumb, lazy me. When buying a new heater go to a wholesale/retailer not a local hardware box store. You can get elements at the box store but for a heater or faucet go to the wholesaler. The faucet may look the same but the guts are not. You pay more but it'll last you.

Oklip955,
I had mine installed but Hill and Company got it at Locke in Edmond. I'm also on a well with very hard water, but I have had a water softener for 39 years and although it's not actually a filter, what it removes to eliminate the hardness would probably be part of the sediment so it has been well worth the money. When I move I will be on Midwest City water but I'm going to get a softener anyway, I like the way it cleans and feels. By the way, my BW has a ten year parts warranty. I believe it was a one year parts and labor, but don't quote me. They may all have the same type warranty, I just thought since you had a problem with the bottom element, it would probably have been covered.
C. T.

Buffalo Bill
12-13-2014, 11:47 AM
The water heater seems to be going out slowly but surely, as the hot water capacity seems to have dropped over the last couple months. I have tried to drain any sediment by hooking a hose up an letting it run for about 25 mins with no change. Any ideas?

Have your draft tube checked. There are hot and cold water connections on the top of your heater. The cold connection goes to a tube which carries the incoming water to the bottom of the heater. As the water is used, the cold water entering from the bottom rises to the top eventually as the lighter, hot water exits the heater. This is when the water heater "runs out" of hot water. Upon occasion, this draft tube corrodes which allows the incoming cold water to mix with the hot water higher in the tank. This cause the tank to "run out" sooner.

oklip955
12-13-2014, 06:07 PM
When I'm feeling a bit better, I'll go and get new elements and put them in. Never did get around to putting in a water softener. I've been in my house 32 yr. I've converted the garage, now no place to put one. What I don't like about most softeners is that they add sodium to the water. I try to limit my sodium intake these days.

Maryann

tfvc.org
12-13-2014, 08:26 PM
http://youtu.be/jbreKn4PoAc?t=1m17s

rezman
12-13-2014, 08:37 PM
Now THAT'S a sure sign that you need a new water heater.

RadicalModerate
12-13-2014, 09:44 PM
The time our water heater went out wasn't quite as dramatic: The top blew out on a Friday Night about 11:00 pm.
It was more like Yellowstone than Cape Canaveral. Only on a smaller scale.
Thankfully, I knew a plumber at the time and I had a new Bradford White in place by the time I returned home from my Home Improvement Radio Show around Noon on Saturday.
That was about ten years ago . . . I can almost hear the clock ticking . . .

RadicalModerate
12-13-2014, 10:55 PM
When I'm feeling a bit better, I'll go and get new elements and put them in. Never did get around to putting in a water softener. I've been in my house 32 yr. I've converted the garage, now no place to put one. What I don't like about most softeners is that they add sodium to the water. I try to limit my sodium intake these days.

Maryann

We vacation once in awhile, and spend part of that time residing at a managed residential location that attempts to balance the hardness of the water with the longevity of the plumbing. Unfortunately, they--The Managers--have apparently missed The Value of The Balance regarding feeling Clean AND Non-Soap Scum covered at the same time when you take a shower . They probably have a boiler somewhere on the premises that provides both over-softened water and heat. I hope they watch that MythBusters Vid (above) before it is too late.

On a more personal and timely level, we probably could have insisted on a new hot water tank when we bought our house, about twelve years ago, but the old one was so bundled up in that-now unnecessary--extra insulation around the primitive tank--that the Home Inspector conveniently missed it. Conveniently, in the sense of having a clause in the "contract" that nothing would be disturbed--including the unnecessary insulation blanket around the old hot water tank that would have revealed the fact that it might have been in use since about 1967.

tfvc.org
12-13-2014, 11:01 PM
About a year or so ago my hot water tank stopped producing heat, I think it was just a thermostat that went out, it was a 220 volt system, and the kit with both the thermostats and elements was only a few dollars more than just the single thermostat, so I decided on the kit. The elements were a pita to remove, especially the bottom one, it took several days and lots of de rust soaking on the threads to finally get it to budge, and this was using a big heavy plumbers wrench.

RadicalModerate
12-13-2014, 11:05 PM
^ . . . and that is one good reason to be nice to plumbers. They could probably even translate "a pita to remove" into a finely crafted work of Repair Plumbing. =)

ctchandler
12-14-2014, 10:20 AM
When I'm feeling a bit better, I'll go and get new elements and put them in. Never did get around to putting in a water softener. I've been in my house 32 yr. I've converted the garage, now no place to put one. What I don't like about most softeners is that they add sodium to the water. I try to limit my sodium intake these days.

Maryann

Maryann,
You might want to read up on water softeners. They don't add sodium to the water, they use salt (brine) to rinse the resin periodically. The resin is the stuff that removes the chemicals from the water as it flows through the system. Mine rinses/regenerates about three times in a two month period and each time it uses ten pounds of salt. I won't say that no salt can get through, but it is minimal. I suspect that any salt residue is gone with the first flushing of a toilet, shower, using a washing machine or dishwasher after a regeneration cycle is completed. By the way, we had been here four months when I called Culligan. When the salesman came to the house, I told him I didn't need a sales pitch, my wife had given me choice, we could get a water softener or a divorce. The next day, they installed it.
C. T.