Water Heater dead in 5 years!

[oneoldbanjo]

We built a new house and put the water heater in service in January 2007. This week the water heater developed a leak in the tank. The water heater has was a Whirlpool and had a lifetime Warranty - and both Whirlpool and Lowe's were quick to replace it. The water heater has a plate exchanger hooked up to my OWB for water coming into the heater, an expansion tank, and a sidearm exchanger hooked into my OWB. It is an electric 50 gallon water heater and we have a water softener in the the system that softens everything that comes into the building. We have public water that does not have any issues with minerals and is has a tested hardness of "10" prior to being softened. Prior to taking the dead water heater back to Lowe's pulled the anode rod to look at it.....and it was completely gone.

The new water heater almost identical to the one it replaced - but the new one is not a lifetime warranty and is only 12 years. I installed it with both the heat traps and dialectric insulater pipes on the inlet/outlet to the tank. The OWB connections are all PEX and should not be making any dialectric problems.

Anyone have any ideas about how to make this new water heater last? I am thinking about adding an electric anode to the system that is supposed to prevent corrosion by using electrical current to prevent corrosion.

 

[audible fart]

Sorry about your water heater, but let me be the first to thank you for not calling it a "hot water heater."

Mine blew up a few years ago at 3am. Woke me up with a sound like a toilet being flushed on microphone& through an amplifier. Loud. The previous water heater had been the size of a washing machine and to my eye looked to be from the late 60s early 70s! i don't expect nearly that much life from this one. They're not designed to last, they're designed to meet certain standards.

 

[loadthestove]

Mine lasted five,but instead of leaking everthing thing electrical melted down on mine.both elements the thermostat and part of the wiring .
It still puzzles me as to how it did all this before "kicking" the circuit breaker.Needless to say there was not warranty concerning my issues.I replaced the heater and changed the breaker just in case it was faulty.my current heater is just over six years old and so far has been trouble free,

 

[oneoldbanjo]

I did a little bit of internet research this morning.....and found that a water softener can cause the anode to be used up twice as it would be without a softener. It seems the salt causes the anode to work twice as hard. (We don't use salt but use Potassium in our softener....but I suspect the results could be the same).

 

[PA Plumber]

Not claiming to be an expert on any of this, so take it with a grain of salt. Just passing on some info that might be useful.


When installing the new water heater, bypass the water softener for 10 days. I'm told this is to help the water heater build a protective layer to help fight softened water corrosion.

If a water softener is in the system, check the annode in the new water heater in a year. If more than 1/2 gone, or very soft, replace it. If not, replace it anyway and wait 1 1/2 years to check the new annode.

Check your thermal expansion tank annually. It should be set to whatever your system pressure is, not to exceed 1/2 the psi rating of the exp. tank.
Most thermal exp tanks come pre charged to 40 psi. Most applications require that air be added to the exp. tank at install.

Most manufacturers recommend an annual flushing of the water heater. If this is something the customer wants to do, I recommend it be done in the summer; especially if they are on city water, so the temp differential to overcome isn't as severe.
Also, when flushing a water heater, be sure to turn the power/fuel source off and make sure the air is purged before turning the power/fuel source back on.

 

[PA Plumber]

Something else came to mind; Some water softener manufactures install check valves in the softener head.

If this is the case, there needs to be a thermal expansion tank on the water heater side of the water softener.

 

[bluestem]

It's amazing some of the name brand crap they sell these days, our Rheem water heater has been in our house since before my wife's grandparents bought the place in 1955. I hate to get rid of it because it still works great, heat gain takes a while after we all take showers and baths but man I would imagine that 2/3's of our electric bill each month goes to heating our water. I think next year it will get replaced, would like to get a nice Bradford white on demand heater, pricey but you get what you pay for.

 

[fdoberman]

Do you have a less than delicate aroma when the hot water is running from the tap?

Have you ever drawn a minimally 1 quart sample of hot water from the tap and let it sit a couple days to see what settles to the bottom of the sample jar?

Magnesium anodes are not necessarily a good addition to a water heater with some water.

 

[oneoldbanjo]

Do you have a less than delicate aroma when the hot water is running from the tap?

Have you ever drawn a minimally 1 quart sample of hot water from the tap and let it sit a couple days to see what settles to the bottom of the sample jar?

Magnesium anodes are not necessarily a good addition to a water heater with some water.

I do sometimes notice the water does have a foul smell. The new heater and new water inside it don't yet have a bad smell.

I do drain the water heater every so often to flush it out......and I usually get a small amount of crud in the bottom. When the anode was fresh I used to get little round balls about the size of frog eggs......but I have not seen those come out for a while. When I drained it to replace it I got about 2 gallons of rusty water before it ran clear.

 

[mtfallsmikey]

It's amazing some of the name brand crap they sell these days, our Rheem water heater has been in our house since before my wife's grandparents bought the place in 1955. I hate to get rid of it because it still works great, heat gain takes a while after we all take showers and baths but man I would imagine that 2/3's of our electric bill each month goes to heating our water. I think next year it will get replaced, would like to get a nice Bradford white on demand heater, pricey but you get what you pay for.

I bet that had wraparound elements....those old heaters had galvanized tanks, and a major PIA to get out of a basement...

Do you have a less than delicate aroma when the hot water is running from the tap?

Have you ever drawn a minimally 1 quart sample of hot water from the tap and let it sit a couple days to see what settles to the bottom of the sample jar?

Magnesium anodes are not necessarily a good addition to a water heater with some water.

Worked for a couple years ago, the wife had an allergy issue with sulphur, removed the anode rod,problem solved.

Other than that, Whirpool heaters are junk, they are manufactured by a company whose primary well-known line is junk as well. Buy a Ruud, A.O. Smith, or Bradford-White. Thermal shock is also a major killer of HWH's.

 

[fdoberman]

I do sometimes notice the water does have a foul smell. The new heater and new water inside it don't yet have a bad smell.

I do drain the water heater every so often to flush it out......and I usually get a small amount of crud in the bottom. When the anode was fresh I used to get little round balls about the size of frog eggs......but I have not seen those come out for a while. When I drained it to replace it I got about 2 gallons of rusty water before it ran clear.

PULL the damn anode out & replace it with a 3/4 pipe plug.
That will eliminate your hot water smelling like rottin eggs & the black crap in the hot water.

Your water is dissolving the anode and you need the anode gone.

OR
You can spend $20,000 on water conditioning equipment to eliminate the problem.

 

[oneoldbanjo]

PULL the damn anode out & replace it with a 3/4 pipe plug.
That will eliminate your hot water smelling like rottin eggs & the black crap in the hot water.

Your water is dissolving the anode and you need the anode gone.

OR
You can spend $20,000 on water conditioning equipment to eliminate the problem.

I don't get any black crap in my water that I have ever seen, and the only time I ever notice a smell is in the bathroom sink while washing my face. I have never smelled the odor in the bathtub or shower or kitchen.

The anode rod is there for a purpose.....it is sacrificial and provides the source of corrosion that protects the water heater jacket from corrosion. The anode rod is "less noble" than the steel in the water heater and the aluminum or magneseum corrodes in place of the steel. Once the anode is gone.....then the corrosion will begin in the water heater. I work with pumping stations and water towers and we attach and bury anodes to protect the steel from corrosion......and some of systems use electrical components as well. The only way I am removing the anode is if I decide to put an "electrical anode" system in place of the sacrificial anode.

I may be fine if I was to just check the anode yearly as suggested earlier - but I believe the anode rod was about $ 40 the last time I bought one. It may be better in the long run to install the electric anode system....but it is about $ 280.

 

[Woodomaker]

We built a new house and put the water heater in service in January 2007. This week the water heater developed a leak in the tank. The water heater has was a Whirlpool and had a lifetime Warranty - and both Whirlpool and Lowe's were quick to replace it. The water heater has a plate exchanger hooked up to my OWB for water coming into the heater, an expansion tank, and a sidearm exchanger hooked into my OWB. It is an electric 50 gallon water heater and we have a water softener in the the system that softens everything that comes into the building. We have public water that does not have any issues with minerals and is has a tested hardness of "10" prior to being softened. Prior to taking the dead water heater back to Lowe's pulled the anode rod to look at it.....and it was completely gone.

The new water heater almost identical to the one it replaced - but the new one is not a lifetime warranty and is only 12 years. I installed it with both the heat traps and dialectric insulater pipes on the inlet/outlet to the tank. The OWB connections are all PEX and should not be making any dialectric problems.

Anyone have any ideas about how to make this new water heater last? I am thinking about adding an electric anode to the system that is supposed to prevent corrosion by using electrical current to prevent corrosion.

I had the same unit, bought May 2007......connected to my OWB and it lasted until July 2011.
Anode gone....It seems they are making these water heaters out of light material. I put this in a basement....all by myself...not heavy at all. It seems you are going to try a impressed current system in lieu of sacrificial anode type......sounds like a good idea to me.:msp_thumbup:

 

[timbrjackrussel]

Water heater info

This site has lots of good info
Hot water heater anodes: what keeps water heaters from rusting out

 

[wdchuck]

Just because things are new doesn't mean they last.

Case in point.

The vinyl villiage we drive past every day to school had a four year old front load washer by the curb. That had to hurt.

 

[PA Plumber]

I believe most annodes are a Magnesium/aluminum combination, but there are different annodes available for different water conditions.

Of course homeowners do what homeowners do, I've never recommended a plug be installed in the place of an annode.

 

[mtfallsmikey]

Just because things are new doesn't mean they last.

Case in point.

The vinyl villiage we drive past every day to school had a four year old front load washer by the curb. That had to hurt.

Same with "lower price point" dishwashers, pumps crap out on them, new pumps are $200+.

 

[Como]

If you has a lifetime warranty then contractually you should should still have that after whatever they did to satisfy the failure.

From a practical point of view, 12 years is so far longer than life expectancy it probably does not matter.

I am usually against buying extended warranties, but water appliances, washing machines etc where there is a very aggressive local environment are the exception/

 

[mtfallsmikey]

If you has a lifetime warranty then contractually you should should still have that after whatever they did to satisfy the failure.

From a practical point of view, 12 years is so far longer than life expectancy it probably does not matter.

I am usually against buying extended warranties, but water appliances, washing machines etc where there is a very aggressive local environment are the exception/

Having sold water heaters for many years, remember that when you buy a water heater with a 10,12 year, or lifetime warranty, you are not buying a better quality heater, you're buying a warranty. And that warranty is pro-rated after 5 years usually.
8-10 years is a good life expectancy out of any of them.

 

[Peacock]

My 2.5 yr old water heater is leaking. I had to remove the anode to get the side arm to work effectively. Is there any alternative to buying another water heater? I was thinking of maybe buying a tank and insulating it myself. I've never even had the breaker turned on for this thing. Not real excited about buying another one this soon.