Water heaters

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67Dart273 said:
Electrolysis is a very good point. That is part of the reason that heaters have a sacrificial rod. Someone mentioned "not replaceable." Many that I've seen WERE replaceable.

You MUST properly install the tank. The usual think, if the common copper flex connectors are used, is that they have ELECTRICALLY INSULATED connectors, called "dielectric fittings." These are on water tanks and your gas meter if you have nat. gas. The two pipes, hot and cold, should be bonded together and grounded. The tank should be grounded through electrical. Interestingly, the gas connection to the heater (obviously if gas or LP) IS NOT a dielectric connection at any of the gas appliances. This means the furnace, dryer, range, or any other gas/ LP appliances are all interconnected by the grounding conductor (green or bare) of the electrical system, as well as interconnected by the house gas piping, if metallic. And that includes the water heater.

When we installed gas/ LP "back then," the gas piping had to be bonded by grounding wire to the water piping and to the electrical system ground or to a ground stake. Common 8' ground stake. So even though a water tank uses dielectric fittings at the water connection, the gas piping, if used is bonded/ grounded, AND the water tank shell is grounded / boned if it is electric. Go figure??

I have never really understood the actual electrics of electrolysis in that situation.
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This is a whirlpool and apparently, it’s not got a serviceable anode rod. Tried that last time.

Also, no copper fitting, it’s all pvc.
 
When I bought my current house 10 years ago, the old water heater was pushing 20 years old. I had a tankless NG unit installed, yes it was a little pricey at around $3500.00 but it has been virtually trouble free, never run out of hot water. The house has 2 full bathrooms, only my wife and I living here, but no complaints. Had one issue with the unit about 5 or 6 years ago with something in the control panel not making it hot enough, otherwise it has been great. Had it cleaned/serviced once since then, next time I will try and do it myself.
 
I have been in my current house since 1998. I had to replace what may have been the original water heater (house was built in 67, just like me) and just like the last house I went from a 30 gallon nat gas to a 40 gallon nat gas. I was in my last house for 5-1/2 years and had to replace it twice while there. I'm on my 4th one here since 1998, I never buy the cheap "6 year" tanks, usually buy a 12 year. One of previous 3 tanks (they never go out at convenient time) I had to settle for a 9 yr because I needed one "now" and they were out of 12 yr models. The last time I went to a tankless, since I wanted to get it away from the front of my furnace, as I have had to work on the furnace a few times in between water tank replacement and every time I had to get to the furnace I had to drain and pull the water heater so I had room to get to the furnace.
Mainly when I've had to pull the a coil (twice) as having black labs, and their hair goes everywhere/, and I've had dog hair plug the fins in the a coil (I have a downdraft furnace) to where the heated air won't pass thru the a-coil into the plenum/ so hot air would back up and trip the limit switch, and go on 3 hour lockout. Not good when temps are near zero.and I have to pull the water heater out to access the a-coil
I don't currently have any dogs, but anyway now that I have the tankless mounted higher up I can access anything I need to on the furnace without dismantling anything on the hot water.

And no, you couldn't give me an electric water heater, stove or furnace.
 
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To add to my last post I've installed gas water heaters for relatives and between them and myself I NEVER get the rated "warranty time" out of them no matter which price grade or what brand I buy. My remaining time left on my last 40 gallon tank paid over half of the price of the tankless.... (It helps that I caught the tankless on a helluva sale)
Oh I take that back. The last one I put in the mother in laws house went 7-1/2 years on a 6 year warranty tank. About the same as I usually get out of a 9 or 12 year model.
( brother in law bought that last one, not me)
 
I was told that the difference between a 9 yr water heater and similar model 12 yr water heater is that the 12 yr has two anode rods. I removed my anode rod 5 years ago and it was the size of a pencil at the far end. I'm getting ready to do it again.
 
You can buy water purity test meters on amazon that can tell you about total dissolved solids in your water. $7-40. Look for TDS meter.
 
I did not know there was such a thing as a heater with either no or unservicable anode rods
 
For me, it made sense to go rental. NG is cheapest form of heat here and would require a licensed tech to repair/replace. Yes i could replace an elec one myself when it failed, but its nowhere near as efficient/cheap as NG. Stove, dryer, furnace, bbq and water heater all ng.
 
Huh. I've never had to call out a *licensed tech" for any plumbing needs.
30 miles north where my mother in law lives you're"supposed to " along with a building permit from the gestapo town just to replace a water heater. But they don't always go out at the most convenient time so fark them
 
famous bob said:
for lack of a better explanation , its basically static elec. in the system somewhere , can even be caused by two diff metals touching each other in the ground .....
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No it's not exactly static. Works more like a battery. Dissimilar metals and an electrolyte. My trouble is being able to understand just what makes it up in a given "system."
 
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