Water Heater - Replace or Maintain

[calvinbiss]

I recently bought a house with a single gas water heater. The heater is 10 years old and has been operating in very hard water. I know the previous owners of the house were not that much into normal maintenance based on the state of other items in the house. I am debating on replacing the water heater this weekend.

What's the life of a water heater in your experience?
Is it worth it trying to drain some sediment out of the heater and then just keep on keeping on?
Should I replace it?!

 

[SlickSnake]

My tax sale property I bought has a 6 year old water heater in it that has a slow leak, but it's draining into a pan and then going outside. I also have hard water and the sediment in this one is probably epic. But I'm afraid to mess with the drain contraption on it, because when I did that before on clogged water heaters either it wouldn't drain at all, wasting my time, or the drain would start leaking or not tighten back down properly after I was done forcing a replacement. If it has never been serviced you might be opening a can of worms. I will use this one until it forces me to replace it.

 

[edro]

Wait till it dies. It might last another 20 years.

I drained and flushed my ~20 year old gas water heater and NOTHING came out.
The water was a little cloudy, but there was no sediment. It was on city water.

I live in the country now and have bad water, so I should probably drain this one every now and then.

 

[calvinbiss]

Wait till it dies.

By die do you mean catastrophic failure? The only reason I am thinking about replacing it is, now that its gotten colder, it takes a LONG time for hot water to get to the master bath and my gas bill has jumped (actual usage, not just cost).

 

[EagleKeeper]

I have been told to try to drain every 2-3 years to maximize the life of the heater.

 

[EagleKeeper]

By die do you mean catastrophic failure? The only reason I am thinking about replacing it is, now that its gotten colder, it takes a LONG time for hot water to get to the master bath and my gas bill has jumped (actual usage, not just cost).

Is the heater in an insulated area?

Try to put foam around the hot water pipes from the tank to where it enters the structure.

 

[Fausto]

I'd replace it. They are not that expensive or hard to install and the mess/cleanup can be epic when they fail.

 

[olds]

The problem with draining older water heaters can be sediment. The sediment comes out the valve and some gets trapped. When you close the valve, you damage the faucet washer and it won't seal up all the way and leaks.

If it's electric, have you checked the elements?

 

[lxskllr]

By die do you mean catastrophic failure? The only reason I am thinking about replacing it is, now that its gotten colder, it takes a LONG time for hot water to get to the master bath and my gas bill has jumped (actual usage, not just cost).

That sounds like a distance issue, not a heater issue. The farther you are away from the source, the longer it takes. It's more noticeable in the winter cause the water's biting cold. I hate cold water on my hands.

 

[NetWareHead]

If you dont have any leaks and the heater actually works, then the best thing to do which can extend the life of nearly any heater is to inspect and if necessary, replace the sacrificial anode. The anode is a rod which extends downwards from the top of the tank and is submerged in the hot water. It prevents corrosion in the tank by "attracting corrosion" (simplified explanation) to itself instead of the tank. When there is no more anode left, the tank is next to go. I do recall a few plumbers saying something about staying away from the aluminum anodes since you don't want to put that in your domestic hot water. It is a quick fix that can be accomplished with minimal tools. Google for more details.

 

[calvinbiss]

Anyone use a hot water circulation pump?

 

[NutBucket]

Installed one in my parents' house a few years back. I regret not getting an "on-demand" type vs. the timer version, but other than that it works great.

 

[steppinthrax]

I recently bought a house with a single gas water heater. The heater is 10 years old and has been operating in very hard water. I know the previous owners of the house were not that much into normal maintenance based on the state of other items in the house. I am debating on replacing the water heater this weekend.

What's the life of a water heater in your experience?
Is it worth it trying to drain some sediment out of the heater and then just keep on keeping on?
Should I replace it?!

I'm not understanding the question. There is notthing physically wrong with the heater, correct? I would just keep running it until it dies. The tanks usually have very high warranties (8 years or so). Unless you want to convert to tankless gas or tankless electric. The gas has to be vented.

 

[dandruff]

No.

Its Gas. Its got Burners. Clean it good. Air out before turning it back on. If the tank is good (no leaks) - no need to replace it.

 

[Texashiker]

Where is the heater located at? Some builders put the hot water heater in the attic, some are in a closet, some are in the garage.

I have heard stories of hot water heaters in the attic leaking, water going over the spill tray, getting into the sheetrock ceiling, and then the ceiling collapsing..

One family, the hot water heater was in the attic over the master bedroom bed. They came home from work to find the ceiling had gotten wet and collapsed on the bed. It took several thousand dollars to replace the ceiling, carpet, sections of the wall that got wet from the water, had to replace the matress,,.

If the hot water heater is in the garage, then I see no issue with letting it stay until it goes out. I had a hot water heater that started leaking, but it was in my garage. The water drained out the garage and into the driveway, no damage done.

 

[calvinbiss]

I'm not understanding the question. There is notthing physically wrong with the heater, correct? I would just keep running it until it dies. The tanks usually have very high warranties (8 years or so). Unless you want to convert to tankless gas or tankless electric. The gas has to be vented.

No, there is nothing obviously wrong with the heater. I only started thinking about it because I know the previous owner was a poor maintainer, the water is very hard, the unit is >10 years old and my gas usage increased.

The unit is in a closet in the garage, so a failure would not be too bad. I do not plan on going tankless.

 

[PsiStar]

The problem with draining older water heaters can be sediment. The sediment comes out the valve and some gets trapped. When you close the valve, you damage the faucet washer and it won't seal up all the way and leaks.
.
.
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This. I was going to say, get a garden hose & connect to the water to flush it. But olds makes the point that crud most likely will clog the valve & possibly even block flow, but not completely. So then you have a valve that cannot be shut off and a leak. I was there once when I discovered the service manual for my few year old heater & decided to dutifully flush it. Once a year was it recommendation.

My solution was to buy at Sears & have it installed. I knew the old w/h could not be drained & didn't have the ability to get it out by myself ... it took 3 guys to get it up the steps of the basement.

Failure of electric h/w tanks occurs when the water etches pin holes thru the tank wall & it leaks. Not repairable.

Hmmm, as I vaguely remember, replacing an electrode requires actually draining the tank. If that is true and you wake 1 morning to no h/w, just change your plans for the day & go buy a new one.

 

[stargazr]

Wait till it dies. It might last another 20 years.

I drained and flushed my ~20 year old gas water heater and NOTHING came out.
The water was a little cloudy, but there was no sediment. It was on city water.

I live in the country now and have bad water, so I should probably drain this one every now and then.

Sometimes that can be deceiving. I have really hard city water, and have tried in the past to drain the sediment. Last time I unscrewed the whole valve after it seemed to be empty. There was several inches of sludge built up that now was able to drain.

 

[mmntech]

They last about 6-10 years for modern ones. My parents have gone through three or four of them in the 27 years they've lived in their house. They always rust through the bottom and start leaking. Thankfully it's in the basement on a concrete floor.

If you can rent one from your local gas company, I'd do it. Cost is spread out and if it fails, they'll replace it at no additional charge.

 

[PottedMeat]

I recently bought a house with a single gas water heater. The heater is 10 years old and has been operating in very hard water. I know the previous owners of the house were not that much into normal maintenance based on the state of other items in the house. I am debating on replacing the water heater this weekend.

What's the life of a water heater in your experience?
Is it worth it trying to drain some sediment out of the heater and then just keep on keeping on?
Should I replace it?!

hard water? i think i'd replace it. i helped my dad clean out their old water heater ( it was ~10 years old ). basically the minerals would crystallize around the heating element and when the water boiled it would crack off and fall into the bottom. the pieces were all larger than would fit through the drain. when we opened it up to the bottom access port there was ~1' sediment. maybe it isn't that bad with a gas heater.

 

[steppinthrax]

No, there is nothing obviously wrong with the heater. I only started thinking about it because I know the previous owner was a poor maintainer, the water is very hard, the unit is >10 years old and my gas usage increased.

The unit is in a closet in the garage, so a failure would not be too bad. I do not plan on going tankless.

I would do what others have recomended here (changing the anode rod, cleaning the flue pipe, inspections). I would leave the rest alone.