Hot Water Heaters

[Italiancook]

What a stressful day! A hot water heater is an unsung hero to a cook or baker. I depend on it but never think about it. I've had plenty of hot water in the kitchen, but my husband has been complaining for quite a while about bathroom water. I mentioned it to the contractor, and he said it was the hot water heater. He had installed it in 2017. At that time, he said it'd only last 5 years, because that product is now poorly made. Today was the day to replace it.

It was corroded so badly that he couldn't drain the water. The valve was clogged. He and his helper had to heft it onto a dolly while one pushed and one pulled to get it out of the house. There were lots of groans along the way. It held 50 gallons of water! Contractor said it was amazing I had hot water anywhere in the house.

It took a long time to remove the heater from the house, but once it was out and the new one in place, the work went quickly and smoothly. Unfortunately, the contractor said the new one will also last only 5 years..

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[skeptic7]

I am surprised that your hot water heater had a predicted life of 5 years. I replaced mine some years ago when it started leaking but it was much older than that. I don't remember how old it was but perhaps 15 years. I tried to drain it twice a year to prevent mineral build up. I do the same on my new one except this year when I haven't been around enough.
Is this gas or electric? Do you have very hard water? I made an effort to get a water heater with a brass drainage valve and not plastic valve.
I had to get a different plumber to install my hot water heater. My regular plumber said that his knees didn't allow him to handle hot water heaters anymore.
Running water is a wonderful thing. I've had to keep my water turned off most of the time last week while waiting for the plumber. A bathroom faucet was leaking.

[RiversideLen]

Sounds like that guy is giving you the super economy model, Italiancook.

My previous water heater lasted about 30 years. The plumber who installed it advised me to draw off about a gallon of water a couple times a year but to be careful when the unit gets older because it's possible the spigot won't shut completely (it was plastic). So I did that for about 10 years but then stopped. It lasted another 20 (it was a Rheem). I think I replaced it 7 years ago with another Rheem. This one has a brass ball valve for maintenance but it doesn't have a knob, I have to use a screwdriver. This one advises to draw off a gallon every month. So far, so good.

Go on Youtube for some water heater maintenance info and tips.

[skeptic7]

I saw directions on youtube for replacing a plastic faucet with a brass one. If you have a plumber at your house for other problems you might want to have this done. I thought about trying to replace my faucet with a ball valve by myself but was too scared of breaking something to go through with it.
The screwdriver bit is a deliberate safety precaution. It prevents the hot water heater from accidently draining if someone bumps into it.

[Italiancook]

My hot water heater is electric. Before 2017, I also had a long-term Rheem. Foolishly, we decided in 2017 to replace the working Rheem with a new one to make sure we never ran out of hot water. The contractor gave our working Rheem to one of his buddies. It's still working! So in 2017, the replacement was a different brand. Yes, probably the super economy model. But at that time, the contractor said hot water heaters as a group are being made more cheaply and that it wouldn't last more than 5 years. Yesterday, the contractor said the same thing after he made the installation. While I imagine it's also the super economy model, I know that manufacturers of items I buy are building them for obsolescence, not for longevity.

[Mike Nolan]

The last time we changed water heaters we found out that the city water system had changed the composition of their water, and a different anode was required. (Exactly who at the plumbing company knew this was unclear, the journeyman plumber they sent out didn't, nor did his supervisor, it wasn't until we ordered a water quality study from the state lab that we found out.)

Having the wrong anode shortens the life of the heater, because of the mineral buildup.

My older son tells me the tankless systems have a longer expected lifetime.

[RiversideLen]

Water heaters have an anode in them. The purpose of it is to self destruct in order to save the water tank. The corrosive demons that naturally occur in the water tank attack the anode, thus saving the tank. The cheaper water heaters have a puny anode whereas the better ones have a beefier anode. I once read that the main difference between the heaters that have a 5 year warranty and the ones with a 15 year is the 15 year warranty has the better anode. The good news is the anode is usually replaceable. So, you might try this, make sure to draw off a gallon of water every now and then to keep the mineral deposit build up to a minimum and have the anode replaced every couple of years.

[skeptic7]

My father's water heater is leaking. Its probably 14 years old and 2 years past warranty. I have gotten estimates from two people for replacing it with another electrical water heater. I am just so frustrated I want to just to stop getting estimates and pay for a new heater. The higher bidder has better reviews on Yelp and BBB.
Even the better water heaters have only a 6 year warranty.
I'm not actually doing without hot water. I turn on the supply and get water to wash dishes or take a shower and then turn off the supply to the hot water heater so it doesn't leak anymore. I clean up the leaks with a shop-vac.
After dealing with this I am going to have to get a new oven. My father's oven won't set at over 350 degrees. If I push the button to change the temperature it only goes down and not up.

[BakerAunt]

I'm so sorry that you are having to deal with your father's house issues, Skeptic. While the better water heaters only have a six-year warranty, that does not mean it will go kaput in six years, so focus on who you believe will do the best job.

How old is the oven? Is it "young" enough, or not complicated enough, that you might be able to get parts for it?

[Mike Nolan]

My older son's house has in-floor hot water heating in the basement, and he recently replaced his water heater/boiler with a tankless system, which is more efficient, but more expensive too. (I don't know if it is gas or electric, though.)

We seem to get 8-10 years out of a gas water heater here. Getting the right type of anode seems to have helped our last longer, but it was a 3 ring circus finding out that the anode was the wrong type based on changes in the city water supply.

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