Water heater question

[Devneck]

House built in 2008, we bought almost 2 years ago. So I don't know if this is original water heater or not. Also not sure what sort of maintenance previous owner did.

So I noticed this bit of corrosion on all the fitting connections. I'm wondering if I should start planning to replace it before there is a major issue or what. Maybe I'm being overly concerned/ paranoid and nothing to worry about. Should I get a plumber out or what? Thoughts? Any input is appreciated



Edit to add: it seems to be running fine currently. Plenty of hot water, no concerns. I was just noticing this during inspection while looking at possibly replacing anode rod.

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[Alexx1401]

If it is original I would be buying another one. They have a date code on them somewhere. May only tell you when made though. They are cheap and easy to replace. When they fail they can fail at the worst possible time, like when no one is home

 

[PORSCHE928S4]

IF it is not leaking and heats water leave it alone IMHO. I had to change one last year because it did fail the plumber was a two week wait ! I never changed one before and was able to do it in a half hour and saved $400.

 

[MTpockets]

3/4" Dielectric Unions



or 3/4" Copper Flex



Don't forget you drip pan, and piping your overflow to the outdoors....oh, oh and a hurricane strap.

Think I would leave it. They really don't look bad.
And if I was worried, I would get a moisture alarm. And turn off the breaker and supply side if I was leaving town for a week.

 

[Lilhigbee]

I don't see anything I'd worry about. i see more pipe sealant than corrosion. 90% of the time the reason a water heater fails is the tank leaks because the glass lining cracks and then the steel rusts through. As long as it is somewhere where the leakage won't damage anything I'd leave it alone. Do check the date code and the manufacturer's warranty. That will give you some insight into it's age and vulnerability.

 

[hongkong2]

In addition to the above, replace the anodes to prevent corrosion, cheap and easy to do yourself. You can thank me later....

 

[PORSCHE928S4]

In addition to the above, replace the anodes to prevent corrosion, cheap and easy to do yourself. You can thank me later....

Don't forget to get the stupid tool !

 

[Jay Walk]

In addition to the above, replace the anodes to prevent corrosion, cheap and easy to do yourself. You can thank me later....

What this guy said. In fact everybody that has a water heater more than five years old replace your anode rod. If the old one is good then keep it and replace at a longer interval.

The rod life depends on water quality, my boss pulled a water heater out of a Hood River residence that was manufactured in the twenties. Hood River's municipal water is really good. We have talked people out of galvanized pipe replacement out there because it is usually not needed.

 

[Devneck]

Build date 6/6/2008?

So checks out that it likely was original and going on 15 years.

 

[Alexx1401]

Build date 6/6/2008?

So checks out that it likely was original and going on 15 years.

View attachment 1347595

The consensus seems to be wait for it to fail. If it was me? I would call 15 years I got my money's worth and look for a new one I could put it at my leisure. Simple job to do. Having seen the mess when one fails has me no longer waiting till mine fail. They never seem to fail when you are home and see it happening for some reason.
If you have never done it super simple to look up how. First time I did one back in the 70's Wife comes home its pouring out water she calls me at work. I told her how to shut off water. I had never done one, Al G had not yet invented the net. Off to Sears to buy one and a couple trips to the local Ace and new tank in and going. Beats waiting till one dies, then having to do it with no hot water at best and a mess at worst.

 

[L84Cabo]

Can you call the folks you bought the house from and ask how old it is? If that thing is from 2008 I would say it's had a good long life and change it.

Also, when water heaters die they almost always start leaking. Will anything get damaged if this happens? I'm a fan of changing them a bit early on my schedule when I don't NEED a plumber...like on a weekend.

Also, if you don't do plumbing connections you can still save yourself some money by draining it, getting the old one out of there and the new one in place. That process is pretty straight forward.

 

[Devneck]

Ok, so I confirmed on the home inspection report that the water heater is the original from 2008.

I already had multiple water/leak detection alarms around the utility room because we have a sump pump and I'm paranoid of that failing or being unable to keep up.

Utility room is in basement, concrete. Has furnace, water heater, sump and whole house sound system (on rack though, well off the ground). And a bunch of emergency food supplies. But it shares a wall with kids bedroom, staircase and family room. So flooding could cause significant damage.

I've never worked with gas and only a little plumbing really. (Couple shark bite fittings but that's about it) so I'm not too sure about taking it on myself. It's just soldering, right ... maybe as good a time to learn as any. Especially since it's not in a tight hard to work in space.

At this point, I'm kind of leaning toward the idea of, it lasted as long as it should have and better to get in front of it. It'll eventually need to be replaced anyways.

We have pretty hard water and I have no idea when the last time anode rod was replaced. Although I do think it's been pulled at least once as the little plastic trim is clearly scuffed and torn from being wrenched on previously. Who knows when though ...

 

[Alexx1401]

Ok, so I confirmed on the home inspection report that the water heater is the original from 2008.

I already had multiple water/leak detection alarms around the utility room because we have a sump pump and I'm paranoid of that failing or being unable to keep up.

Utility room is in basement, concrete. Has furnace, water heater, sump and whole house sound system (on rack though, well off the ground). And a bunch of emergency food supplies. But it shares a wall with kids bedroom, staircase and family room. So flooding could cause significant damage.

I've never worked with gas and only a little plumbing really. (Couple shark bite fittings but that's about it) so I'm not too sure about taking it on myself. It's just soldering, right ... maybe as good a time to learn as any. Especially since it's not in a tight hard to work in space.

At this point, I'm kind of leaning toward the idea of, it lasted as long as it should have and better to get in front of it. It'll eventually need to be replaced anyways.

We have pretty hard water and I have no idea when the last time anode rod was replaced. Although I do think it's been pulled at least once as the little plastic trim is clearly scuffed and torn from being wrenched on previously. Who knows when though ...

Now days with the net you can watch a video or two and safely do this. first find a tank, since its working you can look for a sale or one you want. Find which one you want and which size. If the new one is roughly the same size and old venting should be real simple. If not again simple to watch some video on how its done. Take a few pics to go with you to the store when you go to buy supplies. Only thing to watch for with the gas connections is of course leak free. Simple to check this when done with some soapy water. If not comfortable and you want a pro you can save a little by having the new tank there and even taking the old out if you wish. The nice thing about doing this now is you have no time table to get it done. As in nothing is wrong right now so no rush. The first time I did it I knew NOTHING about this. I looked at the old, went to buy a tank. Then went to a Hardware store back when they still had people working there who knew and they told me what to do. Now you have pro's on video to watch before you even start to make you feel comfortable.

 

[Devneck]

Now days with the net you can watch a video or two and safely do this. first find a tank, since its working you can look for a sale or one you want. Find which one you want and which size. If the new one is roughly the same size and old venting should be real simple. If not again simple to watch some video on how its done. Take a few pics to go with you to the store when you go to buy supplies. Only thing to watch for with the gas connections is of course leak free. Simple to check this when done with some soapy water. If not comfortable and you want a pro you can save a little by having the new tank there and even taking the old out if you wish. The nice thing about doing this now is you have no time table to get it done. As in nothing is wrong right now so no rush. The first time I did it I knew NOTHING about this. I looked at the old, went to buy a tank. Then went to a Hardware store back when they still had people working there who knew and they told me what to do. Now you have pro's on video to watch before you even start to make you feel comfortable.

Yeah, I think I want to step out of my comfort zone. The gas thing, it's really no different than hooking up the propane fire table ... except some pipe dope or whatever. Twist it on, check for leaks.

I think I've already found the tank I want as well. Mostly I think I've just overly stressed myself needlessly.

 

[MTpockets]

If you need someone to talk you out of replacing it, until the weather in your area is a comfortable temperature, just let me know.

One of the most difficult steps of replacing a water heater, can be draining the old one. You can use a Schrader valve, and a few fittings, to pressure drain the tank with an air compressor. If you cannot get it to pressure drain, because of sediment, you can shop-vac it through the "hot" side....you will need to cobble together some tubing for that...or use a syphon technique.

Water heaters can almost double in weight if they have gathered sediment. Think wet sand. You might be able to find out if your area has this problem by talking to the neighbors. You said the water heater is in the basement. You will probably need access to a hand-truck with a strap. I think UHaul will rent one. Pneumatic tires are terrible on the stairs, but are great for crossing lawns.

Hopefully the shut-off valves work properly. Ball-valves are a good sign and the age of the home is another. Also if they installed valves on the inlet and outlets sides you can keep the rest of the home isolated.

And on a humor side. Rent a room at a hotel with a pool for the family, they might not want to step out of your comfort zone.

 

[Lazyfaire]

Water heaters are easy to replace. Very few connections in general. I agree with the above to watch multiple videos on the proper procedure, especially a gas water heater. After all a garageful of gas is never a good thing. And best to have a friend help you since gas water heaters are raised up off the floor for safety reasons.

BTW, the anode rods are in a water heater and are designed to corrode over time.

 

[Norwestr55]

If you're doing it yourself, be sure to use gas rated Teflon tape for any threaded connectors. It's the yellow tape you can find at Home Depot, heavier than the white stuff.

 

[hongkong2]

Have you considered getting a tank less on demand water heater?

 

[Devneck]

Have you considered getting a tank less on demand water heater?

I would absolutely prefer to do tankless. Problem is that when they first came out years and years ago, I convinced my wife that we should get one. House was 100% electric.

She never has paid bills, so while I would try to show her that we were in fact saving money, she just never believed it. And, again relatively new technology combined with a lower end unit ... we ended up having a problem where one of the inner tanks burst and was shooting scalding water all over the utility area. Electric panel was right next to it, and the whole house shut off valve so I couldn't get in to turn it off. Had to call Electric company for them to come out and emergency shut off the whole house just so I could get into the room to turn water off.

That event is all she remembers about it and she swears we'll never have another tankless.

 

[MTpockets]

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