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02/19/2009 12:55:57 PM · #26 |
Originally posted by DrAchoo:
What's the best way to check the level of sediment? Just look down the hole where the nipple was? |
I had a similar problem a while back and opted to do the following:
1. Turn the power off to the Hot Water Tank, (DON'T FORGET !!!)
2. Drain the tank,
3. Remove the plates covering the elements,
4. Conduct a continuity test of each elements,
5. Remove the non-functioning element,
6. Check the level of Sediment, usually at the same level as the burnt out element,
7. Remove as much sediment as you can.
8. Install a new element and hook the power back to the element,
9. Refill tank with water,
10.Turn electricity back on,
11.Invest in a water conditiioner (reduces sediment)
12.Flush your hot water tank out at regular intervals (perhaps once a month)
Best of luck to you.
Ray |
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02/19/2009 12:57:36 PM · #27 |
| Thanks Ray. I got a gas heater though... :) |
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02/19/2009 01:03:00 PM · #28 |
Originally posted by DrAchoo:
The manual seems to say it's a glass lined tank. I would guess that means corrosion of the tank itself is not a big deal. I didn't see a sacrificial anode listed in the manual (although I may have missed it) so that would back up that idea. |
That always helps but at some point they all fail, typically they figure 8-12 years is expected life of a water heater but I have seen them in houses where they are over 25 years old and still working. |
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02/19/2009 01:03:37 PM · #29 |
Originally posted by DrAchoo:
Thanks Ray. I got a gas heater though... :) |
Great...I would hasten to point out that you really ought to drain your tank on a regular basis though, just to ensure this scenario doesn't repeat itself.
Ray |
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02/19/2009 01:04:57 PM · #30 |
| The tank walls are not likley to rust in a glass lined tank, but anywhere a fitting penetrates the tank you may expect some corrosion. |
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02/19/2009 01:19:14 PM · #31 |
Originally posted by DrAchoo:
I just told you. :) I don't have $500 right now. |
Music in the bedroom must be more important than hot water huh.
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02/19/2009 01:33:39 PM · #32 |
Originally posted by NstiG8tr:
Originally posted by DrAchoo:
I just told you. :) I don't have $500 right now. |
Music in the bedroom must be more important than hot water huh. |
Apparently. Jenn is having trouble sleeping because of traffic noise. I don't think it's bad at all, but what can you do? The tank currently does work. I can forsee problems when relatives come over, but actually our current schedules of showers etc work with the tank. OTOH, if I can get extra life out of it with a $8 dip tube and learn about hot water heaters in the meantime, great! |
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02/19/2009 01:45:08 PM · #33 |
Originally posted by DrAchoo:
Jenn is having trouble sleeping because of traffic noise. |
So Achoos DIY sound-proofing could be next??
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02/19/2009 01:53:05 PM · #34 |
Originally posted by Notroubles:
The tank walls are not likley to rust in a glass lined tank, but anywhere a fitting penetrates the tank you may expect some corrosion. |
The glass liner is bonded to the steel tank. Over the years, as the tank is goes through heating and cooling cycles, the glass and metal expand and contract. Unfortunately, they don't always expand and contract together, for any number of reasons, but mostly because they're not always at a uniform temperature. Glass is brittle and if it wants to move ar stay still and it's bonded to something that moves more or less, it fractures, often exposing bare steel, which rusts. Once the corrosion has started, the steel tank will continue to corrode beneath the glass liner, which leads to more glass falling off and so on until the rust is what's holding the whole thing together.
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02/19/2009 01:53:45 PM · #35 |
| Doc, How did the great light circuit drama turn out? |
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02/19/2009 01:53:51 PM · #36 |
Originally posted by NstiG8tr:
Originally posted by DrAchoo:
Jenn is having trouble sleeping because of traffic noise. |
So Achoos DIY sound-proofing could be next?? |
I have experience as a noise control engineer... |
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02/19/2009 01:59:55 PM · #37 |
Back to the original question - the nipple should be std right hand threads and unscrew counterclockwise. To be sure, do this -the nipple will be on top and will be removed straight up. Stand to the side and look at the threads that are still exposed at the connection (there should be a few). If the threads run uphill from left to right, then it will unscrew counterclockwise. Good luck.
Edit - looked back a thread and now see that you have this answer. Did not mean to duplicate the answer. :)
Message edited by author 2009-02-19 14:02:52. |
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02/19/2009 02:32:57 PM · #38 |
Originally posted by Notroubles:
Doc, How did the great light circuit drama turn out? |
You can see pictures here. It was a short at the light switch with some sloppy wiring. |
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02/19/2009 02:33:06 PM · #39 |
Also, check the water temperature on the dial attached to the thermostat/igniter device. A lot of times this is dialed down to a lower "energy saver" temperature range. You might want to consider increasing the temperature so you start out with water that is hotter - a hot shower will last a little longer if it starts out with hotter water in the water heater. There should be a guide on the dial that gives you a safe temperature range (so you don't go too high). Be careful with this if you have young kids in the house.
On a separate note - find the info plate on the hot water heater that tells you when it was made. If it is over ten years, you are rolling the dice on it rupturing. And make no mistake, it will rupture the moment you all leave the house for several hours.
The sediment that collects at the bottom of the water heater will act to accelerate corrosive activity. It's a good idea to drain the sediment annually - even more often if you are on well water.
And finally - on a tangent - if you haven't replaced the hoses to your washing machine in the last five years, go purchase new ones. Old hoses get brittle and weak and tend to blow as soon as you go off to work in the morning. Spend the extra couple of dollars and purchase the wire mesh protected hoses.
I'm in the insurance field and we see the hot water and washing machine hose claims occur most frequently. |
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02/19/2009 02:34:19 PM · #40 |
Originally posted by dswann:
Back to the original question - the nipple should be std right hand threads and unscrew counterclockwise. To be sure, do this -the nipple will be on top and will be removed straight up. Stand to the side and look at the threads that are still exposed at the connection (there should be a few). If the threads run uphill from left to right, then it will unscrew counterclockwise. Good luck.
Edit - looked back a thread and now see that you have this answer. Did not mean to duplicate the answer. :) |
No, that little tidbit is very helpful in the future. You'd think one could work this out for themselves, but sometimes the spatial relation portion of your brain goes on vacation while you are working on things. |
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02/19/2009 02:36:14 PM · #41 |
Originally posted by jjstager2:
Also, check the water temperature on the dial attached to the thermostat/igniter device. A lot of times this is dialed down to a lower "energy saver" temperature range. You might want to consider increasing the temperature so you start out with water that is hotter - a hot shower will last a little longer if it starts out with hotter water in the water heater. There should be a guide on the dial that gives you a safe temperature range (so you don't go too high). Be careful with this if you have young kids in the house.
On a separate note - find the info plate on the hot water heater that tells you when it was made. If it is over ten years, you are rolling the dice on it rupturing. And make no mistake, it will rupture the moment you all leave the house for several hours.
The sediment that collects at the bottom of the water heater will act to accelerate corrosive activity. It's a good idea to drain the sediment annually - even more often if you are on well water.
And finally - on a tangent - if you haven't replaced the hoses to your washing machine in the last five years, go purchase new ones. Old hoses get brittle and weak and tend to blow as soon as you go off to work in the morning. Spend the extra couple of dollars and purchase the wire mesh protected hoses.
I'm in the insurance field and we see the hot water and washing machine hose claims occur most frequently. |
Ya, I have that paranoia in the back of my mind about the heater. That's why I'm likely to replace it as soon as feasible. |
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02/19/2009 02:40:32 PM · #42 |
Originally posted by jjstager2:
Also, check the water temperature on the dial attached to the thermostat/igniter device. A lot of times this is dialed down to a lower "energy saver" temperature range. You might want to consider increasing the temperature so you start out with water that is hotter - a hot shower will last a little longer if it starts out with hotter water in the water heater. There should be a guide on the dial that gives you a safe temperature range (so you don't go too high). Be careful with this if you have young kids in the house.
On a separate note - find the info plate on the hot water heater that tells you when it was made. If it is over ten years, you are rolling the dice on it rupturing. And make no mistake, it will rupture the moment you all leave the house for several hours.
The sediment that collects at the bottom of the water heater will act to accelerate corrosive activity. It's a good idea to drain the sediment annually - even more often if you are on well water.
And finally - on a tangent - if you haven't replaced the hoses to your washing machine in the last five years, go purchase new ones. Old hoses get brittle and weak and tend to blow as soon as you go off to work in the morning. Spend the extra couple of dollars and purchase the wire mesh protected hoses.
I'm in the insurance field and we see the hot water and washing machine hose claims occur most frequently. |
What an informative thread! Thanks for the tip on the washer hoses--ours are 5 years old exactly and they aren't looking so great. Wire mesh it is... |
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02/19/2009 04:20:30 PM · #43 |
| See, this is another reason I love DIY projects. Lots of people think they will have trouble relating to me. They think I must be all "ivory tower" being a doc and that I don't have any interests other than opera, fine wine, and french philosophers. I love to see their eyes light up with relief when I start talking about dip tubes and washer hoses. |
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02/19/2009 04:48:37 PM · #44 |
| Isn't dip tubes and water hoses part of medicine? |
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02/19/2009 05:22:07 PM · #45 |
Originally posted by DrAchoo:
OK, this one is simple. |
I don't know about Oregon Doc but you'd better be careful.
Our local "Southern" plumbers have been having problems with
fire ants.
[thumb]766702[/thumb]
Got a note about the above image that indicates it
might not have been appreciated. I has been deleted.
Message edited by author 2009-02-19 19:06:51. |
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02/19/2009 07:09:45 PM · #46 |
Let me guess, was it ant bites on someone's ass? :)
No, fire ants are not found here in Oregon. That's bad for allergy business (people can be allergic to fire ants like bee stings), but good for our regular lives. |
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02/19/2009 07:09:47 PM · #47 |
there is generally a shut off valve for the clothes washer feed. right behind the washer. so to be safe - if you are worried about hoses blowing out, you can always shut that valve off when not using the washer. beyond the valve on the 'house' side should be copper or PVC pipe you won't have to worry about blowing out.
Originally posted by mpeters:
What an informative thread! Thanks for the tip on the washer hoses--ours are 5 years old exactly and they aren't looking so great. Wire mesh it is... |
Message edited by author 2009-02-19 19:10:05.
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02/19/2009 07:36:33 PM · #48 |
Originally posted by jjstager2:
And finally - on a tangent - if you haven't replaced the hoses to your washing machine in the last five years, go purchase new ones. Old hoses get brittle and weak and tend to blow as soon as you go off to work in the morning. Spend the extra couple of dollars and purchase the wire mesh protected hoses.
I'm in the insurance field and we see the hot water and washing machine hose claims occur most frequently. |
I'm with you on the washing machine hoses, but in my work as an engineer for an appliance manufacturer, I tested the performance of washing machine hoses and the results clearly showed that, contrary to what you'd expect, the mesh covered hoses were far more likely to leak or rupture than the standard rubber hoses.
Message edited by author 2009-02-19 21:56:31. |
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02/19/2009 09:29:23 PM · #49 |
All this talk of dip tubes and nipples has me all hot and bothered!
Seriously, why do we need "hot water heaters"? If the water's hot, why heat it??? ;-)
Sorry, too much wine with dinner~! |
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02/19/2009 09:43:50 PM · #50 |
Originally posted by kirbic:
Seriously, why do we need "hot water heaters"? If the water's hot, why heat it??? ;-) |
Well, blame the idjits that SAY it: the device is CALLED a "water heater", and that's what it does. Where the heck "hot water heater" came from is beyond me, but it's a personal problem, if you catch my drift?
R.
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