Water heater questions

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GRP

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Good morning all, I have a question on my water heater:



My question is why are my connections looking like they have corrosion on them where the water lines come into the heater?

They have a white looking type of corrosion, a build up of a scale like substances.

I have an 80 gallon electric Whirpool that is up on bricks, with the stabs coming and going consist of all copper pipe. The oulet has more corrosion on the stem than the inlet. It doesn't follow on to the copper pipe, just the connections.

I have heard of Die-electic type fittings but I do not really understand them. I have also heard of having to ground your heater, but wouldn't the pipes do that and or the electric connection?

Oh yea, the heater is only about 5 years old.

I flushed it out from the bottom when it was noticed that after one shower there wasn't that much hot water, I thought that I may have had a bad element but it was loaded with sediment. I had to take an air compressor and blow back into the tank just to open up the drain valve. Yes, I checked both elements, and they are still working good. I have a well and I feel that it just wasn't taken care of before the house was bought. I plan on draining it and flushing it every 6 months from now on. There is plenty of hot water now and no problems but I am concerned about the corrosion on the connectors.

Thanks for any input.


Gary
 
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Leejosepho

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afponik said:
... a white looking type of corrosion, a build up of a scale like substances ...

There is plenty of hot water now and no problems but I am concerned about the corrosion on the connectors.

I have something similar on the inlet, I believe, but I do not know why it is there. After cleaning it off, a little petroleum jelly might keep it from coming back ... kind of like putting some grease on the terminals of a car battery to shield them from oxidation or whatever. And overall, I believe combinations of electricity, temperatures, humidities, water and whatever might be in it are simply going to produce occasional buildups of one kind or another.
 

hj

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corrosion

You have, or had, a very slight leak. The water from the leak evaporated before you could see it, but the minerals stayed behind. By now the encrustation has probably sealed the leak.
 
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