Imploding water heater?

[MACPLUMB 777]

I know exactly what happened to your water heater i have seen that many times before ! !

You have a excessive pressure bulge, caused by not having thermal expansion tank inSTALLED per mfg's spec's
you need the tank between the shut off ball valve and the water heater, when you turned the water heater off it caused excess
pressure to build up and invert the tank ! ! !
YOU HAVE A CHECK VALVE ON THE COLD WATER INLET, YOU MUST HAVE THERMAL EXPANSION TANK BETWEEN ANY VALVES AND THE WATER HEATER

If you look in the fire box you will see the tank setting down on
top of the burner,

this will cause carbon monoxide because the burner cannot burn correctly,
so yes shut heater down now ! !
And get replaced a. S. A. P. Be sure thermal expansion tank is moved to after the shut off valve or you could have the same problem again
e-mail me if you have any more questions

[MACPLUMB 777]

also have plumber correct your vent problem, it may have been that way when you moved in, ! !
But it is you and your family that will suffer because of the incorrect install of this water heater
thats why you should always have a professional do the install and get it inspected by your town people

[Cass]

Judging by what I see in the back ground (DWV) and the heater vent I will guess this was a DIY install...It does appear that there is an expansion tank (failed?) but perhaps that tank is part of the heating system...can't tell from the pic

[hj]

Whatever the reason the tank was subjected to pressure beyond its working pressure, and maybe even beyond its test pressure. The top "bulged" up, but the flue liner held the center down which is why the pipes bent inward. Discard the tank because it has been damaged beyond repair and its integrity has been compromised. At this time there is no way to tell why it happened.

[RRW]

Thanks hj for the explanation of why the pipes showed the way they do. It makes sense. One question, would this type of flexing cause the glass liner to crack and greatly shorten the service life even if it did not fail from other reasons?

[Terry]

This is a critical safety Item and it would be wise to consider the services of a licensed plumber.
Watch this video... click here!

Got time to watch a video on exploding water heaters?
If it were my home, and my family, I would disconnect the water heater and get it out of my home.

Just a little North of Kirkland. I like to use Rheem and Bradford White water heaters.

[kingsotall]

Anyone get the feeling that all this is going in one ear and out the other¿

[jimbo]

I thought the tops of water heaters were made concave....in other words dished in looking from the top. So it must have take some serious force to FURTHER dish it in to move the nipples like that. I have seen pictures of tanks which were over-pressured, and the nipples tilt outward.


I completely agree that the integrity of the top of that tank is seriously compromised, and should be taken out of service immediately.

[Redwood]

Anyone get the feeling that all this is going in one ear and out the other¿

Yup!

It's just passing through without even being processed!

[nhmaster]

Umm, as I said in the first post, I'm not a plumber, just a guy with a lot of tools who is a little too fearless.

What is a T&P valve? I guess just asking that question means I'm in trouble.

Yet another shining example of the reasons why plumbing and gas fitting require experiance and a license

[Cass]

I have one of these tanks in my garage and will take pics of it as I strip away the sheet metal and expose the tank so we can see exactly what happened...

[hj]

The glass lining cannot stretch so when the steel tank "bulged" the glass lining was ruined.

[MACPLUMB 777]

Repeat the glass ling is the least of your problems ! ! !

Poisoning your family with carbon monoxide is the most important thing that should be on your mind right now,

your bottom head of the tank has reversed onto the burner
look at the top of the vent where it go's out the top see that
the flue has dropped down into the top of jacket,
the only reason this is not more noticeable is because of the ridgid copper pipe other wise his nipples would point at each other like a tepee
i will look on water heater mfg's websites to see if i can copy and paste a picture of what i am try to tell you ! !

[kingsotall]

Yup!

It's just passing through without even being processed!

lol @ pic!
I see now why nhmaster made this quote:

On a further note. When it comes to advice about gas piping or gas appliances or for that matter gas anything, I'm done. I'm not going to have anything to do with gas related questions anymore either helpfull or not helpfull or even wize cracks. It has become a painfully obvious that there are too many that are willing to take on a task that could very well injure or kill themselves or their families, with no regard given to the professional who's advice they seek. I have no idea what your abilities or qualifications are and frankly even if you post them I would still be skeptical unless you were able to post a copy of your license. Therefore in my mind it is not ethical for me to either give advice or make criticism of your project in one way or another.

[Dunbar Plumbing]

I'm going to use this thread as a reference for future use in regards to showing how something simple as a homeowner replacing water lines can lead to impending disaster in such a short period of time.


Just because Bob Vila does it doesn't mean you can.



"Oh but I can't afford a plumber"
"Oh, we're on a budget"
"Well we just bought a bass boat, sorry, I'll do it myself"
"Well, I'll have to get back to you after I talk to my wife"
"If I supply the material, how much will it cost?"