Water heater inspection...

We are buying a different home and upon inspection the inspector found a rust spot on the outside of the gas hot water heater tank. It was caused from the pressure relief tube touching the outside of the tank.

Also it looks like there has been some leaking from the pressure relief valve as well.

He called it "superficial" in the report but that didn't make me feel any better about it. It is in the basement and we are putting brand new carpet down there so the last thing i need is a leak.

I am going to ask to have it replaced but don't think the homeowner will because it is a deal where they are broke. How concerned should i be?

Also i should mention that the water heater is original to the house when it was built in 2001. So it would be around 8 yrs old.

It might leak from the pressure relief due to fluctuating pressures on the incoming water line. Does it have an expansion tank, does the system have a pressure reducing valve on the incoming water, is it a well or municiple system?

The leaking might not be a big deal, or the rust if it is just from slight rubbing on the pipe, hard to tell.

Without knowing a bit more, it's hard to say for certain what the problem is. We need to know if this is a closed or open system. That is, is there a pressure regulator valve or a check valve in the water meter that will prevent water expansion from being absorbed by the water main? If there is, this may be causing the problem. The expanding water having no place to go, will trip the T/P valve to relieve the excess pressure. The cure for that is a thermal expansion tank between the PRV and the water heater. It is possible the T/P is bad which is a quick and easy fix. Installation of the expansion tank is not particularly difficult to DIY if you can sweat copper. Tanks run in the $40 to $60 range depending on size which is determined by the size of the house. Even if a plumber is used, the cost would be pretty reasonable. A bad T/P certainly is an easy DIY job. I would be concerned about laying carpet where a tripped T/P could flood. Not always an easy way to deal with this and abide by plumbing codes.

Thanks for the replies. This is municipal city water. I have no real way of telling if it has an expansion tank and/or check valve in the water supply. I do not remember seeing anything unfamiliar when i looked at it.

In other words i don't think it is any different than my current home and i know i don't have an expansion tank. I don't know if the water meter has a check valve as it is buried in the yard. I guess the part that most concerns me is the rust. Obviously the pic doesn't show it well but i guess i can take some comfort in knowing that there are actually TWO tanks in this system correct?

The exterior (where it is rusted) is not the only line of defense, correct?

the exterior is decorative, and to hold the insulation in place. No water onthe other side of the metal

The exterior just holds the whole assembly together, normally, it never sees water. There's insulation between that exterior wall and the real tank that holds water. If you could figure a way to hold the inner tank, other than keeping the surface temperatures and stored water hot, you wouldn't need it at all.

I don't like the look of the gas work.

What is that white stuff?

And flexible gas connectors are not allowed for water heaters where I live.

Yeah, we get reamed for not wiping off excess dope on our fittings. I have heard of mandated lengths of flex connections but not hard pipe only to regulator/gas control. AHJ probably has stock in bunny trays.

kingsotall said:

AHJ probably has stock in bunny trays.

Click to expand...

Can i get a translation on this?

Home inspector has a pension plan linked to the sales success of a plastic tray shaped as a rabbit?

thinkly said:

Can i get a translation on this?

Click to expand...

A bunny tray or bunny box is what you carry your pipe nipples in.

Going back to the original question. Your need to find out some of the details about this house's plumbing before we can provide much specific data. You do need to know if you have a pressure reducer and expansion tank. These go together like love and marriage. The PRV is a bell-shaped device that should be found very close to where the water enters the house. The water comes in one side and out the other. The expansion tank is a metal tank probably around 3 or 4 gallon size that is between the PVR and the water heater. It likely would be in the main supply line before it branches. Briefly what this is all about is first the PRV reduce excessively high water pressure which damages appliances. However most PRVs include a check valve internally which prevents water from backing up past it. Some new meter had a bypass, so you'd have to check. The reason for an expansion tank is that water expands when it heats and since water does not compress, this expansion has to be absorbed somewhere. The T/P valve will release this pressure, but this means water is expelled to the floor below the tank. The thermal expansion tank solves the problem by giving this water a place to reside until the pressure lessens. The problems with letting the T/P do the job are that unless you have a place where that water will drain, you will have a wet floor. Also, T/P do not always close and will continue to release water. With not PRV, you don't need the expansion tank. The expanding water will be absorbed by the city water main.

make them get you a new one

the pipe is corroded because it has been weeping for years....

if you argoing to put down carpet I would suggest that you get a new wter heater and have it
.......PUT IN A PAN.....and piped to the nearest floor drain...


if they want to sell you the house ,
and if they are willing to pay for the heater and bring it up to code
to get you to buy the home, then all the better......



as far as the pipe dope and the gas connector, they look fine,,, depending on where you live the flex gas connectors are the best way to install a gas line
because they releive any stress in the gas pipe...

we install 30 a month on heater replacements..
they will give if your house settles,
and they give when or if you have earth quakes...


and they save tons of labor time

Going back to the original question. You need to find out some of the details about this house's plumbing before we can provide much specific data. You do need to know if you have a pressure reducer and expansion tank. These go together like love and marriage. The PRV is a bell-shaped device that should be found very close to where the water enters the house. The water comes in one side and out the other. The expansion tank is a metal tank probably around 3 or 4 gallon in size that is between the PVR and the water heater. It likely would be in the main supply line before it branches. Briefly, here's what this is all about. The PRV reduces excessively high water pressure which damages appliances. Most PRVs include a check valve internally which prevents water from backing up past it. Some new meter have a bypass, so you'd have to check. The reason for an expansion tank is that water expands when it heats and since water does not compress, this expansion has to be absorbed somewhere. The T/P valve will release this pressure, but this means water is expelled to the floor below the tank. The thermal expansion tank solves the problem by giving this water a place to reside until the pressure lessens. The problems with letting the T/P do the job are that unless you have a place where that water will drain, you will have a wet floor, and T/P do not always close tightley and will continue to release water. With no PRV, you don't need the expansion tank because the expanding water will be absorbed by the city water main.

Where should the sediment trap for the gas line be in this system?

anywhere along the way

molo said:

Where should the sediment trap for the gas line be in this system?

Click to expand...

Their could be one installed way out of the picture, or their could be one going into the side of the gas thermostat... It dont matter too much...

Where it's typically a ball valve then flex connection the drip leg would be right before the ball valve.

heater

quote; if you argoing to put down carpet I would suggest that you get a new wter heater and have it
.......PUT IN A PAN.....and piped to the nearest floor drain...


if they want to sell you the house ,
and if they are willing to pay for the heater and bring it up to code
to get you to buy the home, then all the better......


1. A new heater would be a personal option, but one not necessitated by the facts. The "corrosion" is cosmetic, although there could be a problem with the relief valve, and if so IT, not the heater, can be replaced. But since it is not an active leak, replacing it would be the buyer's option.

2. I would NOT be willing to pay for the heater, or ANY revisions, period. I would do whatever was necessary, IF there were an actual problem, but NOTHING just to make the buyers feel good.

HJ...this guy is the buyer.....uhhhhh

hj said:

quote; if you argoing to put down carpet I would suggest that you get a new wter heater and have it
.......PUT IN A PAN.....and piped to the nearest floor drain...


if they want to sell you the house ,
and if they are willing to pay for the heater and bring it up to code
to get you to buy the home, then all the better......


1. A new heater would be a personal option, but one not necessitated by the facts. The "corrosion" is cosmetic, although there could be a problem with the relief valve, and if so IT, not the heater, can be replaced. But since it is not an active leak, replacing it would be the buyer's option.

2. I would NOT be willing to pay for the heater, or ANY revisions, period. I would do whatever was necessary, IF there were an actual problem, but NOTHING just to make the buyers feel good.

Click to expand...

HJ....in this present crappy market, if someone wanted to buy my home and pay me close to what I was asking for it, and all they asked me to do was to put me in a new water heater with a pan and up to code......

the seller would have to be totally nuts to tell them no..


Remember that water heater expence would determine wether I sold the house today or held out for the next buyer to come along in ............18 months from now..............


So what would you do if you were the seller???

Most likely you would probably install the heater ,
and make the buyer happy ,


then take the money and run....