Hi there. Have a question regarding my water heater and intermittant leaks

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dtockeii

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Glad I found this forum, I've been reading through threads the past few days and it seems there are quite a lot of knowledgable folks on here. Hoping you're willing to help me.

I have a 7 year old water heater in my home that has decided to start (and stop) leaking on me. My water is public water, not very hard in my opinion and I do not soften it.

The first leak started about two months ago. The only thing I had recently done to the tank was turn up the temperature just a tad.

What I noticed:
  • Amount of water leaking was minimal, only enough to create a small puddle about 12" in diameter on the floor
  • Water at the very bottom of the water heater had pooled up and started getting onto the floor
  • Insulation between outer shell and inner tank was wet
  • I could see a very slow drip from the insulation
  • No leaks at cold/hot pipe fittings
  • No leaks at pressure release valve
  • No leaks at drain valve
  • No leaks at bottom of actual tank (above the gas heating element)

I looked all over to identify a cause but to my best abilities, without taking it apart, it appears to be leaking somewhere beneath the insulation at mid tank somewhere. The really strange part was it just stopped one day and was fine for about 2 months.

During that time, I elected to fully drain / refill the tank to purge any sediment (not much came out). When I refilled it I noticed the water was coming out rather rusty for a time. I assumed this was normal as sediment / rust had to re-settle after it was kicked up during re-fill. Within about 4hrs, the rust was gone and it was working fine again.

We went on vacation and I put the temperature setting to "vacation". I came back from vacation about 2 weeks later to find that the leak had returned, same exact symptoms.

I'm prepared to buy a new tank but wanted to see what folks on here thought first. It was a bit shocking to me that the tank already went after 7 years when my parents in their 25 year old house have never had to replace theirs, but then I am on a different water supply.

Does this describe a water heater needing replacement?

Thanks!
-Dale
 

Reach4

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A leak from anywhere but the faucet or temperature/pressure overflow generally means its time to swap out the tank.

If you want the next water heater tank to last longer, I suggest that you pull the anode rod on the bad tank after you have the new one. This will usually require a 5/8 or bigger impact wrench with 1-1/16 socket. I expect you will find it is down to the steel rod with the magnesium or aluminum having been eaten away. This is only for information and motivation purposes. The tanks are lined with a glass coating that will have a few cracks. The anode's job is to keep the steel at the cracks from rusting.

On the new tank, loosen the anode before corrosion has made it much harder to remove, take a look and put the anode back with teflon tape. Tighten to maybe 20 ft-lb. Thus it will be easier to replace without having to apply a lot of force. Even though electrical contact is critical to the anode's operation, the threads will cut through enough of the tape to make good electrical contact. After a year, inspect the anode. If it is getting eaten away quickly, consider putting in a powered anode. If it is in good shape, estimate how long it will take to deplete, and plan to replace it before that time. The powered anode does not get consumed, and it can be moved to a new water heater. While the powered anode is not cheap, it is handy. It is particularly advantageous to those with softened water, since the softened water is harder on the water heater from a leak and rust aspect. Hard water harder on the water heater from a deposits aspect.
 

hj

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Your symptoms are NOT unusual. The tank is black steel with a glass lining, so when a "small" leak occurs it CAN rust shut before it gets worse. In fact, if you removed the jacket from the heater you might find dozens of "rust spots" where it has leaked and then sealed itself without showing any water on the floor. Eventually one, or more of these spots WILL become larger and then you will have a full blown water leak at the tank.
 

dtockeii

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Thanks this is helpful. Sounds like I was correct in starting my research to purchase a new one. I've been researching the Richmond Water Heaters (Rheem's sister brand I guess) and they seem pretty good and come with the magnesium rod instead of aluminum (which I've read are better).

Is there any real benefit to spending the extra $100 on a 9 year warranty instead of 6 year? Does the rod not wear as fast or something? In some sources I saw that the only difference between 6 and 9 year warranty is generally the anode rod but I wanted some more opinions.

Thanks again!
 

Jadnashua

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On some tanks, the only difference between the 6 and 9-year warranty is the amount you pay and maybe a sticker. Some may have bigger or multiple anode rods. It's mostly a luck of the draw. The tank themselves, is usually the same. The longer warranty units may come with a better drain valve (maybe metal verses plastic), but that's easy to change when new at a much lower cost than the added warranty extension.
 

hj

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American and Bradford White change the heater from 6 years to a 9, 10, or 12 year model by collecting a fee and giving you a new label. As American states, "it is not necessary to make any revisions to the water heater".
 

dtockeii

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Thank you ALL for your valuable input, I decided to go with a 6 year Richmond from ******* and will be getting it installed shortly. I appreciate the prompt feedback given!

-Dale
 
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