Water heater help please!

cdfac

AK Subscriber
Subscriber
My water heater is about 20 years old, I think, and just last week I noticed that water started appearing beneath it. I wasn't able to spot the actual leak at first and I thought it might have been a new leaky spot in my basement from the recent rainy spell, but this morning I was able to catch it dripping. It's a small rust spot on the bottom that produces one drip about every six seconds. Is this fixable in your guys' opinion, or do I need to start shopping for a new one? I knew we were living on borrowed time anyway, but it would be nice to get a little more life out if possible. Thanks!

Chris
 
I'd start shopping......but you could try that Billy Mays putty stuff, you know the stuff that repairs holes in garden hoses while they are still on :smoke:
 
There is a very SLIGHT chance that it's a pinhole flaw in the tank that might be temporarily repaired with something like JB weld, but it sounds more like the bottom has rusted out.

A temporary "fix" could lead to a bigger failure at a later date when some loved one is standing next to it and gets sprayed with 40 gallons of scalding hot water at 30-50 psi.
 
that thing is gonna blow soon, please get it replaced, seen it happen so many times and so much cost and anguish... the cancer is all over in that tank by now, because is has surfaced, and soon it will pop like a balloon. This is always how it starts. Then the guy comes home to a pool.
 
Yep, death by cancer. Rust will do a hot water heater in. Time to start looking for something new. The good news is newer ones are going to be more energy efficient.
 
Rusted Bottom! Replace it A S A P!!!!! I had one go on me many years ago and it cost me a TON!! Look for a new one This weekend!! The new ones are much better and more efficient. If you can afford it an Instant Tankless is the way to go! Is yours Gas or electric?
 
The inner tank is likely leaking through to the outside case, meaning (usually) that the welds are letting go. When they do, it won't be a drip, it'll be a flood and you'll likely be replacing more than the water heater. Anything over 15 years is an excellent lifespan for a water heater.

The leak could be at a gasket, and if it is there's a possibility that it could be repaired, but I doubt it. In order to repair a tank leak, the outer case would have to be stripped off, the leak repaired and the outer case replaced, and that's not a do it yourself job.

The short answer is... Start shopping. With a new water heater, you'll save enough in the next couple of years of power/gas bills to pay for it.
 
It sounds like you are living on borrowed time! When they start dripping like that, there isn't a lot of time left. So, you better get moving!

One thing to be aware of is that the building codes have probably changed quite a bit since that one was installed, so you might have to do quite a bit of additional work. The building codes here now require the pressure relief valve on top of the tank to be plumbed to the outside, which can be a substantial amount of work, depending on where the heater is located. Other items that are now required here are insulating blackets on the heater, earthquake restraints, vents in the floor by the heater, plus several other items that I can't recall at the moment.

The only reason I'm mentioning this stuff is to give you a heads-up. If you do the work yourself, you can probably get away with replacing like-for-like, but if you have a plumber or one of these water heater outfits do it, you're stuck. Personally, I just bit the bullet and brought everything up to code, but it cost quite a bit more than just replacing the heater.

Again, just a heads-up! :D
 
Consider yourself lucky! 20 years old and you have chance to find a good deal on a new one . . . you're making out like a bandit!! I would take advantage of the situation.
 
ok, i'll start looking. we are going to be here for 2.5 more years, probably not more. is it a no-brainer to go tankless? it's not a big house with only 1 bathroom, it's just my wife and i, we take about 1.5 showers/day between us, and we do a couple loads of hot laundry and one or two dishwasher loads per week. even if it doesn't pay for itself, i guess that a tankless could be attractive to our buyer when we sell.
 
Yep, death by cancer. Rust will do a hot water heater in. Time to start looking for something new. The good news is newer ones are going to be more energy efficient.

not if it is an electric. it can be better insulate but X number of watts makes X number if BTU's

when you get your new one wrap about 6" of fiberglass
all around the tank

ours was here when we bought the place in 1988 and hasn't had a hiccup since and the floor has been dry the whole time.
 
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ok, i'll start looking. we are going to be here for 2.5 more years, probably not more. is it a no-brainer to go tankless? it's not a big house with only 1 bathroom, it's just my wife and i, we take about 1.5 showers/day between us, and we do a couple loads of hot laundry and one or two dishwasher loads per week. even if it doesn't pay for itself, i guess that a tankless could be attractive to our buyer when we sell.

Never had a tankless, but I did look at them when I bought my conventional electric water heater.

The impression I got at the time (probably 4-5 years ago) is that tankless is OK if your hot water needs are serial, if you will. If you have parallel hot water needs they may not be able to keep up with demand.

But, like I say, I've never actually used one. The price was much higher than my conventional and it didn't seem worth it to me.

BTW, I'm thinking I must be close to a record for water heater lifespan. I swear my house was built around it because I can't seem to get the old one out of the basement. It's from the 60's I think. Gonna go check the nameplate right now just for kicks...
 
Wiring a tankless electric water heater is not trivial, even if your existing electric service can support the extra load. Most require at least two 240V 40A circuits, just for the water heater! Typical tank-storage electric water heaters require one 240V 30A circuit.
 
Yikes...that's about the same as my electric plenum heat.

I think those are on two 240V 45A breakers and draw ~16kW (sum of both) in operation.
 
if i got tankless, it would probably be NG, not electric, as our electrical system would need a serious upgrade. but considering the current heater's location and NG supply diameter, a NG tankless isn't looking that attractive either. can anyone recommend a national brand or line of regular tanks? our current one is a 40-gallon "short," but it doesn't look like it would be a problem to stick in a "tall."
 
State builds good heaters (still built in Tennessee last I checked), A.O. Smith, Rheem... A 40 gallon tall will probably cost you less than a short, so if you can use one it'll be a few more dollars in your pocket.
 
Moved into my house in 1995. Shortly after the water heater started leaking, so replaced it. A few years ago, the first new one started leaking. Now I'm on my second new heater in less than 15 years. A water softener might help, but I just figure, like everyone else said, that you can only count on them to last so long. Due to recent legislation they are building them to be more energy efficient, which is a good thing, I guess. Only trouble is, it adds to the cost.:sigh:
 
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