My 12 year and 11 day old hot water heater decided to take a dump last night. Managed to get a new one at lowes and it's now in place of the old one. At one point in time I gave serious consideration to using my L3800 and about 200' of 3/4" nylon rope to get it out the back door. Last experience with a heater that was full of sand (it's what they use to filter the water down here) and must have weighed all of 300 lbs. Took three guys to move it. But I did manage to get the old one drained down so's I could get it out the back door. Made a wonderful sound when it hit the ground. Frank
Hot water heaters
- Thread starter Frank46
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Replacing the heating element would not have solved the problem?? They can usually last longer then 12 years its just the heating element that goes tits up and costs like 35 bucks to replace.
My hot water heater is in the basement and through the years, I've replaced it several times. Normally, I do everything myself so getting this out has always been an issue.
First, drain all the water to make it lighter. Next, securely strap it to a hand truck then 1 step at a time and it's out....
PS....the new one is sooooo much lighter....
First, drain all the water to make it lighter. Next, securely strap it to a hand truck then 1 step at a time and it's out....
PS....the new one is sooooo much lighter....
Eric that might work on the lectric ones.. but gas is another animal all together,, Around here we have so much lime in the water, calcium , that after about 5 years it starts to sound like a coffee pot perking away, that's due to the lime build up inside the tank, I have tried all kinds of stuff to get that crap out but when its all said and done ya got replace it. The last one was a 50 gallon tank and when we cut it open just for shyts and giggles it was more like a 25 gallon tank the sides and bottom were covered in lime so hard you needed a hammer to bust it off
Lil Foot
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1979 B7100DT Gear, Nissan Hanix N150-2 Excavator
I have a gas water heater at home & electric at my place in the mountains. The mountain home gets drained several times a year, when ever we leave & it might get cold enough to freeze & burst. The gas water heater does not have any freezing problems, but I still drain it a couple times per year…. every time I drain it I get sediment & hard water deposits. This crud will usually fill a two pound coffee can or more, and usually requires several drain/fill cycles to wash out. I remove the drain valve, replace it with 3/4" PVC pipe routed outside, and turn the water on, draining & filling till it stops sending out lots of chunks. These chunks usually plug the drain hole in the tank, so I put a 90˚ elbow close to the drain connection. This 90˚ ell has a .040 hole hole drilled in it, with a .040 stainless wire fed into the tank drain. When it plugs, I use the wire to "roto-rooter" the chunks, dislodging them to wash out the pipe. I have always drained my water heaters regularly, and I've never had to replace one.
The gas heater in my first house was 18 yrs old & still working when I left, and the one in this house is now 25 yrs old, and the electric at the cabin is 27 yrs old & still going strong.
Regular draining & flushing seems to work for me.
P.S. Almost forgot, the gas/electric in my toy hauler is 11 years old.
The gas heater in my first house was 18 yrs old & still working when I left, and the one in this house is now 25 yrs old, and the electric at the cabin is 27 yrs old & still going strong.
Regular draining & flushing seems to work for me.
P.S. Almost forgot, the gas/electric in my toy hauler is 11 years old.
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Yup, ya doesn't need a hot water heater. Ya needs a cold water heater!Why do you want to heat hot water?
Had my electric heater go out in January. What a fun job to do in sub zero temps! Got it done though. Need to invest in a water softener though since water has a lot of iron in it. I would have just replaced the element, but the insulation around it was wet, so it had a small leak somewhere there. I'm guessing that was the original heater from when the house was built in 1998. Not too bad. I need to flush it regularly though. Good luck!
Got it done though. Need to invest in a water softener though since water has a lot of iron in it. I would have just replaced the element, but the insulation around it was wet, so it had a small leak somewhere there. I'm guessing that was the original heater from when the house was built in 1998. Not too bad. I need to flush it regularly though. Good luck!
i work for the power Company and we Rent Electric heaters (now gas too seing how we Bought 3 gas Companys) if you can get a Hubbel/Vaughn brand heater. they have hyrda stone/cement lined tanks and they are know to last over 25 years may need new elements now and then and thats it
http://www.hubbellheaters.com/
http://www.hubbellheaters.com/