Water heater question

[pronstar]

Got an 8-year Rheem replacement for under $500 at Moore’s plumbing supply.

My plumber is coming by tomorrow to snake some lines for me, so I’ll have him install the new heater also.

Thanks for the replies fellers


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[pronstar]

Have you ever flushed your water heater out? They build up calcium on the bottoms. Many times your just heating up the mud on the bottom. Turn you water supply off & drain it see what comes out. once it empty fill it & drain it until the mud stops flowing out. My dad did it once a year on his & it lasted 20 years.

Thanks for this, I’ll do it moving forward.

Not sure why a new regulator would be $200+. I replaced the one on our 20-y/o WH last year for about $35, IIRC. Took 10 minutes. Works like a charm, no problems.
WHs have gotten creepily expensive/overpriced plus mandatory city installation would bring the total to over a grand. No, thank you, I will delay that expense until it is actually necessary. If they won't let me replace my own WH, there is no need for me to feed them more often than needed.
But that's just my opinion, not trying to tell anyone what to do.

Yeah not sure why...it’s a special order, no one stocks a unit that works with my water heater, according to the many places I called.


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[rotor]

I hate the new water heaters. Pilot went out and couldn't get it to light. Nobody said anything about the tiny reset button. The damn window is so low that I can't see if flame is lit with trifocals. I still like the old days using a match. Actually had to have the plumber come out to light the damn thing.

 

[joking]

Got an 8-year Rheem replacement for under $500 at Moore’s plumbing supply.

My plumber is coming by tomorrow to snake some lines for me, so I’ll have him install the new heater also.

Thanks for the replies fellers


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Have the plumber change out the drain valve on the new water heater.

 

[BuzzinSATX]

Couple comments on this thread...

1. A good water softener is a must and will extend the life of every appliance that used water, not just the water heater. And find a good water guy who sells quality units. We built and moved into our house in 2015 and my original water softener and reverse osmosis units are still going strong, as are all original appliances. And no calcium build up on any faucets in the house.

2. Tankless water heaters...we had one installed during the build. Had to have a propane tank installed but absolutely love the endless hot water. We can have two showers going at the same time, and the dishwasher running, and no problems with any hot turning cold issues. The only minor peeve I have is it will only get 120 degrees. It's hot, but not the scalding hot that the old school units would provide. Probably a good thing for kids. Plenty hot for a shower and/or bath.

Biggest drawback is it takes a few minutes to get hot...but once hot, it stays hot as long as we have gas. I have a 500 gallon tank, and never let it get under 40%

 

[candcallen]

Get a new one. Yours is probably half clogged up with sediment anyways.

Remember to bring the install upto code.

 

[Vaquero]

Get a new one. Yours is probably half clogged up with sediment anyways.

Remember to bring the install upto code.

DIY.
Code can go self fornicate.

 

[sidebite252]

I hate the new water heaters. Pilot went out and couldn't get it to light. Nobody said anything about the tiny reset button. The damn window is so low that I can't see if flame is lit with trifocals. I still like the old days using a match. Actually had to have the plumber come out to light the damn thing.

Speaking of water heaters low & behold mine went out last week. Of course I find out finding a propane heater on a Saturday evening is limited. Finally found a 40 gal AO Smith at a Home Depot in McKinney that would work. I’ve never had a pilot light any easier to light. Maybe 2 minutes tops. Has a small led light that flashes when it’s lit. Worst part was wrestling the old one out & the new one in solo. Sometimes it sucks to be a hermit.

I’ll give the AO Smith a big thumbs up for anyone in the market but I paid about $630 for it out the door at Home Depot. At least they helped me load it

 

[deemus]

Nine years old? Personally I would not spend $200+ to repair if I could afford to replace the entire water heater.

This here.

 

[General Zod]

When mine needs replacing I'm thinking on demand hot water heater. Supposed to last twice as long and cut energy by 40%.

My wife's idiot cousin had a tankless on-demand water heater installed...on the exterior wall of his garage for some brilliant reason. Guess what froze in the cold snap?

 

[Brains]

Damn, missed this thread. I can tell you exactly what went wrong with it, and it's a zero dollar fix.

There's two solenoids in the valve - one for the pilot, and one for the burner. The valve and controller are powered by a thermopile sitting in the pilot flame which doesn't generate a lot of juice. Thus, the solenoids are really wimpy. The magnet wire they use is really thin, and the solenoid itself floats in the valve body. Over time, the magnet wire breaks right at the connection pin that exits the valve body. The fix is pretty simple. Shut off the gas, remove the cover, remove the board, and then remove the valve body cover. Then take out the solenoid and the pin, solder the wire back on, and put it all back together.

 

[TexasRedneck]

My wife's idiot cousin had a tankless on-demand water heater installed...on the exterior wall of his garage for some brilliant reason. Guess what froze in the cold snap?

Yup - lots of plumbers/retailers have spouted that "put it outside - it can't freeze" line... I've always warned customers to protect it from freezing at ALL costs - because replacement costs. Most use "pilotless ignition" - aka "needs electricity to start"....

 

[Brains]

Yup - lots of plumbers/retailers have spouted that "put it outside - it can't freeze" line... I've always warned customers to protect it from freezing at ALL costs - because replacement costs. Most use "pilotless ignition" - aka "needs electricity to start"....

Do the pilotless ignition models at least offer the ability to run a battery?

 

[TexasRedneck]

Do the pilotless ignition models at least offer the ability to run a battery?

No idea. Doubt it, though. Even then....how many folks keep up w/their batteries age?

 

[Dougw1515]

My wife's idiot cousin had a tankless on-demand water heater installed...on the exterior wall of his garage for some brilliant reason. Guess what froze in the cold snap?

Outside is where they're typically mounted... Eliminates need invasive duct work.

 

[General Zod]

Outside is where they're typically mounted... Eliminates need invasive duct work.

And creates a really convenient point of failure in freezing weather...

 

[Dougw1515]

And creates a really convenient point of failure in freezing weather...

Yup... and... far as I'm aware there is no throttle only ON/OFF. Trickle hot water might get expensive!

 

[popper]

Yup, you can change the coil on a gas dryer too. Check the coil with ohm meter to see if it is open, sometimes just weak and won't open an old valve. Had a plumber replace the last one as required by city (to bring up to code). He said they only last avg 8 yrs anymore, no matter what the warranty OR draining.

 

[General Zod]

Yup... and... far as I'm aware there is no throttle only ON/OFF. Trickle hot water might get expensive!

My in-laws had a tankless heater for a while back when they were new and spiffy. It mounted where the previous water heater had been...and where its replacement tanked heater was installed a few years later. I can't imagine anyone thinking mounting the thing outside would be a good idea, no matter how "inconvenient" it would be to do otherwise. I mean hell, at least build an insulated cabinet around it or something.

 

[mongoose]

I always have installed tankless heaters in an indoor closet (albeit smaller). When my
Sis lost power in Austin their two tankless heaters ( and gas at that ) would not function. Luckily the kitchen operated off a conventional heater.