Replacing the water heater

[FN Phat]

While I was leaving work, I received a phone call from my wife. It went a little like this:

FN: Hey babe!

Chachi: We were walking down from your parents and ummm.... black smoke is coming out of our roof.

FN: What?!?

Chachi: Yeah, I wonder what it could be. What is in the attic?

FN: Go get my dad. (He lives two doors down)

Chachi: I don't think that anything fell on the vent for the water heater. Do you think that the fabric in the bins caught on fire? Maybe it isn't something in the attic...

FN: Go get my dad!

Chachi: ...it could be the stove in the kitchen but I wasn't cooking anything.

FN: GET OFF THE PHONE AND GET MY DAD!!!

Chachi: Okay.


I made the trip from the jobsite to the house in 35 minutes (it is a solid 50-55 minute drive home). I never received a phone call until I was turning on my road. I was looking for a huge pillar of fire and smoke, fire trucks, emergency personal, anything. All I saw was my kids playing in the front yard with my wife and my dad and dog driving away on his golf cart. After an inspection of the house, everything looked to be okay. Later that evening, I went out to the garage to get a drink and noticed an orange glow coming from the corner that the water heater is in. Flames were coming out of the tank about 12-18 inches.

Flame marks coming out of the pop-off valve:


Flame marks from around the gas manifold:


I ran over to the tank and shut off the gas and thanked the good Lord that I cannot play MW2 without an ice cold Diet Coke. I went to work the next day, bought the water heater on the way home and replaced it the following day.

Here is the old tank before removal (I had already cut the pop-off drain line).


To be continued...

[FN Phat]

The first step is to ensure that the gas line and the water supply line are shut off. Once the water supply line is closed, turn on a faucet in the house to help remove water pressure from the system. Hook a hose up to the drain plug and drain the water remaining in the tank. Mine had a lot of sediment that plugged the hose so it was still partially full. The next step was to disconnect the vent line. Finally, I cut the cold water supply and hot water return lines. I had to move remove tank by myself so I rigged a frame that worked in conjuction with my floor jack. Finally have a good starting point for the installation of the new tank:


I wrestled the new tank in position and it fit like a glove


I soldered a 3/4" copper threaded male adaptor to the existing lines and installed stainless steel flex line for the supply lines, using teflon tape for added security. I installed a new adaptor at the pop-off valve and soldered a coupler that joined the two pipes. I used a piece of flashing that I had lying around to protect the new tank


I still got it! Look at the quality of that solder job!


Finally, I cleaned and reused the adaptor for the gas manifold, hooked the line up, turned on the water to fill the tank and ignited the pilot light. Later that evening, my kids enjoyed a warm bath, my wife did the dishes, and I enjoyed a 30 minute shower with my wife and never ran out of hot water!

Sweet success.

[UteStar]

I enjoyed a 30 minute shower with my wife and never ran out of hot water! Sweet success.

I think this entire thread was created just so you could say that line.

[Jeff Lebowski]

Nice job with the solder.

I installed a heater myself on Friday. We have two 40 gal heaters in series so it is kind of interesting. I will try to post a pic later.

[Uncle Ted]

Nice job with the solder.

I installed a heater myself on Friday. We have two 40 gal heaters in series so it is kind of interesting. I will try to post a pic later.

You may want to think about replacing those with a tankless given that you can get (up to) a $1500 tax credit doing it this year. I did this last year and got about $1100 tax credit. The down side is tankless water heaters take a good sized gas line to get enough BTUs. I was lucky and my existing gas line was big enough.

Tankless water heaters are nice given that you don't run out of hot water and you can set the temperature exactly to were you like it on a remote panel. The bad thing about them they restrict the flow to heat the water. This may be a bad thing in Utah given the delta in water temperature. If you are replacing only one of the tank heaters you can use the good one to preheat the water to something in the warm range and use a tankless to heat the water exactly where you like it.

[Jeff Lebowski]

You may want to think about replacing those with a tankless given that you can get (up to) a $1500 tax credit doing it this year. I did this last year and got about $1100 tax credit. The down side is tankless water heaters take a good sized gas line to get enough BTUs. I was lucky and my existing gas line was big enough.

Tankless water heaters are nice given that you don't run out of hot water and you can set the temperature exactly to were you like it on a remote panel. The bad thing about them they restrict the flow to heat the water. This may be a bad thing in Utah given the delta in water temperature. If you are replacing only one of the tank heaters you can use the good one to preheat the water to something in the warm range and use a tankless to heat the water exactly where you like it.

I looked at the tankless models, and it didn't seem to make financial sense, even with the rebate. We have had good success with the dual heaters and natural gas is cheap in Utah.

[Uncle Ted]

I looked at the tankless models, and it didn't seem to make financial sense, even with the rebate. We have had good success with the dual heaters and natural gas is cheap in Utah.

Yes, the only way it made financial sense for me was I had to replace both of my tank heaters (both were starting to leak) and the rebate brought the price down to around what it would cost. I think in the end it cost me about $150 more to go tankless.

[pellegrino]

You may want to think about replacing those with a tankless given that you can get (up to) a $1500 tax credit doing it this year. I did this last year and got about $1100 tax credit. The down side is tankless water heaters take a good sized gas line to get enough BTUs. I was lucky and my existing gas line was big enough.

Tankless water heaters are nice given that you don't run out of hot water and you can set the temperature exactly to were you like it on a remote panel. The bad thing about them they restrict the flow to heat the water. This may be a bad thing in Utah given the delta in water temperature. If you are replacing only one of the tank heaters you can use the good one to preheat the water to something in the warm range and use a tankless to heat the water exactly where you like it.

Our home is heated with radiators so we have a boiler and a hot water heater. If, or when the boiler goes (it's about 20 years old, so it could go in the next five to ten) we'll replace both with a unit that will give us hot water and heat our home. I have yet to identify a system that will do that, but I'm sure I'll be able to find one that will do the trick for the right (economical) price.

[UtahDan]

So I need water heater advice. My water heater is acting weird the last few months. Occasionally it won't give us really hot water, that is, it is hot enough to shower in but not too hot to stand in like it used to. Also, even when it does give that really hot water, there is only about a half hour worth in one pretty low pressure shower. I know because I like to lay in the tub with the shower on when I am sick and it used to give me a much, much longer shower before it ran out.

Do I need to replace it? Is there anything else I should try first?

TIA.

EDIT: I should add that my hot water heater is about seven years old.

[wuapinmon]

We're having the same problem as UD. Ours is a gas heater, and it's outside, but it does it no matter the weather. Water was lukewarm yesterday, piping hot today.

[FN Phat]

So I need water heater advice. My water heater is acting weird the last few months. Occasionally it won't give us really hot water, that is, it is hot enough to shower in but not too hot to stand in like it used to. Also, even when it does give that really hot water, there is only about a half hour worth in one pretty low pressure shower. I know because I like to lay in the tub with the shower on when I am sick and it used to give me a much, much longer shower before it ran out.

Do I need to replace it? Is there anything else I should try first?

TIA.

EDIT: I should add that my hot water heater is about seven years old.

I would first try draining the tank. If you don't already do this yearly, I would start. You will be surprised the amount of particles and debris in the discharge water. If you need help, I am in town visiting Surfah and wouldn't mind helping.

[FN Phat]

We're having the same problem as UD. Ours is a gas heater, and it's outside, but it does it no matter the weather. Water was lukewarm yesterday, piping hot today.

Your element might be on the Fritz.

[wuapinmon]

Your element might be on the Fritz.

Does a gas heater have an element?

[FN Phat]

I didn't catch that you have a gas water heater...maybe check the thermostat. It might be going out and at times it will work and heat the water and then at times it will not. That could explain why you have hot water at times and why you don't.