Another water heater thread

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Sep 15, 2002
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Location
Scottsdale, AZ
Seems like some of us are finally doing things that needed to be done quite a while ago. I had to replace the water heater about 5-6 years ago and have a Bradford White Defender with the swirl feature to help prevent buildup. Well, the heater has been banging and popping for a quite a few months, so I decided to drain it. Not much came out. I saw a video YT explaining putting a larger gate valve to improve drain flow. Upon removing the stock valve, I saw why it was making so much noise (see pics...sorry for the blurry one). I'm still in the process of filling and draining to get the garbage out and have also thought about putting in about four gallons of white vinegar for a day (I have a few pieces of scale in a half cup right now to see how well it works). Some big chunks came out by carefully using a small screwdriver to lift them out. Scale and fine particles are still draining.

Now I'm wondering, is it too clogged?

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That's pretty bad! I'm assuming this is a gas heater?
Anyway, you are loosing a lot of efficiency if it's gas. If it's electric, I'd clean the elements if not replace them. The bottom of that tank will likely get a pinhole pretty soon. It just seems to happen that way when you get that kind of buildup.

Since you are in Arizona, I'd look into heat pump water heaters if I were you. You obviously have very high mineral content in your water. A softener might be in order here as well.

Heatpump water heaters are good for warm climates, not so good for cold places. They heat the water on the outside circumference of the tank, not the bottom. That way any lime/scale buildup won't lower the efficiency as much. Annual cost (yellow tag $264/year).
 
Yes, it is a gas heater and the (city) water is pretty hard. My yellow tag says $242, but since it is only me, It is way lower than that. I'll look into those water heaters. Thanks!
 
One of the reasons I always have a water softener in the house. Really pays for itself in extended life of water heaters, dishwashers, washing machines and plumbing in general. Also, you save on soaps and detergents.
 
Unless you add a water softener, a tankless is not a good idea. I have had to service tankless units that hardly had any flow as a result of the calcium buildup.
I would try an acid soak for a day in the meantime.
 
That looks pretty bad. I am going to try and drain out 40 gallon gas Rheem (1 year old) every 6 months. Hopefully that will help with the build up and extend life.
 
Even a whole house cartridge filter would help. Not a big fan of soft water, tastes funny, don't need the slightly extra sodium for me or the lawn.
 
Originally Posted by sloinker
Even a whole house cartridge filter would help. Not a big fan of soft water, tastes funny, don't need the slightly extra sodium for me or the lawn.

If your outdoor hydrants are connected to the soft water then someone didn't know what they were doing when they plumbed the house.
 
The 1986 Nautilus we have gets a quick flush every time the cartridge filter is change , about every 3 weeks. The tank is a wet base meaning the burner is in a tube above the bottom of the tank so no minerals condense over the burner. Have never changed the anode rod, probably should check it but don`t want to cause a problem.
 
You just have to put a sharp screwdriver and try to clean that hole as much as you can.

Then replace the valve with something like this:
https://www.amazon.com/House-Mods-HMP010-Heater-Replacement/dp/B074DGWLXZ/

This valve have a bigger opening so all the sediments can come out.
Hook the hose.
Then start the input valve and fill with water heater to stir the sediment and let it drain.
You will need to do it a lot of time with filling and draining the water.
Take off the hose once in a while to make sure it is not clogged.

I just did mine today.
I had to replace the drain valve a few years ago.
The Anode Rod replaced 6 years ago is still good.
 
I did replace the drain valve with the parts from this guys video: LINK. I just filled the tank a little while ago after multiple semi-fills and drains. It didn't seem to pop/knock as much. I'm also going to look into a descaler, possibly something that is used on tankless heaters. The vinegar in the cup doesn't seem to be doing much to the scales. Been watching a couple videos and maybe apple cider vinegar will work better than white. Round three tomorrow.
 
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I think I would forget the vinegar idea. I've never had any luck trying to dissolve this stuff when I lived in Ohio (22 ppm hardness). I never got to try muriatic, but you'd just ruin what's left of your tank if you did that. Stay with a mechanical means and maybe a wet/dry vac. with 3/8" clear tubing to insert into the heater opening.

My water tank stuff would be slightly green in color too, not sure what that was exactly, but it wouldn't dissolve.
 
When I got up this morning, I checked the pieces of scale in the vinegar and they were substantially smaller than yesterday. I would guess that about 18 hours would be the amount of time. Different mineral composition in the water??? Since I'm off from work, I can give it a try and five gallons of vinegar is less expensive than a new heater.
 
Originally Posted by snarl
How about going tankless?


It's not a simple retrofit. Tankless heaters require a lot more exhaust pipe diameter. Depending upon the location of your current heater it might have to be relocated. And, if you go cheap, you could experience what my GF's daughter does. Her 2019 $400,000 tract house came with one of them. You can't get hot water at the kitchen sink unless you let the water run for several MINUTES. Maybe you still save money on gas, maybe not. And, you have to spend a lot more than you think you will. Those $1,000 heaters won't cut it.
 
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