AO Smith Electric Water Heater (leaked)

[mark_wpduet]

Yesterday.... I walked into my laundry room to go out to the garage, and I stopped because I noticed a strange smell..Not a bad smell but just unusual. It was STEAM. I flipped on the light and saw water leaking onto the floor. I panicked because I know these things can leak and there's NO drain. It just sits on the floor. We turned the water off, shut the unit down at breaker, turned on the hot water at sinks and connected hose to the heater to drain it. Luckily I think we caught it in time. I've been WAITING for this to happen. My friend who I used to work at Verizon with years ago went home to her water heater leaking all over her floor. She worked all night cleaning and trying to get rid of water.

We were trying to guess which appliance would go next and we both guessed the hot water heater. (a hot water heater is an appliance, isn't it?)

But get this! Moved into this house BRAND NEW Sept 15, 2015. Hot water heater leaks Sept 16, 2019. 15 years and 1 day. I thought that was weird. At least it waited a day after the anniversary.

In the meantime, I'm so confused how plumbing works. You can use cold water at the sinks, but if you try to use the washing machine or showers, the water heater wants to fill with cold water EVEN though the water is turned off at the heater. Oh well, it will be fixed soon.

 

[mark_wpduet]

Whoops

Can't edit post so I will here. Moved into this house Sept 15, 2004

 

[thomasortega]

Was it the heater itself or just the emergency pressure relief valve?

Some months ago I took a bath and when i left i could hear that scary water noise as if somebody had the garden hose open at full blast.

I went outside (the heater is installed behind the house, in a zinc cabinet) and I saw that scary scene.... lots of how water flowing through the concrete patio.

Ran back shut the water, then ran to the heater, shut it off and saw the emergency pressure relief valve leaking It was like the valve was open, but without lifting the lever.

It had a giant mineral buildup in it.

I just ran to Homeless Depot, bought a new EPR valve replaced it and bingo... everything works like a charm now and in less than an our the heater was back to it's maximum temperature.

As you don't have a drain, one thing you can consider is one of those smart flood alarms. When you have a leak, before it turns into a catastrophic flood, it will sound an alarm in your smartphone. Some can even automatically shut the main valves.

 

[vacerator]

Mark,

ours also only lasted about 5 years. It was installed under home warranty. They are b.o.l. cheap builders spec water heaters. The anode rod disintegrates rather quickly, then the tank bottom rusts out. I got a 50 gal. gas GE smart water heater in 2002 with push button pilot ignition. It is still going strong! Now we only keep it at about 140f. No point heating more water for the 2 of us. I use the anti-bacterial cycle for the d.w. and let it heat its own eater. We only run that 2-3 times weekly tops now as well. If I need to use very hot water for laundry, I use the steam cycle on the new washer now. We can both shower almost simultaneously and there is plenty of warm water still. It will cost when it goes, because the new flue code is no longer 4 inches diameter, it is now 6 inches. This requires a larger chimney liner. Beats me as to why, because 3 inches was sufficient for how many decades before? h.v.a.c. raquet perhaps?

 

[combo52]

Replacement For A Standard Electric Water Heater

Hi Mark, diffidently get a Heat-Pump water heater, they only cost a 1/3 as much to run and in the summer they keep your laundry cooler and drier.

 

I have many friends who have gotten them and all love them.

 

John L.

 

[mark_wpduet]

Hey thanks

I should clarify that typo. Water heater lasted 15 years and 1 day. Moved into this house Sept 15, 2004. Water heater dies Sept 16, 2009 (LOL) I would LOVE a heat pump water heater but they are way too expensive for me. I'm trying to decide between Rheem or AO Smith for a new one. Unfortunately, they both have some SCARY reviews for the two models that will fit the area. I will look into that alarm. I keep thinking about what could have happened had I not noticed it when I did. Water was going everywhere fast, I was throwing towels down. Got my rainbow vacuum out sucking up water as we were trying to get the hose connected to drain it. No water damage thank God. I wish mine drained outside somewhere or there was a drain in the floor of the laundry room, but there's not. You would think that would be CODE in a room with a hot water heater (tank) but whatever. I'm pretty sure I'm going to get the AO Smith as they were quite as scary as some of the Rheem reviews. They are in stock. Installing tomorrow. The water here is actually not very cold because it's been so HOT and DRY for weeks.

 

[thomasortega]

Mark

What's the outside like? Can't you install one of those pans connected to a pump or even better, build a sump with a pump?

Of course, not for "normal" use, but for emergencies like that.

Have everything connected to the flood sensor. at the same time you receive the alarm, the pump turns on.

Other alternative is a pan and one of those transfer pumps. It won't make wonders, but at least some of the water will be pumped out. If you add that smart valve (which is actually just a smart motor with a small battery that you install around the main valve) you can have a complete solution.

Use technology in your favor! Amazon Echo (Alexa) is not only to violate your privacy.

 

[Chetlaham]

Washer and Shower filling water heater

The valves mix hot and cold water by just opening the two lines in varying degrees- meaning water pressure will force cold water into and down the open hot valve or port.

 

[Chetlaham]

Also remember that shower heads restrict water to about 2.0-2.5 gallons per minute, meaning you will really force water down the hot water pipe and into the water heater.

 

[arbilab]

Down here we DO have a code.  Since the 70s, relief valve must plumb outdoors or to a drain.

 

Wasn't the RV though, tank bottom.  About the same age, 15yrs.  Liquefied some cardboard boxes in the garage, messy but no great loss.  Tanks for nothing.

 

[askolover]

Yeah, my gas one lasted almost exactly 10 years.  Tony woke me up saying something was going on with the WH, making a weird noise and water coming out.  I said, " why don't you turn the water off????" instead of taking the time to awaken me first.  It's been 3 years now...I would like to put in one of those electronic anode rods in.  The water softener causes the water to be more corrosive.

 

[kb0nes]

I'd second the heat pump water heater. Pay for themselves in energy saved and you get a free dehumidifier/AC to boot. I've considered adding one in addition to my gas water heater just to run in the Summer to cool and dry the basement.

Be sure to install shut off valves on both the cold and hot lines to the appliance for convenience, I like being able to fully isolate my water heater from plumbing system.

Also possibly worthy while doing plumbing work is adding a pressure buffer tank sometimes called a Water Heater Saver. These help by buffering the water pressure in the system and are especially handy if you have high line pressure or a meter with a regulator or back flow preventing check valve. If you'd never seen any leakage from the overpressure valve they aren't so necessary but they do smooth out delivery temperature fluctuations when a toilet is flushed etc.

 

[mark_wpduet]

The new standard water heater installed today. The installation went good and I keep going in to check for leaks every hour because I'm so paranoid. So far I don't see a drop of water. There is now a shut-off valve (I guess that's what it's called) supposedly it stops the flow of all water to the heater, where before, we could only use sinks. Showers or washer would bring water back into the water heater.

The water heater was so clogged with crud, that it wouldn't even let all the water drain out of it and what little did drain out was NASTY! At this point I don't even know if the water heater was at the end of life or it just needed a leak fixed. I know you're supposed to drain them once per year. I talked to a friend tonight who said that he knows 2 people who drained theirs for maintenance and they stopped working. I immediately thought that it was probably because they didn't cut the power and waited for it to fill before restoring power. But he said they did that. What would cause a water heater to stop working simply by cutting the power and draining, then filling up, restoring power?

But about heat pump water heaters. They sound awesome. Wish I could afford one. Normally it might be doable but at this moment in time it wasn't. You said heat pump water heaters are actually air conditioners too??????

 

[thomasortega]

Heat pump water heaters are "somewhat" an air conditioner, but reversed.

It heats the water and as a "collateral effect" it cools and dries the area surrounding the heater, so theoretically, it's right to say you're getting a "free" air conditioner that also runs for free.

The savings are beyond impressive. If you have electric water heater, it's really worth to tight the budget and get a heat pump or also called "hybrid" water heater.

If you have a laundry sink or a drain pipe near the water heater, you can connect a hose to the emergency pressure relief valve. It's not the very best solution but it can save you from a flood if the valve goes off. The hose will probably be damaged but it will at least give you precious minutes. Best of all, a hose is very affordable.

Many people do the stupidity to turn off the heater and immediately drain them and refill.

The heating elements may still be too hot (even off) and the thermal shock not only damage the heating elements but also can cause tiny cracks inside the heater and over time those cracks allow rust and you know what comes next.

Draining the heater is VERY important at least once a year (ideally twice). disconnect the heater and USE the hot water (or disconnect it the previous night and drain it by the morning) start draining it when the water is COLD.

Refill it and then turn it back on. Make sure all the air was purged by opening the emergency pressure relief valve.

It' salso important to open the EPR valve once a month to make sure it's moving freely and also to keep it clean. You don't need to turn the heater off for that, if you don't have naything connected to it, just hold a bucket under it, open for 1 second and gently hit it to let it "pop" close. Never close it gently, it needs that impact caused by the spring for a perfect seal.

 

[DADoES]

 
Mark,

All air conditioners are heat pumps.  They operate by moving (pumping) heat from one location (inside the house) to another (outside the house).

A "heat pump" (for heating, either air inside a house or water inside a tank) moves (pumps) heat from outside the target area (the house, or the water tank) to inside the target area.  The "heat" pumping is simply in the opposite direction of "cool" pumping.

Thus, all heat pumps (for heating) are also air conditioners.

Same for refrigerators and freezers.  They're heat pumps that pump heat from inside the food storage compartment to outside of it.

A heat pump water heater will essentially cool the space (room) in which it's installed by moving heat from that space into the water tank.

 

[askolover]

I was considering a heat pump pool heater but we decided to get rid of the pool instead.

 

[kb0nes]

I never "drain" my water heater but I do flush it at least yearly. I turn mine to pilot only then do a couple loads of laundry to use up the hot water. Then I attach a short garden hose to the drain valve and affix the other end of the hose to the laundry tub. Open the drain valve full wide open and allow the water to purge the debris from the tank with the cold supply still on.

By not physically draining the tank you don't have to deal with purging all the air from the empty tank after. Also Keeping the supply on insures much faster and more complete flushing. Gravity alone doesn't move the water fast enough to really move any tank bottom debris around.

 

[mark_wpduet]

I was watching

youtube videos on how to flush.....It was crazy how many people said theirs would NOT drain/flush due to the sediment getting caught in the drain valve. A few reported that once they drained/flushed theirs when they closed their drain valve back up, it dripped.

It sounds like it would be easiest to flush it and not drain it.

One guy said he recommends this be done QUARTERLY! Someone in the comments sections said that no one on this planet is flushing their hot water heater quarterly and that that's overkill.

My problem is the only drain I have in the laundry room is the washing machine....Otherwise the hose would have to connect to heater and go outside. I doubt I could connect the hose to the heater and bring it to the kitchen sink because then, the hose would be going upward to the sink.

 

[DADoES]

 
I flush my tankless with vinegar occasionally (not as often as I should).  Can't very well do that with a tank.

My dad and I changed the tank heater once at my other house, and once at granny's, and RJ and I did one at one of his rentals.  Years of sediment accumulation makes them slow to drain and bottom-heavy to move.