I changed my anode rod today. I got super lucky and found them 80% off at my local Ace Hardware. a $6 fix to hopefully buy me a few more years on mine.
Wow that's a sweet deal. I replaced mine today and it had never been changed since 98-2000. All that was left was the metal threads and swollen PVC at the top.
@m rapacki it's such a champ, I'm excited to see how long it lasts! As far as planned maintenance, yep it's a known aged element that will go. But judging from the reviews of much newer water heaters, this one very well could outlast a new one. This is one of the cases where they don't make them like they used to. Then again, they didn't used to make all plastic ones or tankless. Everything changes. (Reviews from the UK find it absolutely nuts that Americans are replacing steel water tanks every 5-10 years, and I tend to agree)
@m rapacki when I bought my house and moved in, I had a hot water tank in there that was probably 30 years old. Ruud Copper-nickle was the name on it. It had a retro looking sunburst logo stamped out of brass or something like that on it. It finally leaked after having the house for about 3 years. Ive noticed on a lot of stuff made in the 50s, 60s and 70s that makes their modern day counterparts look like a tin can. Everything is throw away anymore, made as cheap as possible for the most money possible. Edit: I did a little research and that tank was around 50 years old when I took it out.
@m rapacki sorry, I edited my comment too late. I did a little research, and I'm sure it was the original tank when the house was built, 1960. So 53 years old when I removed it.
This was an exact replacement for the old one that lasted about 10 years. ua-cam.com/users/postUgkx7yWIKcrbA9KMHkGSfcgxW2lsjHT6B8Sh The top of my mitigation tube by my roofline was just a 90 elbow which allowed too much debris to fall down into the fan, eventually ruining it. Without this issue, I bet it would have kept running another 10 years. When I replaced this fan, I added an extra elbow joint so the top tube now it does a 180, which should solve that problem. The radon guys around here wanted to charge me a $300 diagnostic fee, then parts/labor (probably close to $600 total). I installed this all by myself in about an hour for the cost of the fan; it would probably be even easier/faster with two people. FYI the manufacturer's warranty greatly differs depending on whether you install it yourself (1 yr warranty) or have a licensed installer do it (10 yrs).
Richard Trethewey - Plumbing, HVAC and more. This man is the BEST with what he does on TV and now UA-cam !!!! And he doesn't drown you with the fast talking 99mph speech spiel.
Warning: an anode rod is installed ridiculously tight at the factory, and it only gets worse with age. Sometimes removing one is impossible. The head can deform. Try loosening yours before spending the money on a replacement.
You just need a wrench/ratchet with a long enough handle. You'll never loosen it with a small wrench. A lengthy handle (or even a piece of pipe over the handle of your small tool) will give you the leverage you need to break it loose. Bigger is better.
Just get a battery powered impact wrench off shamazon. Name brand is always great but even a half-decent chinese knockoff will have more than enough lb-ft of torque to spin it right off.
Gotta remember to tell them to turn off the electricity before draining an electric tank. The elements will instantly over heat and self destruct if on and not submerged in water.
ive had several water heater installers tell me that you shouldnt set your water heater to "High"..set it on "medium heat" setting..your water heater will last way longer..so far, mine is over 20 years old..and its a G.E. brand 30 gallons model.
@m rapacki I think 140 is still necessary to prevent legionnaires, but one has to balance that risk with the risk of scalding. There is something that can be installed to reduce the temp at use to prevent scalding.
Keep it as long as you possibly can new water heaters are horrible for long life the one in my house was installed when house was built in 1976 never has been drained and still works great. Ohio and is on City water.
Draining the water is really important. I replaced my stock drain valve with a brass 3/4 ball valve setup. Why? The OEM plastic drain valve opening is deceiving; it accepts a garden hose size opening, but the inside port has a small hole. This restricts the bigger chunks of junk from your water heater from flowing out. With the new setup, I was able to flush out the bigger chunks. Then, I calibrated the water heater and was able to turn down the thermostat dial down a full notch. Improved heating efficiency. Got my parts at Home depot: water heater nipple>3/4 ball valve>3/4 MGH-3/4MIP brass adapter.
@@bojangles5747 , he probably checked the temperature of the hot water coming from a faucet and lowered the t-stat accordingly. The optimal temperature should be 120 to 125 degrees F. This saves energy and makes the water hot enough that you need to temper it with a little cold, but not so hot as to boil your skin off.
@@donaldshimkus539 Yep. It doesn't help that on those tanks the thermostat is deliberately vague about the temperature. Usually the dial goes "Pilot light - Vacation - Low - (Thick Line to mark the recommended temperature) - High - Very High etc" so gauging the actual temperature is difficult. It also doesn't help that the thermostat's probe in the tank can get covered with minerals too.
David: Why aren't you a feisty little firecracker. You're acting like he peed all over your sandwich instead of giving weekend warriors sound advice before they cause thousands of dollars worth of damage.
@@confusedwhale sound advice? He sounds more like a butt hurt plumber upset that UA-cam videos are teaching the common man how to do things plumbers charge outrageous prices for. I had a quote to change out my tank for $800 in labor not including the cost of materials. Rediculous, i did it myself in less than 2 hours. I think he is just a little upset people have caught on to their rediculous fees and people are tired of getting ripped off.
So he asks the question we all want to know which is will the tank last longer if you drain it and he completely avoids the question by explaining how to drain it! Some expert!
0:58 I´am from germany, and I´am a bit surprised / shocked how USA wastes energy! My heating system is from early 90s, and my water tank is estimated 2-3 times more better isolated that that one! I would recommend you: 1. Spend a bit more dollars and buy a boiler with a thicker isolation. Antother advantage: In case of an power failure the water will stay warm much longer. 2. Isolate ALL warmwater pipes from the boiler to the bathroom! Thumb rule: Thickness of the pipe = thickness of the isolation Calculate that for every american household, this is really a lot of energy which can be saved. I don´t want to be rude, just my personal recommention. :-) Greetings from germany
As a maintenance supervisor over several multifamily complexes, we just replaced 7 critically failed water heaters and let me tell you what spending $1,000 on a water heater is much cheaper than $90,000 to fix the water damage from a busted one. DONT WAIT! If you see rust. If you notice mildew or moisture replace it or have a serviced by a professional!
Very informative! We just bought our current house last year and the water heater is less than two years old. I've made a note to rinse the inside and replace the anode rod when it hits the two year mark.
One thing that Richard (uncharacteristically) forgot to mention is truning off the power to the unit. Weather it be electrical or ntural gas (or LP) power needs to be shut off when draining the tank. Heating element can be damaged or destroyed by remaing on with no water to heat.
Both my water heaters are 17 yrs old and both are still good. Replaced anode rods, thermostats and heater elements. Today I replaced the expansion tank on one of them. They’ll last if you take care of them. Good video.
@@ThirstyBacon They one thing you can do is to drain them entirely and flush them out watching for debris and then monitoring when the debris ceases to exit. A whole house filter would help longevity. The expansion tank I replaced was filled with a nefarious black goopy substance. Who knows what that is. I notice it in my tabletop water filter system. I observed this black goop clogging up all my faucets. I had to scrape it out monthly to improve flow in every faucet. Changing thermostats and heating elements periodically will help longevity. My heaters were hot and ran well prior to the sale of my home. I recommend a small 40 gal heater for the master suite. I don’t recommend instant in heaters. They don’t perform as well as expected and they’re more expansive than conventional.
@@ThirstyBacon We used to be able to take the water and have it examined for content. After Covid, some water testing facilities ceased taking in samples. I don’t know who to send it to but it is worth doing.
Thank you! Because of you I was able to service my water heater and replace the anode rod (which I never even knew existed before I saw this video). Top quality stuff, as always! 👍🏼
Had to change the elements in my water heater last year. Had over a foot of sediment in the bottom of it. No way it was washing out the through the drain valve. Got a 1/2" PVC pipe adapted to my shop vac and vacuumed 90% of it out. At least now the lower element is actually doing something and isn't buried in sediment.
Pilch Plays EXACTLY. I have had two times when mine stopped heating enough water. Part way through a shower the water turned cold. Lower element had burned out. Hit breaker, shut off supply line, drained water, took out element, used shop vac and home made tools to remove sediment, put in new element, filled tank, purged air out, breaker on. My tank still doing fine. Not bad for 87. (the tank, not me. I'm only 68)
Moon Pie they have an upper and lower element that heats up also their a thermostat installed on them to tell u the temperature ,something like that but just google it or ask someone I’m not an expert
The first thing you do when draining the tank or if it is leaking is shut off the electricity, gas, or oil that is used to heat the water. Big problems if you don't. Safety first!
If people only realized the damage that a pressurized hot water tank potentially could do , they would be in awe.. Water under pressure is comparable to sticks of dynamite.
Richard is fond of saying "but nobody does that" about plumbing failure prevention measures. Just know, Richard, that there are some among us who change anode rods every two years, and who turn off washing machine faucets between uses. And regarding not using the washing machine shutoffs, I blame plumbers. They install the water outlet boxes in places a homeowner cannot reach, short of moving the washing machine.
In AZ, our water hardness is somewhere between concrete and diamonds. Freezes all water shutoff valves in the open position after a while. It also dissolves the valves slowly. Nothing is more fun than reaching in to shut off a washer valve, and it simultaneously snaps in your hands and sprays water.
Wow 😳 very informed vid thanks! I have a ao smith heater from 1977 still in operation on well water. No one has changed the anode rod. Guess must be good water or a well built heater !!
A.o smith are decent but not great. The last one we had was a 9 year. Gave out after 4. So much sediment. Bad water. But even with good water theh suck. Anything made before 90's is going to last much longer. But I would never fell safe with a water heater that old. 1977???
The only ones you see in the US that are incredibly old are copper tanks. I've seen many plumbers tell people to not even think about replacing their water heater if it's a copper tank.
My water heater started leaking from the top last year in August. We replaced it in September with a Home Depot water heater ourselves without having to call a plumber. If you have a well taken care of chimney it’ll draft no problem. The gas valves 30 years ago to today all sit at the same height so that makes things easy to swap. Just be sure to get the right height water heater.
When I install a new water heater I install a ball straight valve in place of the drain valve to make it easier to flush. From my experience as a handyman for 35 years it seems like they last 7-10 years on city water with a lot of crud buildup. I have well water in my house. My water heater is 15 years old and still chugging along with no crud build up. I’ve changed out a water heater 4 times in the same house. For some reason well water doesn’t leave crud behind sometimes.
The life of a water heater 8-10 years is a guide only? Mine is right at 10 years with no bottom rust, so do I leave it and keep an eye on the heater? Appreciate the advice. Thank you.
@@dormandavis2767 Thanks for the solid advice, it's my boy's house and not the money issue. Just priced 50gal. at HD today for $609. Will change it out.
@@mikejung1582 Be careful of hiring a plumber a lot of those guys are charging anywhere from $1200-$1500 to put in a job that only takes two hours. I’m a retired Indianapolis firefighter I had a handyman business for 35 years so I’ve put in 1000 water heaters if you want to find a decent handyman go to any fire station a lot of those guys have been in construction and with a 24 hour on duty 48 hour off duty and they have a side gig and most the time they just carry their business into a side business of their own like I did. I’ve been lucky I was originally trained heating and air-conditioning so I had to learn plumbing and electrical. I’ve been remodeling kitchens and bathrooms for 30 years I do a lot of odds and ends I have 1200 regular customers so I’ve really built my business up my problem is I have a hard time finding decent people would like to learn a trade
My water heater has a "lifetime warranty" and the plumber said not to touch it. No maintenance. It's 8 years old. Do I ask another plumber or does this sound right?
New build with A.O. Smith installed 11/03 Replaced on 1/2 16 (12 years+). Never drained it or anything. A.O. Smith installed 1/2/16. Flushed every 6 months. Replaced on 1/3/18. Rotted the bottom out in 2 years. So you never know how long they’ll last...
My last gas water heater was installed back in 1998, no leaks. Never changed the sacrificial rod, but I do have a particulate and carbon filter on the main water line, so the bottom of my tank is practically new. I recently drained some of the water out of the tank, after about 2 liters of water was removed, the water ran clear, and this was the first time I drained the tank in at least 5 years.
Now that’s interesting, I had no idea you could change the sacrificial anodes in these boilers, that’s something they kept quite, many thanks for sharing 👍
@@fuzzydrawrings269 How could you not know that those "hundreds of youtube videos" about anode rods are directed at people that don't know about anode rods?
@@greennewdeal5539 my neighbor tried changing his after 5 years....he saw it on youtube and thought he could do it...long story short he calls me up because he broke the lines ....he tried using a 5 foot cheater bar over the ratchet to get the anode rod loose and he ended up twisting the entire heater and broke the lines lol....i replaced the lines he broke..we had a laugh but his wife was pissed at him lol
In-laws had the same water heater for almost 25 yrs. Depends on the quality of your water and how much water flows through it. Turn the hot water on inside your house then turn off the water supply
@mark broad, yep, just replaced an A.O. Smith that I had for almost 20 yrs. I drained it down a few times over it's life, never touched the anode rod. They didn't mention it in the video but people should also be mindful about shutting off the gas or electricity for electric water heaters when draining/servicing. It's also a good idea to put the water heater in a pan AND to route the relief valve to the outdoors in the event it fails or opens due to temp/pressure surge. It also helps to install a thermal expansion tank. What had bothered me about new construction is so often water heaters being installed in the attic space, considering that pans do corrode and can leak eventually and the fact that a gallon of water = ~8.33 lbs (3.77 kg), multiply that by 40, 50, 75 to 100+ gallons and that's a lot of weight in water sitting overhead.
So is it bad if you never use the hot water in your house or hardly ever? If someone takes mostly cold showers is that bad because I feel like the water no longer gets all the way freezing but I don’t know if the heat outside is affecting the pipes too
My ex wife asked if we should replace the water heater. I said never it was a copper water heater from 1953 I think it was made by Kleen. I haven't talked to her in a few years to the best of my knowledge she never changed it. Back when things were made to NOT break.
FYI. I replaced my 40 gal heater with a 30 gal. 2 adults one child, 2 bedroom condo. A lot smaller, not once was there a shortage of hot water. Made my tiny utility room less cluttered. We've always been polite and never ran a dish or clothes washer if the shower is being used with any sized heater. It looks tiny compared to a full sized 40 gallon tank.
I live in a trailer home,whrn we bought it it had an old electric heater,i never changed anything on it,recently replaced it with a bigger unit but never had a problem with it. Previous owner didnt maintain it obviously it was a really good unit.
Very interesting info! But please check with your home insurrance if you're still covered with a water heater that's more than 10-12 years old. Many dont and you end up paying out of your own pocket for any damage caused by your old water heater.
I just changed my anode rod after 16 years. Changed both elements about 7 years ago. Never drained the tank. Had about 6 to 8 inches of corrosive stuff at the bottom of tank. Flushed it 10 or more times 5 or so gallons at a time. Swapped both elements, thermostats, anode rod. Working like a charm! 240 volts at each element when powered. Elements work one at a single time. They alternate when power is needed.
Over here in New Zealand most houses from 1996 to now have a tankless infinaty hot water unit located outside if the house near bathrooms to prevent pressure loss
Not only due to pressure loss, think about the pipes in between and how long you'll have to purge chilled water out of the hot water line depending on the length of the hot water pipe.
Moon Pie That comment referring to gas hot water cylinders outside and we don’t get to nearly as cold as other parts of the world we might get -3 - 4 Celsius so it’s not really a concern have them out side
Matthew Kromer That's because American houses are built so cheaply it's cost effective to staple and glue another matchwood and tarpaper box onto the side when you need a bit more space. The rest of the world builds houses properly.
I have heard the suggestion to periodically drain the tank to remove sediment. Yet, several people who have done that have emphatically said 'Don't do it'. Their experience has been that some of the sediment will remain in the drain valve, preventing it from fully shutting. This caused a leaking drain.
@@JackTRyan After 21 years, I preemptively replaced my gas water heater rather than risk a failure while I'm away from the house. One of the steps was to drain it. Essentially no corrosion, scale or other buildup appeared. The tank likely could have lasted much longer. However, our water is good quality. If we had 'hard' water, I expect life expectancy to drop off by a LOT, and there would have been a lot of scale. My guess is that periodic draining might make sense for hard water. But, be prepared to place a sealing cap with mating threads over the water outlet, just in case scale lodges in the valve mechanism and prevents it from fully closing.
@@gregparrott We had a leak in a 7 year old water heater at my dad's house. I didn't cut it open but based on the fact it was 2x as heavy as the new one after draining (didn't look at the end of the hose either) it was full of accumulated junk. I spent a night at a coworker's house and the cold water came out significantly dirtier than the hot. I wonder what his water heater looks like...
I have a really old heater that has never had anything fussed with it since it was put it 20 years ago. Still heats water good and lasts a while too for those long showers. This was back when Kenmore actually had great build quality.
Kenmore never built anything. That was a rebadged water heater made by one of the major manufacturers. Our water heater was a cheap builder’s model made by State and it lasted 16 years. It probably would have lasted more than 20 years had I changed the anode rod.
What confuses me about corrosion in water heater tanks: In Europe we mainly have central heating with a furnace that creates warm water in a closed circuit. This warm water goes through the radiators in all rooms of the house, but also cycles through coils inside a separate water tank in the basement which contains the warm water supply for tap water. (So we rarely have single water heaters like you commonly have.) But what makes me wonder regarding your corrosion problems: Our water tank is now about 30 years old without any damage and without the necessity to have ever needed a sacrificial anode replacement. (I even don't know if we have such elements here.)
Putting a shut off on both the cold and hot lines allows you to change the anode and drain the tank without having to wait for all the water in the rest of the house to drain. Makes replacing the heater faster also.
So where we live, we have to have an inline water filter from the mains supply, also, many have water softeners. This keeps everything running better. Couple this with a 4-5 year descaling service and normal maintenance, our 300 litre water heater is running perfectly for the last 33 years. Yes 33 years and only now we are think of having it replaced for a newer model. Only because, well 33 years!! During the service the magnesium anode rod is always replaced, this service was just quoted to us for around $850, but a new replacement will run about $3200.
Richard never mentioned it but adding a "expansion tank" helps to make them last longer too. Especially if you have a PRV (pressure reducing valve) on your water main.
I replace my anode rod yearly. I write the date around the opening to the rod. Make sure to turn your pilot to vacation before you turn off the cold water supply and drain a few gallons off before removing the rod. I also suck the sediment off of the bottom of the tank by using a bent 1/2 Inch electrical conduit attatched to a wet dry shop vac. I usually get about a gallon of sediment off the bottom every year.
Had a 25 year old tank that failed (technically catastrophically) by blowing at the rear seam. We thought it was just a leak, until the guys I had replace it showed that the exterior case was split in the back by at least an inch. We still had hot water, and it wasn't leaking heavily ... but we got lucky it blew out instead of up. We had never performed any maintenance on it, and it was here when we got the house in 2000.
@@dollarznc The hot water heater in my custom built double wide is from 1999. The only problem I think we have with it now is because we have hard water. I know it has a lot built up in the bottom and the bottom element hasn't worked for a long time. Before we moved into the double wide we had a single wide mobile home across the road using the same water. I took the hot water tank out periodically and cleaned it out. It was always above the bottom element. That was in a 1975 mobile home.
@m rapacki Exterior shell doesn't necessarily represent the inside. Not sure how the b ack split like that with the little bit that was leaking. I'm wondering if there was enough sediment to prevent a massive leak... but was definitely a ticking time-bomb.
If you have a pinhole leak turn off the cold water and before you connect a hose to the flush valve go to any sink with hot water and turn on to relieve the pressure. It might prevent extra water damage.
I moved into a 3000 sq,foot house built in the early 60's. My first year i replaced the electric heater with gas. I had to vent it out of the basement wall and have a catalytic blower fan on ot to vent gas/fumes. Im sure you know what im talking about. Four .mounths later i had a gas train furnace installed. It was all electric. Both of these items lasted 25 years amd went out one week a part Hot water heater, four days later the furnace combustion chamber went belly up. Replaced both and also a new air unit, another Trane. Seven years strong. I drain.my WH at least once a year as you described. WH was a Lowes HWH. CAN'T KNOCK THAT.
One thing is a "MUST REMEMBER" . . . IMPORTANT to turn-off your natural gas feed to the tank, at the control center of the water tank FIRST. You do not want an explosion because of the lack of a water feed supply to the tank. After you clean or drain out the tank and have turned the water feed supply on to fill the tank then, reignite your pilot flame.
Thanks guys and great content as always. With your videos I was able to replace my leaking T&P valve and anode rod and flush my water heater a few weeks ago. I also used a video borescope to look inside the tank while I was servicing it and see the coating inside the tank was still in excellent shape and the anode was still doing it’s job. Here’s to hopefully a few more years out of my water heater which since I’m in Houston is in my attic for some insane reason.
ESPECIALLY because it's in your attic, look into some kind of leak protection/notification. There's the automated solution, where you put a sensor around the tank and if it detects leaks it shuts off the supply. I'm not a plumber, but was looking at the Rheem tank with LeakGuard... so check that out for ideas.
I moved in here in 96, It's 2022 I have the same water heater,(Well Water) I do have a timer on it. It comes on at 6am and off at 9am and back on at 5pm and off at 8pm I have put two sets of elements in it over the years. And a New timer this year. I do plan to replace it this Spring / Summer sometime. New water heaters at Lowes other day -Cheapest I could find there was right at 500 dollars. And Lowes said they would install it for little over 1400.00 dollars, Yeah!!! I said same thing! And then Some!! I'll do it!
With the advancements in technology, energy efficiency, it is often better to swap out the water heater every few years. They are relatively cheap, considering the years of operation you get. I just replaced a 40 gallon electric and the cost was $350. 6 yr warranty. Assuming it lasts 6 years (most times, mine have failed within a year after the warranty ended), that is around $60 per year.
"...it is often better to swap out the water heater every few years" ???? I'd like to see you prove that mathematically. They are not that much more energy efficient. My water heaters all have lasted 20 to 40 years - you must have either horrible water or are buying really crappy water heaters if you are replacing them every 7 years - can't imagine what a hassle and risk of damage that is.
Maybe if you change fuel type or upgrade the tech, (electric to gas, tank less, heat pump) you can save on operating cost, but time is money and resistive heat is about 100 percent energy efficient, (not necessarily cost effective) so preserving your existing heater is definitely in your interest. BTW unless you enjoy the particular design of a space heater (for example the ability of infrared heaters to project) 1500w of electric heat is 1500w of electric heat, can't really cheat physics too much when it come to resistive heat and it blows me away how bad most people are at reading spec sheets
You will not find any for $350. We just had to replace ours and the cheapest we could find was $710 after tax from Lowes and it was out of stock. We had to pony up for the $820 AO Smith since it's what was in stock. A professional plumber wants $800 to $1200 to install it and three said that it would be closer to the high side since it's inside my home and not in the garage.
I added two die electric connections at the hot & cold pipes . This prevents the flow of ions in the heater . When I replaced the old heater (12 yrs) the anode was still whole .
Mine leaked all over my garage. It seemed like a lot of work to replace it (plus about $500), so I flushed it and refilled it. It's been working for a couple weeks with no problem. Guess I didn't have a hole in the tank. Not sure what happened, but I'm glad I didn't waste time and money installing a new one.
So your telling me that's what my hot water tank looks like inside??? That's it, I'm going back in time and just heat buckets on the stove and take baths Lol
I bought my house in 2009, the house was built in 1992 with pretty much no maintenance whatsoever. The first thing I tackled was the water heater, a Rheem 40 gallon power vented natural gas heater with electronic ignition. I oiled the bearings for the power vent motor, drained the unit and flushed it out the best I could. I replaced the anode rod, cleaned the burner and ran the unit for another 7 years. I put a inspection camera in the water heater drain valve and was surprised to see no rust and very little calcium buildup. Later on I replaced it with a 50 gallon Rheem water heater that I got a good deal on. I sold the old water heater for 100 bucks but I could've easily ran that for another 10 years or more. Maintenance can go along way in keeping your water heater going.
water quality is a big factor also....ive seen tanks failures after 6 years in places with poor water quality....seen them last 15 years with no maintenance in places better water...same thing with toilet flappers and fill valves.
This is very true. My house has a Kenmore water heater that is over 30 years old and is still kicking. I live in St. Louis, Missouri and the water quality is perfect.
Water PH probably makes the biggest difference. We have excellent water quality in our city and electric and gas tank water heaters last 20+ years. Run into plenty that are 30 years old.
I try to flush out every year and recently changed the anodes. While the anodes were out I inserted a copper tube with a ball valve connected to my compressor to stir up the bottom so the water would carry the sediment out the drain which also required a few back flushes to clear.
If you are on a "good" city water system that has a neutral PH and good clean water the water heater may last 20 or 30 years. When they do fail it's ussually a drip not a catastrophic failure.
Australia here. I have some plumbers coming in about 5 days to put in a new electric hot water heater. The old one is made out of copper (it's 50 years old) The only thing wrong with it is a leaking header tank. Looking at how short the life span of current ones are I wonder why the hell I am not just repairing the header tank. How come they don't make them to last longer as they did in the past?
What is a header tank? Is it what we call and expansion tank? If so and if it's the only thing leaking, obviously it's what you'd replace. If you have the strength, it's a very easy DIY job. I just cut off the water and drill a hole in the bottom of the expansion tank to drain the water it contains into a bucket. Otherwise it will be very heavy. Unscrew it and screw a new one on using some teflon tape and pipe dope. All the home stores sell them.
Got a 1997 Bradford White electric water heater. It has no anode rod and has been in continuous service on well water. I check it every month. Not changing it until something bad rears it’s head.
I use the CorroProtec powered anode rod. Has a 20 year service life, removes rotten egg smell from the hot water (which is caused by the regular anode rod), and works on a different principle. Check out the website and the videos here on yt . Completely removed the stink from the hot water in less than 3 hours. And I don’t to change the anode rod every year or two. Aside from a water softener, my best home purchase.
I have learned not to replace to minimize risk to house damage. Too many new tanks are defective, and will fail sooner than the old one would have. The most common is a flawed glass coating on the inside, so it starts to rust right away, and a faulty TP relief valve that lets go while you are sleeping. The latter is a disaster compared to a pin hole leak. The best way to prevent house damage is to flip off the inlet valve when going away for a while. So few do that.
I bought my house two years ago. The house was built in 2005 and it had the original water heater which was working just fine. But I replaced it and my HVAC system after I moved in. Items like HVAC systems and water heaters never fail at a good time. They typically fail on a weekend, on a holiday or late at night. Times when getting a technician to come out and either repair or replace these expensive items will cost you more than just an arm and a leg. This is why I decided to ditch my old stuff with brand new items. Something I don't have to worry about failing on me for a long time.....
My old Reliant water lasted 23 years. It actually was still working but we got a lot of rain and the pilot kept going out and I can get down on my hands and knees to relight the pilot. New Bradford has a igniter button so no more getting matches to light the pilot. The other thing plumber did was spread roofers tar all around the hole that my vent exits to stop water getting inside the metal water heater closet.
Average life of a water heater is 7-10 years. That said last month I replaced a water heater that was 22 years old. While the diode rod trick may work the best thing I have found on electric water heaters is to raise them up off the floor on two pieces of pressure treated lumber. That includes water heaters in a drain pan. My other water heater is also electric and it’s from 2006 and still cooking. Gas water heaters of course should NOT have combustible material under them.
My most often criticism of "This Old House" advice is their New England ethnocentrism. They constantly comment based upon the homes built there. "Do you have a water leak? The first think you need to do is go down to you basement and find the water cutoff valve." It is like they only work on homes that are over 100 years old. Only 17% of the U.S. lives in the Northeast, while 51% live in the South and West, where there are few basements. This video did the same thing. "A leaking water heater in the basement is not very bad, but what if it is on the 1st floor." This was like, "Can you imagine that?" I live in a city (town) of about 80,000. I would say that most of the homes have their water heaters on the second floor or in the attic. What would you do then? How do you drain the water heater? What happens if it leaks? Don't building codes where they are require pans and outside drains? Never mentioned. What if you aren't in NY or Boston? I worked, as a firefighter in a nearby city of over 250,000, for 32 years. In all that time, with the 1000s of HOMES I have been in, I never saw one with a basement. Population stats: www.census.gov/popclock/data_tables.php?component=growth
Once a year I flush any sediment from my tank. It's never alot but you definitely see the little pieces flush out. Was installed in the beginning of 2004 and 2021 still going strong.
@m rapacki i understand that for sure but I see no point in throwing away a perfectly running heater. No rust, never even had an element that needed replacing,. Ill definitely keep an eye on it though because I wouldn’t want it bursting and flooding.
I have a picture of a 1965 a.o. smith gas water heater still going.... not banging or clanging either..... I'm a plumber and when I saw that blew my mind!!!! I talked to a.o. smith sent them a picture.... they contacted them and when it goes out they will replace it with any kind of water heater they want for free.... as long as they give the old one to them....... that water heater has made it threw 6 solftners
Another great video guys. I live in the country, so I have hard water. My gas heater is 9 years old now. I have had no problems with it at all. Is it too late to change the anoid rod. And If I do change the rod what are the chances that I might screw up the old rod to the point that I have to change the tank because the threads on the rod are bad? Thanks for all your videos and the TV shows. I try to watch them all.
I have a timer on my hot water heater and it comes on 6 am to 10 am and 4 pm to 8 pm--8 hours a day and does this prolong the life of a hot water heater? Just curious.
A lot of times when I'm changing out a water heater the shut-off valve has been there the same amount of time or even longer than the Crusty water heater I prefer to shut off the main unless the homeowner is prepared to pay for a new shut-off valve replacement a lot of times after you shut them off and turn them back on they start leaking like my boy said because nobody ever flushes them I do love this show you guys are so cool and know so much and break it down so we can all understand it's great🔨🔧🛁🚿🚽💡🔑🚪🏠
My GE gas tank is 19 years old, and still going strong. Never changed an anode. Drained maybe every three or four years. Unfortunately, GE no longer makes water heaters.
I do nothing to "maintain" mine. About 35 yo now and working well. Just replaced the thermocouple...5 min job. Word of advice: Check your TPR valve once a year or so to be sure it functions.
Good video, thanks. My 7 year old electric water heater has never been drained. Had a plumber in for another job and asked him to drain it for me. He said not to touch it, since it's been so long. He said it would cause more problems than leaving it alone. Is he right?
I changed my anode rod today. I got super lucky and found them 80% off at my local Ace Hardware. a $6 fix to hopefully buy me a few more years on mine.
Wow that's a sweet deal. I replaced mine today and it had never been changed since 98-2000. All that was left was the metal threads and swollen PVC at the top.
Great work cheapasss
@m rapacki it's such a champ, I'm excited to see how long it lasts! As far as planned maintenance, yep it's a known aged element that will go. But judging from the reviews of much newer water heaters, this one very well could outlast a new one.
This is one of the cases where they don't make them like they used to. Then again, they didn't used to make all plastic ones or tankless. Everything changes. (Reviews from the UK find it absolutely nuts that Americans are replacing steel water tanks every 5-10 years, and I tend to agree)
@m rapacki when I bought my house and moved in, I had a hot water tank in there that was probably 30 years old. Ruud Copper-nickle was the name on it. It had a retro looking sunburst logo stamped out of brass or something like that on it. It finally leaked after having the house for about 3 years. Ive noticed on a lot of stuff made in the 50s, 60s and 70s that makes their modern day counterparts look like a tin can. Everything is throw away anymore, made as cheap as possible for the most money possible.
Edit: I did a little research and that tank was around 50 years old when I took it out.
@m rapacki sorry, I edited my comment too late. I did a little research, and I'm sure it was the original tank when the house was built, 1960. So 53 years old when I removed it.
This was an exact replacement for the old one that lasted about 10 years. ua-cam.com/users/postUgkx7yWIKcrbA9KMHkGSfcgxW2lsjHT6B8Sh The top of my mitigation tube by my roofline was just a 90 elbow which allowed too much debris to fall down into the fan, eventually ruining it. Without this issue, I bet it would have kept running another 10 years. When I replaced this fan, I added an extra elbow joint so the top tube now it does a 180, which should solve that problem. The radon guys around here wanted to charge me a $300 diagnostic fee, then parts/labor (probably close to $600 total). I installed this all by myself in about an hour for the cost of the fan; it would probably be even easier/faster with two people. FYI the manufacturer's warranty greatly differs depending on whether you install it yourself (1 yr warranty) or have a licensed installer do it (10 yrs).
My tank was made Feb 1978. It’s Dec 31 2021.
Still works.
GREAT. Means the tank was properly lined and that lining remained intact. Be sure to test the TPR valve each year.
Amazing!
Not from California
mine lasted for several decades too. Starting to think that if there are no subtle manufacturing defects in the glass lining, it will.
Richard Trethewey - Plumbing, HVAC and more. This man is the BEST with what he does on TV and now UA-cam !!!! And he doesn't drown you with the fast talking 99mph speech spiel.
Warning: an anode rod is installed ridiculously tight at the factory, and it only gets worse with age. Sometimes removing one is impossible. The head can deform. Try loosening yours before spending the money on a replacement.
You just need a wrench/ratchet with a long enough handle. You'll never loosen it with a small wrench. A lengthy handle (or even a piece of pipe over the handle of your small tool) will give you the leverage you need to break it loose. Bigger is better.
Just get a battery powered impact wrench off shamazon. Name brand is always great but even a half-decent chinese knockoff will have more than enough lb-ft of torque to spin it right off.
Gotta remember to tell them to turn off the electricity before draining an electric tank. The elements will instantly over heat and self destruct if on and not submerged in water.
Thanks for that tip... it's obvious after reading your comment, but I totally didn't think about it!
Great tip. Also before changing the temperature in an electric....learnt that the hard way through a zap
ive had several water heater installers tell me that you shouldnt set your water heater to "High"..set it on "medium heat" setting..your water heater will last way longer..so far, mine is over 20 years old..and its a G.E. brand 30 gallons model.
They didn't mention that water heaters should be set to at least 140 degrees F to kill legionella bacteria that cause Legionnaires' disease.
@m rapacki I think 140 is still necessary to prevent legionnaires, but one has to balance that risk with the risk of scalding. There is something that can be installed to reduce the temp at use to prevent scalding.
Keep it as long as you possibly can new water heaters are horrible for long life the one in my house was installed when house was built in 1976 never has been drained and still works great. Ohio and is on City water.
Draining the water is really important. I replaced my stock drain valve with a brass 3/4 ball valve setup. Why? The OEM plastic drain valve opening is deceiving; it accepts a garden hose size opening, but the inside port has a small hole. This restricts the bigger chunks of junk from your water heater from flowing out. With the new setup, I was able to flush out the bigger chunks. Then, I calibrated the water heater and was able to turn down the thermostat dial down a full notch. Improved heating efficiency. Got my parts at Home depot: water heater nipple>3/4 ball valve>3/4 MGH-3/4MIP brass adapter.
Calibrated your water heater? Can you go more into depth on what that is and how you do it please?
@@bojangles5747 , he probably checked the temperature of the hot water coming from a faucet and lowered the t-stat accordingly. The optimal temperature should be 120 to 125 degrees F. This saves energy and makes the water hot enough that you need to temper it with a little cold, but not so hot as to boil your skin off.
Nice, was that a plug and play adapter or did you have to drill the hole larger and tap it?
@@donaldshimkus539 Yep. It doesn't help that on those tanks the thermostat is deliberately vague about the temperature. Usually the dial goes "Pilot light - Vacation - Low - (Thick Line to mark the recommended temperature) - High - Very High etc" so gauging the actual temperature is difficult. It also doesn't help that the thermostat's probe in the tank can get covered with minerals too.
If you are draining the tank, make sure you turn off the elements, or you will burn them up.
If you need to be told that, put down the wrench and call a plumber.
@@dbrown6941 Thanks for the advice smartass. Next time keep it to yourself.
David:
Why aren't you a feisty little firecracker.
You're acting like he peed all over your sandwich instead of giving weekend warriors sound advice before they cause thousands of dollars worth of damage.
@@confusedwhale sound advice? He sounds more like a butt hurt plumber upset that UA-cam videos are teaching the common man how to do things plumbers charge outrageous prices for. I had a quote to change out my tank for $800 in labor not including the cost of materials. Rediculous, i did it myself in less than 2 hours. I think he is just a little upset people have caught on to their rediculous fees and people are tired of getting ripped off.
@Moon Pie if you have a gas tank there will be none. Electric tanks have internal heating elements.
So he asks the question we all want to know which is will the tank last longer if you drain it and he completely avoids the question by explaining how to drain it! Some expert!
0:58 I´am from germany, and I´am a bit surprised / shocked how USA wastes energy!
My heating system is from early 90s, and my water tank is estimated 2-3 times more better isolated that that one!
I would recommend you:
1. Spend a bit more dollars and buy a boiler with a thicker isolation. Antother advantage: In case of an power failure the water will stay warm much longer.
2. Isolate ALL warmwater pipes from the boiler to the bathroom! Thumb rule: Thickness of the pipe = thickness of the isolation
Calculate that for every american household, this is really a lot of energy which can be saved.
I don´t want to be rude, just my personal recommention.
:-)
Greetings from germany
hehehehe Detschland, Deutschland uber Alles !
@John Smithy I say my opinion WHEN I WANT! If you you are not able to discuss - shut up.
@@atatarget Was soll der Kommentar?
In Sachen Energiesparen sind wir in Deutschland weiter, in den USA ist auch nicht alles Gold was glänzt.
@@Albrecht8000 stimmt das. Und du hast Recht bei unsere Energiewahnsinn
As a maintenance supervisor over several multifamily complexes, we just replaced 7 critically failed water heaters and let me tell you what spending $1,000 on a water heater is much cheaper than $90,000 to fix the water damage from a busted one. DONT WAIT! If you see rust. If you notice mildew or moisture replace it or have a serviced by a professional!
Hello do you know if a water heater should always be on pilot or on thanks
Very informative! We just bought our current house last year and the water heater is less than two years old. I've made a note to rinse the inside and replace the anode rod when it hits the two year mark.
Two years probably is excessive. I think 5 years is more reasonable. I changed mine after 19 and they were actually fine.
@@kurtvonfricken6829 Alas, it's somewhat moot. I tried to remove the anode, and found it entirely unmovable.
@@hasufinheltain1390get a fancy impact drill
One thing that Richard (uncharacteristically) forgot to mention is truning off the power to the unit. Weather it be electrical or ntural gas (or LP) power needs to be shut off when draining the tank. Heating element can be damaged or destroyed by remaing on with no water to heat.
The way he described draining it involves keeping it relatively full of water the whole time (more of a flush than a drain) so elements should be fine
Both my water heaters are 17 yrs old and both are still good. Replaced anode rods, thermostats and heater elements. Today I replaced the expansion tank on one of them. They’ll last if you take care of them. Good video.
But what is inside that your family is taking in?
I wish we could clean the inside and know it's cleaned without ruining them.
@@ThirstyBacon They one thing you can do is to drain them entirely and flush them out watching for debris and then monitoring when the debris ceases to exit. A whole house filter would help longevity. The expansion tank I replaced was filled with a nefarious black goopy substance. Who knows what that is. I notice it in my tabletop water filter system. I observed this black goop clogging up all my faucets. I had to scrape it out monthly to improve flow in every faucet. Changing thermostats and heating elements periodically will help longevity. My heaters were hot and ran well prior to the sale of my home. I recommend a small 40 gal heater for the master suite. I don’t recommend instant in heaters. They don’t perform as well as expected and they’re more expansive than conventional.
@@ThirstyBacon We used to be able to take the water and have it examined for content. After Covid, some water testing facilities ceased taking in samples. I don’t know who to send it to but it is worth doing.
Brand?
Thank you! Because of you I was able to service my water heater and replace the anode rod (which I never even knew existed before I saw this video). Top quality stuff, as always! 👍🏼
time to replace the rod in your water heater
@@nramos33 lol
Had to change the elements in my water heater last year. Had over a foot of sediment in the bottom of it. No way it was washing out the through the drain valve. Got a 1/2" PVC pipe adapted to my shop vac and vacuumed 90% of it out. At least now the lower element is actually doing something and isn't buried in sediment.
Pilch Plays EXACTLY. I have had two times when mine stopped heating enough water. Part way through a shower the water turned cold. Lower element had burned out. Hit breaker, shut off supply line, drained water, took out element, used shop vac and home made tools to remove sediment, put in new element, filled tank, purged air out, breaker on. My tank still doing fine. Not bad for 87. (the tank, not me. I'm only 68)
@@kaybree6738 Go you, Kay! 👍
@@virglibrsaglove Thank you. God
Gives
Gifts 🙏
Excellent video. When there is a water leak, the first thing to shut off is the gas.
Moon Pie no electric heaters don’t use gas
Moon Pie they have an upper and lower element that heats up also their a thermostat installed on them to tell u the temperature ,something like that but just google it or ask someone I’m not an expert
@Moon Pie they're electric haha duh
On an electric water heater...?
The first thing you do when draining the tank or if it is leaking is shut off the electricity, gas, or oil that is used to heat the water. Big problems if you don't. Safety first!
If people only realized the damage that a pressurized hot water tank potentially could do , they would be in awe.. Water under pressure is comparable to sticks of dynamite.
@@orbitring how to reduce the pressure?
Richard is fond of saying "but nobody does that" about plumbing failure prevention measures. Just know, Richard, that there are some among us who change anode rods every two years, and who turn off washing machine faucets between uses. And regarding not using the washing machine shutoffs, I blame plumbers. They install the water outlet boxes in places a homeowner cannot reach, short of moving the washing machine.
In AZ, our water hardness is somewhere between concrete and diamonds. Freezes all water shutoff valves in the open position after a while. It also dissolves the valves slowly. Nothing is more fun than reaching in to shut off a washer valve, and it simultaneously snaps in your hands and sprays water.
2:40 this rod is cheap at Home Depot. I’m replacing mine every 2 years.
Wow 😳 very informed vid thanks!
I have a ao smith heater from 1977 still in operation on well water.
No one has changed the anode rod. Guess must be good water or a well built heater !!
A.o smith are decent but not great. The last one we had was a 9 year. Gave out after 4. So much sediment. Bad water. But even with good water theh suck. Anything made before 90's is going to last much longer. But I would never fell safe with a water heater that old. 1977???
Outstanding gifted crew, you guys never fail learned a lot great teachers
This makes me glad that copper tanks are still available in the U.K. They last many decades. No anodes. Coppers is Naturally antibacterial. No rust.
I should order one from the UK.
Just wondering what is the cost of a copper tank? I never even knew they made copper water heaters. Take care
Copper is very expensive?
The only ones you see in the US that are incredibly old are copper tanks. I've seen many plumbers tell people to not even think about replacing their water heater if it's a copper tank.
@m rapacki Especially electric where you might need to upgrade your panel...no thanks!
My water heater started leaking from the top last year in August. We replaced it in September with a Home Depot water heater ourselves without having to call a plumber. If you have a well taken care of chimney it’ll draft no problem. The gas valves 30 years ago to today all sit at the same height so that makes things easy to swap. Just be sure to get the right height water heater.
When I install a new water heater I install a ball straight valve in place of the drain valve to make it easier to flush. From my experience as a handyman for 35 years it seems like they last 7-10 years on city water with a lot of crud buildup. I have well water in my house. My water heater is 15 years old and still chugging along with no crud build up. I’ve changed out a water heater 4 times in the same house. For some reason well water doesn’t leave crud behind sometimes.
The life of a water heater 8-10 years is a guide only? Mine is right at 10 years with no bottom rust, so do I leave it and keep an eye on the heater? Appreciate the advice. Thank you.
@@mikejung1582 save the money for one and yes keep an eye on it they’re getting pricey
@@mikejung1582 it averages 7-10years they last that long
@@dormandavis2767 Thanks for the solid advice, it's my boy's house and not the money issue. Just priced 50gal. at HD today for $609. Will change it out.
@@mikejung1582 Be careful of hiring a plumber a lot of those guys are charging anywhere from $1200-$1500 to put in a job that only takes two hours. I’m a retired Indianapolis firefighter I had a handyman business for 35 years so I’ve put in 1000 water heaters if you want to find a decent handyman go to any fire station a lot of those guys have been in construction and with a 24 hour on duty 48 hour off duty and they have a side gig and most the time they just carry their business into a side business of their own like I did. I’ve been lucky I was originally trained heating and air-conditioning so I had to learn plumbing and electrical. I’ve been remodeling kitchens and bathrooms for 30 years I do a lot of odds and ends I have 1200 regular customers so I’ve really built my business up my problem is I have a hard time finding decent people would like to learn a trade
All depends on water quality. I've ran across tanks from the 80s with no sediment buildup...ON A WELL. Just various greatly all over the place.
My water heater has a "lifetime warranty" and the plumber said not to touch it. No maintenance. It's 8 years old. Do I ask another plumber or does this sound right?
Your right , tank was from 1977 well water lasted till 2021
Did not leak gas valve thermostat failed did not leak
New build with A.O. Smith installed 11/03 Replaced on 1/2 16 (12 years+). Never drained it or anything.
A.O. Smith installed 1/2/16. Flushed every 6 months. Replaced on 1/3/18. Rotted the bottom out in 2 years. So you never know how long they’ll last...
My AO Smith 50 gallon with power vent is almost 17 years and have done nothing. Still going strong.
My AO Smith installed 2015 replaced due to leaking and flooding basement in 2019
@@itrthho I'm thinking due to age I should change mine this year. But I said that the last 5 years. Lol
My last gas water heater was installed back in 1998, no leaks.
Never changed the sacrificial rod, but I do have a particulate and carbon filter on the main water line, so the bottom of my tank is practically new. I recently drained some of the water out of the tank, after about 2 liters of water was removed, the water ran clear, and this was the first time I drained the tank in at least 5 years.
Now that’s interesting, I had no idea you could change the sacrificial anodes in these boilers, that’s something they kept quite, many thanks for sharing 👍
How could anyone not know about the anode rod? There are hundreds of youtube videos including several made by TOH.
@@fuzzydrawrings269
How could you not know that those "hundreds of youtube videos" about anode rods are directed at people that don't know about anode rods?
he is right after few years its not worth changing it...can be impossible to remove them.
@@greennewdeal5539 my neighbor tried changing his after 5 years....he saw it on youtube and thought he could do it...long story short he calls me up because he broke the lines ....he tried using a 5 foot cheater bar over the ratchet to get the anode rod loose and he ended up twisting the entire heater and broke the lines lol....i replaced the lines he broke..we had a laugh but his wife was pissed at him lol
@@workingshlub8861 🤣🤣🤣🤣
Master Plumber for 20 yrs, I think I've changed two...
In-laws had the same water heater for almost 25 yrs. Depends on the quality of your water and how much water flows through it.
Turn the hot water on inside your house then turn off the water supply
@mark broad, yep, just replaced an A.O. Smith that I had for almost 20 yrs. I drained it down a few times over it's life, never touched the anode rod. They didn't mention it in the video but people should also be mindful about shutting off the gas or electricity for electric water heaters when draining/servicing. It's also a good idea to put the water heater in a pan AND to route the relief valve to the outdoors in the event it fails or opens due to temp/pressure surge. It also helps to install a thermal expansion tank. What had bothered me about new construction is so often water heaters being installed in the attic space, considering that pans do corrode and can leak eventually and the fact that a gallon of water = ~8.33 lbs (3.77 kg), multiply that by 40, 50, 75 to 100+ gallons and that's a lot of weight in water sitting overhead.
So is it bad if you never use the hot water in your house or hardly ever? If someone takes mostly cold showers is that bad because I feel like the water no longer gets all the way freezing but I don’t know if the heat outside is affecting the pipes too
My ex wife asked if we should replace the water heater. I said never it was a copper water heater from 1953 I think it was made by Kleen. I haven't talked to her in a few years to the best of my knowledge she never changed it. Back when things were made to NOT break.
FYI. I replaced my 40 gal heater with a 30 gal. 2 adults one child, 2 bedroom condo. A lot smaller, not once was there a shortage of hot water. Made my tiny utility room less cluttered. We've always been polite and never ran a dish or clothes washer if the shower is being used with any sized heater. It looks tiny compared to a full sized 40 gallon tank.
30 gal is 3/4 size, not much smaller
I live in a trailer home,whrn we bought it it had an old electric heater,i never changed anything on it,recently replaced it with a bigger unit but never had a problem with it.
Previous owner didnt maintain it obviously it was a really good unit.
We moved into a house last year, built in 2005, still has original Gas water heater
Very interesting info! But please check with your home insurrance if you're still covered with a water heater that's more than 10-12 years old. Many dont and you end up paying out of your own pocket for any damage caused by your old water heater.
I just changed my anode rod after 16 years. Changed both elements about 7 years ago. Never drained the tank. Had about 6 to 8 inches of corrosive stuff at the bottom of tank. Flushed it 10 or more times 5 or so gallons at a time. Swapped both elements, thermostats, anode rod. Working like a charm! 240 volts at each element when powered. Elements work one at a single time. They alternate when power is needed.
Over here in New Zealand most houses from 1996 to now have a tankless infinaty hot water unit located outside if the house near bathrooms to prevent pressure loss
Not only due to pressure loss, think about the pipes in between and how long you'll have to purge chilled water out of the hot water line depending on the length of the hot water pipe.
Moon Pie That comment referring to gas hot water cylinders outside and we don’t get to nearly as cold as other parts of the world we might get -3 - 4 Celsius so it’s not really a concern have them out side
This is america and we dont need to stack the washer kitchen and bathrooms next to each other!!!!! America!!!!!
Matthew Kromer That's because American houses are built so cheaply it's cost effective to staple and glue another matchwood and tarpaper box onto the side when you need a bit more space. The rest of the world builds houses properly.
I have heard the suggestion to periodically drain the tank to remove sediment. Yet, several people who have done that have emphatically said 'Don't do it'. Their experience has been that some of the sediment will remain in the drain valve, preventing it from fully shutting. This caused a leaking drain.
I've heard this too, but I think it happens most often on a tank that hasn't been flushed/drained in a really long time.
I just watched a video with a master plumber who said on gas water heaters don't donit!
Yeah, he dodged the question about if you should or not, and went right into ‘if you do, do this’. Annoying.
@@JackTRyan After 21 years, I preemptively replaced my gas water heater rather than risk a failure while I'm away from the house. One of the steps was to drain it. Essentially no corrosion, scale or other buildup appeared. The tank likely could have lasted much longer. However, our water is good quality. If we had 'hard' water, I expect life expectancy to drop off by a LOT, and there would have been a lot of scale. My guess is that periodic draining might make sense for hard water. But, be prepared to place a sealing cap with mating threads over the water outlet, just in case scale lodges in the valve mechanism and prevents it from fully closing.
@@gregparrott We had a leak in a 7 year old water heater at my dad's house. I didn't cut it open but based on the fact it was 2x as heavy as the new one after draining (didn't look at the end of the hose either) it was full of accumulated junk.
I spent a night at a coworker's house and the cold water came out significantly dirtier than the hot. I wonder what his water heater looks like...
Thanks for the tip..I just replaced my Anode Rod and they have flexable ones now...We'll see how this works...
My water heater was made in 1978 by W.L.Jackson. I changed the anode and heatinge elements when I bought the house in 1996. Still works
Hang on to it...the old ones are the good ones.
I have a really old heater that has never had anything fussed with it since it was put it 20 years ago. Still heats water good and lasts a while too for those long showers. This was back when Kenmore actually had great build quality.
Kenmore never built anything. That was a rebadged water heater made by one of the major manufacturers. Our water heater was a cheap builder’s model made by State and it lasted 16 years. It probably would have lasted more than 20 years had I changed the anode rod.
What confuses me about corrosion in water heater tanks:
In Europe we mainly have central heating with a furnace that creates warm water in a closed circuit. This warm water goes through the radiators in all rooms of the house, but also cycles through coils inside a separate water tank in the basement which contains the warm water supply for tap water. (So we rarely have single water heaters like you commonly have.)
But what makes me wonder regarding your corrosion problems: Our water tank is now about 30 years old without any damage and without the necessity to have ever needed a sacrificial anode replacement. (I even don't know if we have such elements here.)
Putting a shut off on both the cold and hot lines allows you to change the anode and drain the tank without having to wait for all the water in the rest of the house to drain. Makes replacing the heater faster also.
That’s a code violation, for a reason
@@mikeratkowski3506 if it is. I know of two eight story apartment buildings that are in violation.
Do you know why?
So where we live, we have to have an inline water filter from the mains supply, also, many have water softeners. This keeps everything running better.
Couple this with a 4-5 year descaling service and normal maintenance, our 300 litre water heater is running perfectly for the last 33 years.
Yes 33 years and only now we are think of having it replaced for a newer model. Only because, well 33 years!!
During the service the magnesium anode rod is always replaced, this service was just quoted to us for around $850, but a new replacement will run about $3200.
Richard never mentioned it but adding a "expansion tank" helps to make them last longer too. Especially if you have a PRV (pressure reducing valve) on your water main.
I replace my anode rod yearly. I write the date around the opening to the rod. Make sure to turn your pilot to vacation before you turn off the cold water supply and drain a few gallons off before removing the rod. I also suck the sediment off of the bottom of the tank by using a bent 1/2 Inch electrical conduit attatched to a wet dry shop vac. I usually get about a gallon of sediment off the bottom every year.
@m rapacki About $20. Cheaper than a new water heater.
@m rapacki Hard well water in our area. The rod is half way rotted through in a year.
Thanks for the tips. I did not know about replacing the sacrificial rod. That is great advice!
Had a 25 year old tank that failed (technically catastrophically) by blowing at the rear seam. We thought it was just a leak, until the guys I had replace it showed that the exterior case was split in the back by at least an inch. We still had hot water, and it wasn't leaking heavily ... but we got lucky it blew out instead of up. We had never performed any maintenance on it, and it was here when we got the house in 2000.
Wow.... ive been plumbing for 15 years and never have I seen one last that long.
@@dollarznc The hot water heater in my custom built double wide is from 1999. The only problem I think we have with it now is because we have hard water. I know it has a lot built up in the bottom and the bottom element hasn't worked for a long time. Before we moved into the double wide we had a single wide mobile home across the road using the same water. I took the hot water tank out periodically and cleaned it out. It was always above the bottom element. That was in a 1975 mobile home.
@m rapacki Exterior shell doesn't necessarily represent the inside. Not sure how the b ack split like that with the little bit that was leaking. I'm wondering if there was enough sediment to prevent a massive leak... but was definitely a ticking time-bomb.
If you have a pinhole leak turn off the cold water and before you connect a hose to the flush valve go to any sink with hot water and turn on to relieve the pressure. It might prevent extra water damage.
I moved into a 3000 sq,foot house built in the early 60's.
My first year i replaced the electric heater with gas. I had to vent it out of the basement wall and have a catalytic blower fan on ot to vent gas/fumes. Im sure you know what im talking about.
Four .mounths later i had a gas train furnace installed. It was all electric. Both of these items lasted 25 years amd went out one week a part
Hot water heater, four days later the furnace combustion chamber went belly up. Replaced both and also a new air unit, another Trane. Seven years strong.
I drain.my WH at least once a year as you described. WH was a Lowes HWH. CAN'T KNOCK THAT.
One thing is a "MUST REMEMBER" . . . IMPORTANT to turn-off your natural gas feed to the tank, at the control center of the water tank FIRST. You do not want an explosion because of the lack of a water feed supply to the tank. After you clean or drain out the tank and have turned the water feed supply on to fill the tank then, reignite your pilot flame.
Thanks guys and great content as always. With your videos I was able to replace my leaking T&P valve and anode rod and flush my water heater a few weeks ago. I also used a video borescope to look inside the tank while I was servicing it and see the coating inside the tank was still in excellent shape and the anode was still doing it’s job. Here’s to hopefully a few more years out of my water heater which since I’m in Houston is in my attic for some insane reason.
Yikes!
ESPECIALLY because it's in your attic, look into some kind of leak protection/notification. There's the automated solution, where you put a sensor around the tank and if it detects leaks it shuts off the supply. I'm not a plumber, but was looking at the Rheem tank with LeakGuard... so check that out for ideas.
@@brois841 Ring sells a water detection sensor. I put mine inside the pan and if it detects water, I get a notification immediately.
I'll be sure to save this and show my landlord.
I moved in here in 96, It's 2022 I have the same water heater,(Well Water) I do have a timer on it. It comes on at 6am and off at 9am and back on at 5pm and off at 8pm I have put two sets of elements in it over the years. And a New timer this year. I do plan to replace it this Spring / Summer sometime. New water heaters at Lowes other day -Cheapest I could find there was right at 500 dollars. And Lowes said they would install it for little over 1400.00 dollars, Yeah!!! I said same thing! And then Some!! I'll do it!
My original 18 yr old water heater just started leaking LOL. It only had a 5 yr warranty. I'm amazed it lasted that long!
35+ for mine and still OK.
@@wholeNwon wow amazing!
With the advancements in technology, energy efficiency, it is often better to swap out the water heater every few years. They are relatively cheap, considering the years of operation you get. I just replaced a 40 gallon electric and the cost was $350. 6 yr warranty. Assuming it lasts 6 years (most times, mine have failed within a year after the warranty ended), that is around $60 per year.
"...it is often better to swap out the water heater every few years" ???? I'd like to see you prove that mathematically. They are not that much more energy efficient.
My water heaters all have lasted 20 to 40 years - you must have either horrible water or are buying really crappy water heaters if you are replacing them every 7 years - can't imagine what a hassle and risk of damage that is.
Maybe if you change fuel type or upgrade the tech, (electric to gas, tank less, heat pump) you can save on operating cost, but time is money and resistive heat is about 100 percent energy efficient, (not necessarily cost effective) so preserving your existing heater is definitely in your interest. BTW unless you enjoy the particular design of a space heater (for example the ability of infrared heaters to project) 1500w of electric heat is 1500w of electric heat, can't really cheat physics too much when it come to resistive heat and it blows me away how bad most people are at reading spec sheets
You will not find any for $350. We just had to replace ours and the cheapest we could find was $710 after tax from Lowes and it was out of stock. We had to pony up for the $820 AO Smith since it's what was in stock. A professional plumber wants $800 to $1200 to install it and three said that it would be closer to the high side since it's inside my home and not in the garage.
Tank Water Heater is very conveniently , I truly recommend !!!
If you try to drain the tank you have to open a faucet so it can pull air in from the hot pipe or it will take days to drain
Lift the lever on the pressure relief valve, couldn’t be simpler
Or pop the over pressure valve on the side of the tank and it lets water in right there (use a bucket or hose to catch / direct any water)
I added two die electric connections at the hot & cold pipes . This prevents the flow of ions in the heater . When I replaced the old heater (12 yrs) the anode was still whole .
My Bock oil fired hot water manufactured in February 1980 still running and no leaks. I purge the tank every year
You didn't mention to turn off the heating before draining!
3:18 to 3:45. Try again. Paying attention is a good thing !! -_-
@@motoryzen In that part of the video, he says to turn the _water_ off. The comment from John was about turning off the _heating_ .
Mine leaked all over my garage. It seemed like a lot of work to replace it (plus about $500), so I flushed it and refilled it. It's been working for a couple weeks with no problem. Guess I didn't have a hole in the tank. Not sure what happened, but I'm glad I didn't waste time and money installing a new one.
So your telling me that's what my hot water tank looks like inside??? That's it, I'm going back in time and just heat buckets on the stove and take baths Lol
1998 sears installed our hot water tank in san diego, cal... no leaking yet Haha ... so happy....
I bought my house in 2009, the house was built in 1992 with pretty much no maintenance whatsoever. The first thing I tackled was the water heater, a Rheem 40 gallon power vented natural gas heater with electronic ignition. I oiled the bearings for the power vent motor, drained the unit and flushed it out the best I could. I replaced the anode rod, cleaned the burner and ran the unit for another 7 years. I put a inspection camera in the water heater drain valve and was surprised to see no rust and very little calcium buildup. Later on I replaced it with a 50 gallon Rheem water heater that I got a good deal on. I sold the old water heater for 100 bucks but I could've easily ran that for another 10 years or more. Maintenance can go along way in keeping your water heater going.
water quality is a big factor also....ive seen tanks failures after 6 years in places with poor water quality....seen them last 15 years with no maintenance in places better water...same thing with toilet flappers and fill valves.
This is very true. My house has a Kenmore water heater that is over 30 years old and is still kicking. I live in St. Louis, Missouri and the water quality is perfect.
Good info, thanks. I would’ve never known this before
Water PH probably makes the biggest difference. We have excellent water quality in our city and electric and gas tank water heaters last 20+ years. Run into plenty that are 30 years old.
I try to flush out every year and recently changed the anodes. While the anodes were out I inserted a copper tube with a ball valve connected to my compressor to stir up the bottom so the water would carry the sediment out the drain which also required a few back flushes to clear.
Richard is very knowledgeable person.
If you are on a "good" city water system that has a neutral PH and good clean water the water heater may last 20 or 30 years. When they do fail it's ussually a drip not a catastrophic failure.
Or 1976 to current and still heats perfectly
Australia here. I have some plumbers coming in about 5 days to put in a new electric hot water heater. The old one is made out of copper (it's 50 years old) The only thing wrong with it is a leaking header tank. Looking at how short the life span of current ones are I wonder why the hell I am not just repairing the header tank. How come they don't make them to last longer as they did in the past?
What is a header tank? Is it what we call and expansion tank? If so and if it's the only thing leaking, obviously it's what you'd replace. If you have the strength, it's a very easy DIY job. I just cut off the water and drill a hole in the bottom of the expansion tank to drain the water it contains into a bucket. Otherwise it will be very heavy. Unscrew it and screw a new one on using some teflon tape and pipe dope. All the home stores sell them.
When you build them to last, you don’t sell as many water heaters. Same as cars, appliances, etc.. Built in obsolescence.
Got a 1997 Bradford White electric water heater. It has no anode rod and has been in continuous service on well water. I check it every month. Not changing it until something bad rears it’s head.
3:14 My water heater had that drain. It is straight horrible. I took it off and installed a brass full-flow valve. 1,000 times better.
After watching over 20+ youtube vids this is by far the best & most useful, thank you for loading.
My gosh, the redhead is still so cute with his boyish face!
Also great info.
I use the CorroProtec powered anode rod. Has a 20 year service life, removes rotten egg smell from the hot water (which is caused by the regular anode rod), and works on a different principle. Check out the website and the videos here on yt . Completely removed the stink from the hot water in less than 3 hours. And I don’t to change the anode rod every year or two. Aside from a water softener, my best home purchase.
I have water heaters that say 1977 still running great
You are doing better than me. My Hot Water tank was installed by me in 1989.
Thats probably nasty and Ull save money getting a new more efficient one.
I have learned not to replace to minimize risk to house damage. Too many new tanks are defective, and will fail sooner than the old one would have. The most common is a flawed glass coating on the inside, so it starts to rust right away, and a faulty TP relief valve that lets go while you are sleeping. The latter is a disaster compared to a pin hole leak. The best way to prevent house damage is to flip off the inlet valve when going away for a while. So few do that.
I have a Lochinvar 26 yrs old . I only drained tank maybe 3 times. I'm thinking of getting same one again before this one goes.
I bought my house two years ago. The house was built in 2005 and it had the original water heater which was working just fine. But I replaced it and my HVAC system after I moved in. Items like HVAC systems and water heaters never fail at a good time. They typically fail on a weekend, on a holiday or late at night. Times when getting a technician to come out and either repair or replace these expensive items will cost you more than just an arm and a leg. This is why I decided to ditch my old stuff with brand new items. Something I don't have to worry about failing on me for a long time.....
I love this! I literally grew up watching yall!
I don't understand why UA-cam recommended this to me, it has nothing to do with the thing s I usually watch but I like it. ☺️
My old Reliant water lasted 23 years. It actually was still working but we got a lot of rain and the pilot kept going out and I can get down on my hands and knees to relight the pilot. New Bradford has a igniter button so no more getting matches to light the pilot. The other thing plumber did was spread roofers tar all around the hole that my vent exits to stop water getting inside the metal water heater closet.
Wish they talked about adding insulation to the outside of tank. Bet it helps during those cold months. Even if only a little.
I don’t allow “aggressive water” in my house!
Average life of a water heater is 7-10 years. That said last month I replaced a water heater that was 22 years old. While the diode rod trick may work the best thing I have found on electric water heaters is to raise them up off the floor on two pieces of pressure treated lumber. That includes water heaters in a drain pan. My other water heater is also electric and it’s from 2006 and still cooking. Gas water heaters of course should NOT have combustible material under them.
How about making a video where you replace a standard electric water heater??
My most often criticism of "This Old House" advice is their New England ethnocentrism. They constantly comment based upon the homes built there.
"Do you have a water leak? The first think you need to do is go down to you basement and find the water cutoff valve." It is like they only work on homes that are over 100 years old.
Only 17% of the U.S. lives in the Northeast, while 51% live in the South and West, where there are few basements.
This video did the same thing. "A leaking water heater in the basement is not very bad, but what if it is on the 1st floor."
This was like, "Can you imagine that?"
I live in a city (town) of about 80,000. I would say that most of the homes have their water heaters on the second floor or in the attic.
What would you do then? How do you drain the water heater? What happens if it leaks?
Don't building codes where they are require pans and outside drains? Never mentioned.
What if you aren't in NY or Boston?
I worked, as a firefighter in a nearby city of over 250,000, for 32 years. In all that time, with the 1000s of HOMES I have been in, I never saw one with a basement.
Population stats:
www.census.gov/popclock/data_tables.php?component=growth
Interesting. I live in a large metropolitan area and virtually all the homes with which I'm familiar have water heaters in their basements.
Keyword in “This Old House”:
OLD
NOT “This NEW House”.
My is from 1999 and still working very good
My 1978 Rheem-Ruud is glass lined, still runs like a champ. Most new tanks aren't truly glass lined, they are enameled or ceramic coated.
While I can't speak for other manufacturers ALL AO Smith water heaters and all brand made by them under liscence are glass line.
Wow, that long. Impressive.
I hope you realize that you've jinxed it, though. 😀
@@ephraimgarrett4727 not worried about jinxing because I scope and flush it regularly.
@@rotaryenginepete Wow! You're really serious about it. It'll probably last forever, then. 👍
@@ephraimgarrett4727 I don't expect it will last forever, but I do plan to get the most possible out of it.
Once a year I flush any sediment from my tank. It's never alot but you definitely see the little pieces flush out. Was installed in the beginning of 2004 and 2021 still going strong.
@m rapacki what for? Its inside the house away from the elements. I flush every year and its still piping hot.
@m rapacki i understand that for sure but I see no point in throwing away a perfectly running heater. No rust, never even had an element that needed replacing,. Ill definitely keep an eye on it though because I wouldn’t want it bursting and flooding.
2023 - 20th year and still going 😅
I have a picture of a 1965 a.o. smith gas water heater still going.... not banging or clanging either..... I'm a plumber and when I saw that blew my mind!!!! I talked to a.o. smith sent them a picture.... they contacted them and when it goes out they will replace it with any kind of water heater they want for free.... as long as they give the old one to them....... that water heater has made it threw 6 solftners
Another great video guys. I live in the country, so I have hard water. My gas heater is 9 years old now. I have had no problems with it at all. Is it too late to change the anoid rod. And If I do change the rod what are the chances that I might screw up the old rod to the point that I have to change the tank because the threads on the rod are bad? Thanks for all your videos and the TV shows. I try to watch them all.
I have a timer on my hot water heater and it comes on 6 am to 10 am and 4 pm to 8 pm--8 hours a day and does this prolong the life of a hot water heater? Just curious.
@@brucetingle770 That's a cool idea. I never saw a timer for 210 volt wire.
I'm living with a 27-year-old water heater that is still working fine. That 12-year estimate is cringe.
A lot of times when I'm changing out a water heater the shut-off valve has been there the same amount of time or even longer than the Crusty water heater I prefer to shut off the main unless the homeowner is prepared to pay for a new shut-off valve replacement a lot of times after you shut them off and turn them back on they start leaking like my boy said because nobody ever flushes them I do love this show you guys are so cool and know so much and break it down so we can all understand it's great🔨🔧🛁🚿🚽💡🔑🚪🏠
My GE gas tank is 19 years old, and still going strong. Never changed an anode. Drained maybe every three or four years. Unfortunately, GE no longer makes water heaters.
I do nothing to "maintain" mine. About 35 yo now and working well. Just replaced the thermocouple...5 min job.
Word of advice: Check your TPR valve once a year or so to be sure it functions.
This is important. A faulty TPR valve is when you can get into explosion territory.
So you do maintain it.
@@jshepard152 I don't flush it and have never replaced the anode because it's also the dip tube. I'd call replacing a thermocouple a repair.
Good video, thanks. My 7 year old electric water heater has never been drained. Had a plumber in for another job and asked him to drain it for me. He said not to touch it, since it's been so long. He said it would cause more problems than leaving it alone. Is he right?