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+--- Thread: I'm pretty sure my hot water heater just quit. Replacement suggestions? (/showthread.php?tid=130587)
Re: I'm pretty sure my hot water heater just quit. Replacement suggestions? - davester - 01-18-2012
There's something wrong with this thread. No grammar police have shown up to moan about "hot water heater".
Re: I'm pretty sure my hot water heater just quit. Replacement suggestions? - rgG - 01-18-2012
macphanatic wrote:
It might be an issue with the thermocouple. If it's a Whirlpool model, there have been a slew of problems with their thermocouples and one of the reasons that I trashed a 2 yr old model and replaced it with a GE. (Do a google search for the issues and Whirlpool's crappy response to a design issue).
Had that issue just last week. My Whirlpool worked fine for 8.5 years then the thermocouple burned out last week. It is a thermocouple that is no longer manufactured, so I had to call Whirlpool to get a replacement part. They sent out a whole new burner assembly, with a new resettable thermocouple built-in. I had to remover the old burner assembly, remove the burner and then attach it to the new assembly and then put that back into the water heater. Luckily we have a second water heater, so being without this one for a couple of days wasn't as bad as it could have been. The water heater is a 12 year warranty one, so the new part was free. They were supposed to charge me for the overnight shipping, according to one customer service rep, but when I called back to order the part, the new rep didn't mention a charge, and I was smart enough not to bring it up, so the shipping and part were free. The disassembly and reassembly were somewhat of a pain, but I saved about $250, which is what the plumber quoted.
I would have loved to have gotten a tankless water heater, but they are between $1,500 and $2,000 installed, and that doesn't included any additional for new flue and venting, if you need that and most likely you will. A new regular water heater was going to be about $450 for the water heater and about that to have it installed because of all the codes and permits and such. Obviously if you could install it yourself, you could save a lot of money.
Re: I'm pretty sure my hot water heater just quit. Replacement suggestions? - davester - 01-18-2012
deckeda wrote:
Mine's as old as the house, 18 years. Looks fine but I'm afraid to do anything "preventative" such as swap out the drain valve or replace the sacrificial anode. My pessimistic side says that one or both of those wouldn't come out cleanly and I'd ruin the tank attempting to do so. Shortly following that would be, "Why the fsck did you go messing with the WH, when it was working fine??" It's not my abilities I fear, but the tank's to stand up to some simple wrench turning.
The problem with that approach is that it's doomed to failure. If you don't change the anode, the WH WILL fail, possibly catastrophically. I understand your not wanting to mess with it, but why not get a plumber out there to do the work and then if it fails at that time you'll be prepared to install another. If he pulls the anode and you still have material left on it then you'll know that you're home free for perhaps another 18 years.
Re: I'm pretty sure my hot water heater just quit. Replacement suggestions? - rgG - 01-18-2012
deckeda wrote:
re-light it. You'll want hot water later today or tonight. Maybe tomorrow!
Try to determine if the leak is snuffing the pilot (shouldn't be, but who knows.) If you can't determine it and the pilot goes out again (barring anything obvious such as the wind blocker, which is presumably still in-place) then call a tech.
What happens next depends largely on the tech and who he works for --- just like with calling out someone for A/C repair. Some techs won't want to fix a fixable WH, even if all it needs is a new gas valve or sacrificial anode. "It's 'old,' they don't long, get a new one."
*********************
Mine's as old as the house, 18 years. Looks fine but I'm afraid to do anything "preventative" such as swap out the drain valve or replace the sacrificial anode. My pessimistic side says that one or both of those wouldn't come out cleanly and I'd ruin the tank attempting to do so. Shortly following that would be, "Why the fsck did you go messing with the WH, when it was working fine??" It's not my abilities I fear, but the tank's to stand up to some simple wrench turning.
Get one of those cheap little water detectors that put out a piercing alarm if they detect water. I have one right next to both my water heaters. It won't stop a leak, but it will give you an audible alarm as soon as it happens.
Re: I'm pretty sure my hot water heater just quit. Replacement suggestions? - M A V I C - 01-18-2012
Sadly, my shoulder prevents me from even getting close to the thing. My wife said the area around the pilot light was really rusted. I know the doors were put back on properly, 'cause I'm the one that did that. There is a bunch of rust colored discoloration on the side of the heater from the pilot light area that wasn't there a few months back.
It would be easy to diagnose why the light is going out... if I could get to it.
*sigh*
I don't know a good plumber. It's a GE, 6yr warranty, 8.5yrs old.
*sigh*
I hear what several you are saying about repairing it, but since I can't get to it - and even if I could, I can't get near the pilot light without putting too much stress on my arm - I think I'm just going to get it replaced.
I'm not going tankless. I don't see the advantage. We pay about $30/mo for gas for the water heater and the furnace. Spending a few thousand extra to save $5/mo doesn't seem worth it. Plus I read they often don't kick on for the first 0.9gal that go through them... is that normal? Anyway, $4600 (thus far) ER bill + doctors visits + physical therapy + repairing water damage from neighbor = enough as it is.
Re: I'm pretty sure my hot water heater just quit. Replacement suggestions? - Black - 01-18-2012
davester wrote:
[quote=deckeda]
Mine's as old as the house, 18 years. Looks fine but I'm afraid to do anything "preventative" such as swap out the drain valve or replace the sacrificial anode. My pessimistic side says that one or both of those wouldn't come out cleanly and I'd ruin the tank attempting to do so. Shortly following that would be, "Why the fsck did you go messing with the WH, when it was working fine??" It's not my abilities I fear, but the tank's to stand up to some simple wrench turning.
The problem with that approach is that it's doomed to failure. If you don't change the anode, the WH WILL fail, possibly catastrophically. I understand your not wanting to mess with it, but why not get a plumber out there to do the work and then if it fails at that time you'll be prepared to install another. If he pulls the anode and you still have material left on it then you'll know that you're home free for perhaps another 18 years.
I don't get the "just get a plumber out" thing-- not that easy for working people to schedule visits like this, and what is that-- $100 for a visit just for someone to tell you it's not worth replacing?
Re: I'm pretty sure my hot water heater just quit. Replacement suggestions? - rgG - 01-18-2012
With what you just said, I think replacing it is the best bet.
Re: I'm pretty sure my hot water heater just quit. Replacement suggestions? - Black - 01-18-2012
If I lived closeby, I'd help you, but I don't, so-- what RGG said.
Re: I'm pretty sure my hot water heater just quit. Replacement suggestions? - deckeda - 01-18-2012
M A V I C, it sure sounds like water is leaking and snuffing out the pilot.
OK now back to my threadjack!
davester wrote:
... why not get a plumber out there to do the work and then if it fails at that time you'll be prepared to install another. If he pulls the anode and you still have material left on it then you'll know that you're home free for perhaps another 18 years.
Right, right. I wasn't going to mess with it myself until I was prepared for the worst, regardless of who did the work. But I have a question, if you yank the anode and it's say, partially eaten (which I would expect?) wouldn't you just replace it anyway?
Re: I'm pretty sure my hot water heater just quit. Replacement suggestions? - deckeda - 01-18-2012
Black wrote:
I don't get the "just get a plumber out" thing-- not that easy for working people to schedule visits like this, and what is that-- $100 for a visit just for someone to tell you it's not worth replacing?
Hold on, this is the part where mattkime says, "Black is to owning multiple water heaters as davester is to money."