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Plumbers / Water Heaters....

Zooberwerx

Zooberwerx

Gold Supporting Member
Dec 21, 2002
23,300
28,071
68
Virginia Beach, VA
#1
Not looking for a diagnosis, just some guidance as I pursue a repair on a 9 y.o. electric unit:

*Inexplicably, water temperature suddenly increased sharply...kicked safety switch.

*Re-set switch and unit functions but, again, kicks safety within a day or so.

I've seen both a faulty thermostat and lower corroded element (!) suggested. In your experience(s), what is the more likely culprit?

Thanks / Riis
 
#3
Sooo... I'm not the only one here experiencing the "Joys of Plumbing" lately. Sorry to hear that. Hoping to get a few more years out of my water heater, but it's got to be full of scale and hard water sludge that needs to be dredged out.
 
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#4
Al T. said:
Thermostat seems more likely. License #2710056935.
Click to expand...

Greatly appreciated! This side of real diagnostics, I've seen two different explanations, including:

*Today's thermostats are pretty good and generally don't fail. I can neither confirm nor deny.

*Sediment settles towards the lower element causing corrosion which "shunts" 110 to ground even when the thermostat has shut-down. Again, beyond my realm.

Good news is my neighbor is a plumber and will do virtually ANY repair for a buck fifty and parts.

Riis
 
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#8
bholder said:
Sooo... I'm not the only one here experiencing the "Joys of Plumbing" lately. Sorry to hear that. Hoping to get a few more years out of my water heater, but it's got to be full of scale and hard water sludge that needs to be dredged out.
Click to expand...

Are you on well water or city water?
 
#11
Ostie said:
It’s a good idea to drain off a few gallons once a year or so, especially in areas with hard water.
Click to expand...
I've been watching youtube videos - it'll take more than a few gallons - maybe 10-15 minutes of running full blast into the back yard until it clears - it's been years since I did it, and most of those years without a working softener. I got a larger softener than I really need, I've always believed in overkill. :D
 
#12
bholder said:
I've been watching youtube videos - it'll take more than a few gallons - maybe 10-15 minutes of running full blast into the back yard until it clears - it's been years since I did it, and most of those years without a working softener. I got a larger softener than I really need, I've always believed in overkill. :D
Click to expand...
I’m lucky enough to live in an area with very good water supplied by a public utility. Good enough to drink straight from the tap. I despise bottled water. It’s a scourge upon the earth, but I get it that sone people aren’t as lucky as I am. I don’t mind the water, it’s the plastic bottles that are a scourge.
 
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#13
Ostie said:
I’m lucky enough to live in an area with very good water supplied by a public utility. Good enough to drink straight from the tap. I despise bottled water. It’s a scourge upon the earth, but I get it that sone people aren’t as lucky as I am. I don’t mind the water, it’s the plastic bottles that are a scourge.
Click to expand...
I'm with you on that. Plastic is Evil. But there's something wrong with the water, inside, too - at least, some of the big name brands, Dasani and the like - they've been "doped" to fit a "flavor profile" - I really dislike that. If bottled is all that's available, I'll take Poland Spring or whatever filtered spring water, and skip the chemicalized big name "waterade" crap.
 
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#14
Follow-up: I firmly embrace two concepts: (1) I like to see stuff "broken" (2) s*** that's truly broken doesn't repair itself.

As luck would have it, I've witnessed no further episodes of potential thermal "runaways" with thermal safety activation. To be on the safe side, I spritzed it with some holy water from the Lourdes Grotto.

Riis
 
#15
If you want to save money in the long run, not waiting for fully broken can help. Triply so if you have a neighborly plumber.

Have you flushed it in memory? Have you changed the anode rod in memory? A heating element is not a particularly expensive part. If you've got one shorting to ground it will do a number on your tank, and that is an expensive part, since it's a whole new water heater at that point.
 
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#16
T_Bone_TL said:
If you want to save money in the long run, not waiting for fully broken can help. Triply so if you have a neighborly plumber.

Have you flushed it in memory? Have you changed the anode rod in memory? A heating element is not a particularly expensive part. If you've got one shorting to ground it will do a number on your tank, and that is an expensive part, since it's a whole new water heater at that point.
Click to expand...

Never changed anything and hasn't been flushed. I read about the short being a suspect.

Riis
 
#17
Two new 'stats, top (135) & bottom (140). Never realized the safety switch was a surface>surface interface. 2 bills and, hopefully, that will hold things together for a few more years. Thanks for all the assistance and Happy Thanksgiving!

Riis
 

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