I have noticed for the past couple of months that on occasion when filling the bathtub, the water looks rusty. This brownish color does not happen every time the bathtub is filled, but is now happening more often. Is this a sign that my hot water heater is on the way out? A friend once told me that if you drain the tank on the heater a let it set for 24 hours and refill, the water coloration will stop. Have any of you guys experienced this before? A new heater is a sizable expense so I would appreciate any advise before moving forward.
Hot water heater
- Thread starter drivewaytech
- Start date
- Status
When my house did that it was because of rusty 30 year old pipes. are your pipes copper or iron?
no need to drain the entire water heater. draining a few gallons out of the drain is going to remove any sediment that is possible to remove. does your water heater rumble?
no need to drain the entire water heater. draining a few gallons out of the drain is going to remove any sediment that is possible to remove. does your water heater rumble?
You should completely drain the water heater a couple of times.
My house, along with the heater, is around 15 years old. The pipes in my house are copper so I don't think they are contributing to the rust. This does not happen when filling a pot or the tub with cold water, so that is what leads me to the hot water heater. Would draining a few gallons from the heater be any different than using the hot water? A couple loads of laundry and cycle of the dishwasher surely uses 5 or 6 gallons, or is it an issue of draining with the inlet valve to the tank turned off?
I will try draining the heater this weekend and then refilling. I'm sure it couldn't hurt anything.
Whenever i quickly open the hot water, i will sometimes get a rush of yellowy water.Try quickly opening the valve at the bottom of your heater,see if that helps.You can also get a tankless water heater. It'll pay for itself in a year or 2. Go to Lowe's or Home Cheapo.
The water "out" to your house comes out of a higher location in the tank then the tank drain. It is designed this way on purpose so that sediment can sit in the bottom and not get sucked into the house's plumbing.
I like to shut off the cold water, open the drain, then open the hot water on a faucet inside. that way you don't get lots of turbulent cold water coming in and putting the solids back into solution. run the drain hose into a bucket and see what you get out.
Pull your anode rod out and inspect it also. it's probably completely gone and that's why rust has occurred in the tank. it's an ignored maintenance item that keeps the tank from rusting.
more then likely you are due for a new water heater. 15 years is a long life for a water heater.
I like to shut off the cold water, open the drain, then open the hot water on a faucet inside. that way you don't get lots of turbulent cold water coming in and putting the solids back into solution. run the drain hose into a bucket and see what you get out.
Pull your anode rod out and inspect it also. it's probably completely gone and that's why rust has occurred in the tank. it's an ignored maintenance item that keeps the tank from rusting.
more then likely you are due for a new water heater. 15 years is a long life for a water heater.
be very careful with tankless water heaters, they require make up air for combustion and thats a very important part of keeping yourself and your family safe
Try filling the tub with cold water only and see if it gets rusty.
Thanks for the replies gentlemen. I have filled the tub a quarter full with cold water in the past and it was very clear. Tankless is the way to go, but not in the budget now. I need to try and find a diagram online showing the inside of a water heater, never serviced on before. Hopefully pulling the anode rod is not a very difficult task. Hopefully I can stretch a couple more years out of this unit, although the one in my parents house was still working perfectly after 22 years. it's likely still working fine. Don't make them like they used to.
Ummm... sometimes when you drain the hot water heater, especially when it hasn't been drained before (or drained in many years) will end up leaking when all of the sediment inside is removed.
Just in case, you might be replacing it sooner than you ever bargained for.
Just in case, you might be replacing it sooner than you ever bargained for.
You can buy a tankless water heater on ebay, most big time sellers ship them next day fedex for free.
The expense is having a 220 line installed (thats what the heater takes, in addition to running it to a gas line).
The expense is having a 220 line installed (thats what the heater takes, in addition to running it to a gas line).
Again, I may drain the tank this weekend and post the results. Of coarse this depends on what is left in the checking account after all the bill collectors get their piece of the pie. After reading mrsilv04's post, I am somewhat leary of doing anything. Then again, how could sediment hold water?
It's very uncommon for a hot water heater to leak after it is drained for the first time in years (or ever), but it does occasionally happen.
Look at it this way, you're not happy with it now. Odds are, you'll drain it out and flush some water through it and all turns out fine. However, it could begin to leak.
Look at it this way, you're not happy with it now. Odds are, you'll drain it out and flush some water through it and all turns out fine. However, it could begin to leak.
DO IT DO IT DO IT!! wer'e all curious to see if it'll leak or not. bets anyone? 
Originally Posted By: drivewaytech
I need to try and find a diagram online showing the inside of a water heater, never serviced on before. Hopefully pulling the anode rod is not a very difficult task.
http://www.waterheaterrescue.com/index.html
http://www.howstuffworks.com/water-heater.htm
Those two links should tell you anything you need to know.
Remember, regularly flushing your water heater is normal routine maintenance, like changing your oil...
I need to try and find a diagram online showing the inside of a water heater, never serviced on before. Hopefully pulling the anode rod is not a very difficult task.
http://www.waterheaterrescue.com/index.html
http://www.howstuffworks.com/water-heater.htm
Those two links should tell you anything you need to know.
Remember, regularly flushing your water heater is normal routine maintenance, like changing your oil...
Oh. And 15 years is excellent life for a water heater. My water quality is so bad that even with monthly flushing, I still can't get a heater to last 3 years without leaking. The bad part is that my heater is located in the bathroom so when it leaks it trashes the floor. So far they are still honoring the warranty after 2 replacements.
If it was my house, I would replace a 15 year old water heater ASAP!
Kestas
Staff member
I just recently replaced a water heater in my mother's house that was in service since 1965 before it blew. That's 43 years of service!!
I wanted to replace it 15 years ago as a preventive measure when the folks were out to Florida. The furnace guy talked me out of it, saying they were built better back then and would probably outlast anything I replaced it with. He was close!
My neighbor still has his original water heater.
I wanted to replace it 15 years ago as a preventive measure when the folks were out to Florida. The furnace guy talked me out of it, saying they were built better back then and would probably outlast anything I replaced it with. He was close!
My neighbor still has his original water heater.
My water heater rumble for 2 years since I owned the house, and finally decided to flush it by shutting the gas and cold water, open the hot water in the tap, and then open up the drain on the water heater. Took almost 2 hours to drain it all somehow, and nothing spectacular came out.
When refilling with water, I use the pressure relief valve to drain out some extra water, and I think this stopped the rumbling.
Rusty water is gone after 1 shower, and is happy with it so far. It is 14 years old and still going strong. But then again, I am using the lowest temp setting for summer and 2nd lowest for winter, that might help.
When refilling with water, I use the pressure relief valve to drain out some extra water, and I think this stopped the rumbling.
Rusty water is gone after 1 shower, and is happy with it so far. It is 14 years old and still going strong. But then again, I am using the lowest temp setting for summer and 2nd lowest for winter, that might help.
- Status
