From HVAC to Hot water heater.....6 yr old house and it all falls apart

[2K2 LS1]

Ok so after getting the heat squared away after work yesterday; my wife notices the water is lukewarm when trying to wash dishes. I go check the heater and it definitely has water going to it, as you can hear it faintly through the heater. I check the reset button for the element and it's not tripped. I let it re-heat overnight and get up to take a shower this morning. The water wasn't HOT; but it was warm enough to take a quick shower and get out. My daughter and wife out pissed they can't take their normal half hour steamy showers to get ready this morning.

Does warm but not hot water mean the hot water heater is completely trash; or could it mean there is a lot of sediment in the bottom preventing it from heating properly?

[Tyrone Biggums]

Is it gas or electric?

[8mpg]

Not sediment. I would guess thermostat or heating element taking a dump

[2K2 LS1]

Is it gas or electric?

My bad electric......


8mpg My thought is that after reading some google searches just now. Looks like I will be draining that bad boy and changing it out tomorrow. So glad it is threaded connections on this one and not sweated on!

[2K2 LS1]

Another question:

When I swap them out; is it worth putting an insulated hot water heater blanket on the new one?

[Tyrone Biggums]

My bad electric......


8mpg My thought is that after reading some google searches just now. Looks like I will be draining that bad boy and changing it out tomorrow. So glad it is threaded connections on this one and not sweated on!

Check this website out before you buy a new one. Tons of great information here.

http://waterheatertimer.org/How-to-troubleshoot-electric-problems-with-water-heater.html

I just went through a similar situation with mine and it turned out my lower element was dead. The heater has two elements. The upper gives you (almost) immediate hot water from the top of the tank and the lower takes care of the rest. If it's only lukewarm, I'm going to bet either the upper element is out or the thermostat for it is out. These are easy to test and fix. Home Depot and Lowes sell the elements and thermostats for about $20 each. Test them as outlined in the link above, and if it's the element, make sure to look at the wattage rating of your elements. This is listed on the side of the tank and on the element base itself. Instead having to go through all headaches of replacement, I fixed mine for $40.

[2K2 LS1]

Check this website out before you buy a new one. Tons of great information here.

http://waterheatertimer.org/How-to-troubleshoot-electric-problems-with-water-heater.html

I just went through a similar situation with mine and it turned out my lower element was dead. The heater has two elements. The upper gives you (almost) immediate hot water from the top of the tank and the lower takes care of the rest. If it's only lukewarm, I'm going to bet either the upper element is out or the thermostat for it is out. These are easy to test and fix. Home Depot and Lowes sell the elements and thermostats for about $20 each. Test them as outlined in the link above, and if it's the element, make sure to look at the wattage rating of your elements. This is listed on the side of the tank and on the element base itself. Instead having to go through all headaches of replacement, I fixed mine for $40.

Would I be better off replacing a 6 year old unit if we are at 6 years to the month from when it was installed? I mean how much time would I be getting out of the unit if i replace the element and t-stat? Is the tank itself already pretty rusted out by now or would I benefit form trying to just replace the parts at this time?

[2K2 LS1]

Is there such thing as a single element 50 gallon electric hot water heater? When I looked last night there was only one t stat and that was behind the bottom panel. Nothing behind the top one but a wire leading down....

[2K2 LS1]

http://www.pexsupply.com/Bradford-White-M-2-50T6DS-50-Gallon-Energy-Saver-Electric-Residential-Water-Heater

this is the brand we have. I see it does come in a single element 50 gallon.

[Tyrone Biggums]

Would I be better off replacing a 6 year old unit if we are at 6 years to the month from when it was installed? I mean how much time would I be getting out of the unit if i replace the element and t-stat? Is the tank itself already pretty rusted out by now or would I benefit form trying to just replace the parts at this time?

The unit itself will last a long time, it's the elements and thermostats that go out and those are cheap to replace. My heater is at least 8 years old and it had a fair amount of sediment in the bottom of it (absolutely no rust), but when I replaced the lower element, I rigged some hoses up to my wet/vac and sucked a lot of it out. The key is to drain the tank yearly from the time it's new. The longer sediment builds on the bottom of the tank, it compounds upon itself making larger pieces of sediment that are harder to drain out. In our case, now that we can only get so much of the sediment out, we need to keep draining once a year to keep the build up away from the lower element and pick up tube.

So, I would just fix what's wrong. Your current element/stat lasted over six years, so $40 in parts and couple hours of your time for six more years or $600-$700 for a new unit and maybe 6-7 years until something on it goes out.

[Venom]

The unit itself will last a long time, it's the elements and thermostats that go out and those are cheap to replace. My heater is at least 8 years old and it had a fair amount of sediment in the bottom of it (absolutely no rust), but when I replaced the lower element, I rigged some hoses up to my wet/vac and sucked a lot of it out. The key is to drain the tank yearly from the time it's new. The longer sediment builds on the bottom of the tank, it compounds upon itself making larger pieces of sediment that are harder to drain out. In our case, now that we can only get so much of the sediment out, we need to keep draining once a year to keep the build up away from the lower element and pick up tube.

So, I would just fix what's wrong. Your current element/stat lasted over six years, so $40 in parts and couple hours of your time for six more years or $600-$700 for a new unit and maybe 6-7 years until something on it goes out.

This. A hot water heater is just a tank, heating elements and thermostat. Just start with the small stuff and work your way up. Where is the heater at? What is the thermostat set on? If it's in a garage and the weather is cold out its going to have an effect on the temperature if you don't have a blanket on it. In my professional Bob Villa opinion it's probably the element going out.

[2K2 LS1]

I called the local plumbing and electrical supply house and talked to them. Small town(Crandall) guys. They said same thing; however recommended I drain the unit and see how much sediment and or debris comes out. They said the community I live in get's it water from Mesquite and that the water is pretty harsh and full of chemicals and iron by the time it reaches us and reaks havoc on the hot water heaters and other plumbing in our neighborhood. They have seem a lot of people with the same issue-first phase of our neighborhood, and most of them have the same unit.


I think I will spend the extra $200 to get upgrade to the new dual element instead of trying to nickel and time the one I have; especially since they recommend flushing the unit once a year and I have yet to do this in the 6 years since we first moved in.

[Tyrone Biggums]

I called the local plumbing and electrical supply house and talked to them. Small town(Crandall) guys. They said same thing; however recommended I drain the unit and see how much sediment and or debris comes out. They said the community I live in get's it water from Mesquite and that the water is pretty harsh and full of chemicals and iron by the time it reaches us and reaks havoc on the hot water heaters and other plumbing in our neighborhood. They have seem a lot of people with the same issue-first phase of our neighborhood, and most of them have the same unit.


I think I will spend the extra $200 to get upgrade to the new dual element instead of trying to nickel and time the one I have; especially since they recommend flushing the unit once a year and I have yet to do this in the 6 years since we first moved in.

If you're going to replace it, definitely go dual element. A single element 50 gallon makes no sense to me. Drain the new one regularly! (After cutting the power to it, of course)

[2K2 LS1]

If you're going to replace it, definitely go dual element. A single element 50 gallon makes no sense to me. Drain the new one regularly!

For sure man!

Any value at a scrap yard in a used hot water heater?

[2K2 LS1]

Also I was quoted on a Bradford White. Are these any better/same/worse than sau a GE brand?