Hot H20 Tank Issues

[bowhunter1023]

I've had a cantankerous hot water tank for over a year now. When we moved in, it was awesome. Over time it started blowing the pressure relief valve fairly often. I talked to Hoyt last year and he walked me through some troubleshooting. Ended up replacing the inline expansion tank and the PRV on the tank. It was fine for a while, but soon went back to popping the PRV with regularity. The overall volume of hot water also seems to be less. I'm thinking I might have some sediment build up as we have notoriously hard water here.

Looking for some guidance here. Anyone else have similar issues? Could it just be a faulty PRV? What does a new tank run installed?

 

["J"]

Have you flushed your tank? Open the valve at the bottom and drained some out? Is it a gas or electric?

 

[bowhunter1023]

I did a year ago when I replaced the PRV and expansion tank. It is gas.

 

["J"]

Just thinking virtual lol.... Therma couple ever been changed? That ignites and cuts the burner out when it reaches temperature? Correct? If it doesn't it'll pop the thermal relief valve.....

Also, once tripped the thermal relief valve pops off a little easier each time....

 

[bowhunter1023]

Not to my knowledge, but that makes sense.

Thinking I may drain, flush and replace the PRV again. They are only $13 for my tank.

 

["J"]

Steve can chime in, he's more the pro than I but for the cost of a therma couple I'd try that one as well....

 

["J"]

Jesse does your expansion tank have a gauge too show if the air press is still good?

 

[bowhunter1023]

No. You can hook one to it. Steve told me how to test the bladder to see if it had ruptured, but you'd need a gauge to screw on there to test pressure.

 

["J"]

Might have low or no air in there as well.... I'd start there too rule that out.....

 

[Hoytmania]

Jesse, sorry I didn't see this sooner. It figures thebcoldest week of winter so far and that's when I'm on call. The earliest I've made it home this week was 8:30.

Did you get much sediment when you drained your tank last year? Does your tank have a plastic or brass drain? I have personally never heard of sediment causing the PRV to pop. Once they blow they do blow easier every time. Nature of the beast.

As far as a new tank. Installed could be anywhere from $700-$1000 depending on the market that you live in. I would go to Lowes and get a Richmond. It is the exact same thing and also manufactured by Rheem, which is a solid tank. You could do it yourself easy enough, and I'd be more than happy to walk you through the installation. That will save you a few bills.

If you are thinking about doing it, do it soon. The regulations on water heaters are changing this year (thanks Obama)and the prices are going to increase substantially. For any of you out there that have 80 gallon electics, watch out! You won't be able to get them anymore. At least without a heat pump on the top of it. Which is going to make the normal cost of replacement on that type of tank almost triple.

J thermocouple is nothing more than a safety to shut off the pilot portion of the gas valve if the pilot light gets blown out. That way it isn't just dumping raw gas into the burner chamber. It really has zilch to do with the PRV.

 

[xbowguy]

To co-sign Steve's recommendation: I am not a plumber by far Jesse.....but I felt my way through a water tank exchange and it was pretty much harmless and easy as they said. Main thing is to measure the length of your tank and try to get one the same.

 

[RedCloud]

If I can swap out a gas water tank then just about anybody can do it.

What is the temp set at on the dial Jesse? If you have the temp set to high the water in the tank heats up and expands causing the prv to pop.

 

[Schu72]

Go to tankless system. Best invention ever.

 

[bowhunter1023]

If I can swap out a gas water tank then just about anybody can do it.

What is the temp set at on the dial Jesse? If you have the temp set to high the water in the tank heats up and expands causing the prv to pop.

9 out of 10. If I turn it down much more, we don't have enough hot water to get us through dishes and a couple shower in the evening. Never had that problem before.

Go to tankless system. Best invention ever.

Agreed. But I'm not putting that kind of money in this house. We won't be here in another 2-5 years.

 

[Buckmaster]

Agreed. But I'm not putting that kind of money in this house. We won't be here in another 2-5 years.

Go with a Kinectico Water Softener system ($3.6K) and a whole house tankless water tank (about $1K) on your next home. No regrets.

 

[RedCloud]

9 out of 10. If I turn it down much more, we don't have enough hot water to get us through dishes and a couple shower in the evening. Never had that problem before.



Agreed. But I'm not putting that kind of money in this house. We won't be here in another 2-5 years.

Might want to check into the heating element? If you can put the temp on 9 and you have enough hot water for that stuff then your tank should be big enough. If you turn it down to an 8 or 7 and you run out of hot water then I would say something is not right with the heating element. Plus, with the little one around the house now you might want to turn that temp down some anyway just because of the scolding factor?

I'm not an expert on anything but just tossing out some idea here lol. I will go back and refresh on the old thread. I remember the tank issue before but the details and my memory are a little lacking lol.

 

[bowhunter1023]

If/When we build, that is the plan.

 

[RedCloud]

Might want to check into the heating element? If you can put the temp on 9 and you have enough hot water for that stuff then your tank should be big enough. If you turn it down to an 8 or 7 and you run out of hot water then I would say something is not right with the heating element. Plus, with the little one around the house now you might want to turn that temp down some anyway just because of the scolding factor?

I'm not an expert on anything but just tossing out some idea here lol. I will go back and refresh on the old thread. I remember the tank issue before but the details and my memory are a little lacking lol.

After re-reading and thinking about it, I'm pretty sure I'm wrong. If your turning that to 9 to have enough hot water then your heating the entire tank of water and causing the prv to pop. The tank shouldn't be fully heated. There should be some room left in the tank with cold/cooler water to circulate to keep pressure down and still give you enough hot water for your needs. You might need a bigger tank.

 

[bowhunter1023]

That was why I thought sediment could be part of the issue. Build up in the bottom would diminish capacity, thereby limiting availability.

 

[Joel]

Save your self the headache now and down the road by getting a new tank. Draining it and trying to repair it is going to be about the same amount of work as replacing the whole tank. Spend half a day fixing it to save a few bucks then do it all over again in a couple months or get a new tank and forgot about it for a few years.