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11-30-2008, 04:15 PM
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#1
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Registered User
Trade:
Carpentry Contractor
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: SW Florida
Posts: 3
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Water Heater noises & air sputtering at faucets
My 40 gallon electric water heater is at least 8 years old and it’s on a well. For about 2 months I have been unplugging the water heater between uses to conserve energy. About a week ago it started making unusual noises and air sputtering out the faucets only on the hot water side.
A note I have on the water heater said it’s been 2 years since I drained it last. So I left the cold water valve on and the electricity on and flushed out the tank for about 5 minutes into a bucket. I did get about 3 tablespoons of scale out of it. Although there was hot water coming out of the other faucets and the hot water pipe coming out of the top of the tank was quite warm, there was only cold water coming out of the drain valve from start to finish.
I noticed the upper and lower thermostats were set at 100 degrees, not on the factory mark of 125 degrees. So I adjusted the upper one first, back and forth, I could hear it turning off and on. But when I tried adjusting the lower one it was silent. I even pushed the reset button a couple of times but didn’t help.
I reset the thermostats to 90 degrees, the lower one still shows no sign of life. There are no unusual sounds from the water heater or sputtering from the faucets now, but the water is only warm, not hot.
Any suggestions?
Rudd Water Heater
Ruddglass
Pacemaker
Ser. # RU 0996B37136
Model PEH 40-2
240 volts
Thanks in advance
Larry
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11-30-2008, 04:20 PM
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#2
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Sean
Trade:
General Contractor
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: Cullman, AL
Posts: 3,418
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Call a plumber to replace it
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11-30-2008, 05:16 PM
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#3
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Pro Plumber
Trade:
Plumber
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: Oregon
Posts: 2,749
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Replace the stats and elements, that will fix it.
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11-30-2008, 10:48 PM
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#4
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#1 stunner
Trade:
Design/Build
Join Date: Nov 2008
Posts: 323
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If you are worried about conserving energy and it is time to replace your old hot water heater then I would recommend a tankless setup. Much more efficient. It sounds to me it's worn out, or you damaged the hot water heater by leaving the electricity on while draining the tank.
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12-01-2008, 08:38 AM
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#5
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Registered User
Trade:
Carpentry Contractor
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: SW Florida
Posts: 3
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Thanks Ron The Plumber! I think your advice confirms my suspicions, I’ll give it a go.
Full Spool, I said I flushed the tank not drained it so I don’t think I caused any further damage, thanks anyway.
SLSTech, I don’t think throwing “the baby out with the check book” is the answer, but thanks.
Larry
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12-01-2008, 07:39 PM
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#6
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the pipe master
Trade:
plumbing, solar
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: Central, Fl
Posts: 323
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About how much energy will be saved by switching a 12 year old 40 gallon electric tanked heater to an electric tankless and what would the payoff date for something like that be? (I know the answer, I'm just testing you since you made the recommendation)
Quote:
Originally Posted by Full Spool
If you are worried about conserving energy and it is time to replace your old hot water heater then I would recommend a tankless setup. Much more efficient. It sounds to me it's worn out, or you damaged the hot water heater by leaving the electricity on while draining the tank.
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12-01-2008, 07:41 PM
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#7
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the pipe master
Trade:
plumbing, solar
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: Central, Fl
Posts: 323
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Larry, have you performed an electrical diagnostic yet? Have you checked the anode?
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12-02-2008, 07:17 PM
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#8
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Registered User
Trade:
Carpentry Contractor
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: SW Florida
Posts: 3
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Well, this morning I called Home Depot and spoke with a plumber/salesman to see if they had the parts I needed. After explaining the situation, he said the upper thermostat sounds like the problem. So I took the bait, spent $12 and some change, changed out that part and bleed the lines of air.
After running the Dishwasher and later taking a shower, everything worked like a brand-new system, plenty of hot water, no unusual sounds and no sputtering, Life is Good!
Protechplumbing, thanks for the advice on the anode, Home Depot didn’t have one and the plumbing supply store is across town, I didn’t pull it to see its condition, but that’s next.
Thanks
Larry
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01-03-2009, 05:24 PM
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#9
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Registered User
Trade:
Plumber/Gasfitter
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: Cold Lake, AB Canada
Posts: 3
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Hey Larry. What part of the country do you live in? I have seen the same symptoms here in Alberta and it is caused by gases trapped in the water getting released when the water is heated. Sometimes it is possible to ignite the gasses coming out of the tap. Could possibly be H2S or Methane depending on where you live. We see it more on well water here.
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01-03-2009, 05:39 PM
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#10
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Handle It!
Trade:
Everything The Union Guys Do Not Want To Do
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: Brooklyn, NY ~ Haverford, PA
Posts: 7,901
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.....................
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01-10-2009, 10:41 PM
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#11
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20 years Carpenter
Trade:
Carpenter
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: Maryland
Posts: 27
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good for you larry
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