morboComplete Your Transaction join:2002-01-22 00000 |
morbo
Member
2014-Oct-29 6:29 pm
[Plumbing] How long will a leaking water heater last?I'm faced with an annoying dilemma. My water heater started leaking slowly, so I will be replacing it. I have identified a couple replacement options, but none of the local guys carry those models in stock. They all seem to carry the basic models that are equivalent in energy factor to the 1990s model I'm replacing. I'm looking at 2-6 weeks depending on model.
How long would YOU wait for a water heater if you were in my position? |
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garys_2k Premium Member join:2004-05-07 Farmington, MI |
garys_2k
Premium Member
2014-Oct-29 6:40 pm
I had a slow leaker that I let go for more than 6 months before replacing it. I would NOT recommend waiting that long, but it's likely not a full blown emergency. |
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2 edits |
to morbo
I had a 13-year-old direct vent gas heater spring a leak last fall. I called around for roughly equivalent replacement quotes. Naturally I didn't want to pay a whole bunch of money and end up with, as you say, 1990s technology. Yet because I had to replace a precisely-dimensioned direct vent that was no longer manufactured, it would not be a simple installation.
Rather than rush things, I bought a 50-gallon electric for about $200, spent about $50 more on fittings, a cord and PEX, and then took my time installing a top-of-the-line new gas heater.
It was still cheaper than having a "1990s" gas heater installed the day after.
So, if you can figure out how to put in a temporary electric heater, you might find it worthwhile. (I could rent or sell one to you, but you'd have to pick it up here.) |
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scooper join:2000-07-11 Kansas City, KS ·Google Fiber
1 edit |
to morbo
Depends on how bad your leak is. If it is slow enough - I'd ride it out until your replacement is available ( and hopefully the leak will go to somewhere harmless). If it is too fast to wait - consider the electric tank option that another poster mentioned. You would need a 30 AMP 240V breaker to power it, with 10 GA wire.
The wife and me use a 40 gallon electric tank as our regular water heater, with a 9.5KW electric tankless in the kitchen. It has no problems keeping up with our needs - even on laundry day where we do back to back loads. Granted, a larger family would need a larger unit for showers etc. |
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Termites to morbo
Anon
2014-Oct-29 7:49 pm
to morbo
said by morbo:I'm faced with an annoying dilemma. My water heater started leaking slowly, so I will be replacing it. I have identified a couple replacement options, but none of the local guys carry those models in stock. They all seem to carry the basic models that are equivalent in energy factor to the 1990s model I'm replacing. I'm looking at 2-6 weeks depending on model.
How long would YOU wait for a water heater if you were in my position? youre wasting$$$$$$$$$ get one of these it saves you $$$$$ they come in all sizes etc... » www.homedepot.com/p/Mara ··· 02584260 |
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TheMG Premium Member join:2007-09-04 Canada MikroTik RB450G Cisco DPC3008 Cisco SPA112
2 recommendations |
to morbo
What is a small leak today, could suddenly turn into a torrent of water tomorrow.
So you have to weight the risks. If the leak was to become a major leak, could there be any damage to the house and any stored goods?
If the water heater is in an unfinished basement and the water runs harmlessly into a nearby floor drain, I'd probably take the chance. But, if the heater is an an upper floor, finished area, no floor drain, etc, I would not take the chance and get it replaced ASAP. |
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mix join:2002-03-19 Romeo, MI |
to Termites
Those are pieces of crap. |
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scooper join:2000-07-11 Kansas City, KS ·Google Fiber
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to TheMG
Excellent point. And exactly what I was leading to about the leak going to somewhere "harmless". I "drowned" a gas furnace by not having the water connections tightened down correctly on my water heater - all the water went down the HVAC duct and on down to the furnace. We had to get a generic replacement control board and a replacement fan motor. and about a week of no heat in Febuary. Wasn't too bad most nights, but that was when we acquired a kerosene heater.... |
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sk1939 Premium Member join:2010-10-23 Frederick, MD ARRIS SB8200 Ubiquiti UDM-Pro Juniper SRX320
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sk1939 to mix
Premium Member
2014-Oct-29 8:36 pm
to mix
said by mix:Those are pieces of crap. Not a fan of those I take it? Ignoring that I'm not a fan of plastic, it seems conceptually sound. |
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Termites to mix
Anon
2014-Oct-29 8:41 pm
to mix
said by mix:Those are pieces of crap. whats pieces of crap? Marathon water heater had mine 9 yrs,only issues were the Elements my acid water we have ... well here. |
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Termites |
Termites to sk1939
Anon
2014-Oct-29 8:47 pm
to sk1939
said by sk1939:said by mix:Those are pieces of crap. Not a fan of those I take it? Ignoring that I'm not a fan of plastic, it seems conceptually sound. SK1, put it this way we had a 50 Gallon water heater (metal) out of no where i was at work came home and found 50Gallons of water on my Floor, i Purchased this which is made out of one piece NO ISSUES only had the Elements replaced after 9 yrs Acid/Well water here. I wanted to see how good this was turned off the power to the tank it was 145f after 3 days...... |
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to morbo
No plumbing supply house in the area? They should have a pretty large array of water heaters and get them fast. Most supply houses you do not need to be a plumber to buy items. |
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davidgGood Bye My Friend MVM join:2002-06-15 00000 |
to morbo
no lowes/HD/etc within an hours drive? when ours sprung a small leak last year we bought a 80 gallon electric. i was too worried the small leak would become a big one while we were at work, and we would have a flood. remember it is not just the volume in the tank that flows out, but the unending supply will as well! |
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scooper join:2000-07-11 Kansas City, KS |
to morbo
How does that 80 Gallon WH work ? I would think that initial warmup takes 3-4 hours, but then you really shouldn't ever run out |
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davidgGood Bye My Friend MVM join:2002-06-15 00000 |
davidg
MVM
2014-Oct-29 11:20 pm
works great, except the oldest daughter takes a shower until the water gets cold. Since she ONLY runs the hot water this is about 30 minutes! i figured out that a large glass of ice water solves this problem though, she gets out quickly after a couple times dumping it on her head. LOL
the reason we went to the 80 was because the old 40 just did not have enough capacity. But now when the kids only take a 10 min shower each we can still have hot even washing clothes/dishes at the same general time.
honestly it only takes about an hour to recover enough hot to get a normal shower. but yes for the whole thing to heat to set temp it takes about 3 hours roughly. |
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to morbo
You didn't mention if it's gas or electric. If it's electric they are all the same, practically 100% efficient. Standby losses are minimal even for a cheapo electric heater, a better insulated one will reduce a bit of the ~$0.10/day in standby losses. Do your math if it's worth paying extra to save maybe $10-15/year. |
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sivranVive Vivaldi Premium Member join:2003-09-15 Irving, TX |
sivran
Premium Member
2014-Oct-30 7:19 am
Isn't converting electricity to heat pretty much always 100% efficient? After all heat's usually the waste, but when your goal is heat...
I have a gas heater and honestly I don't think it's saving us any money. I'd be tempted to replace it with electric if it ever goes. |
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SparkChaser Premium Member join:2000-06-06 Downingtown, PA |
said by sivran:Isn't converting electricity to heat pretty much always 100% efficient? I think he means most new electrics have minimal standby loss compared to gas. |
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to sivran
What is the difference in price between electricity and gas price for you? If there is little difference then it won't be hugely different.
If you have hard water I prefer gas over electric any day. |
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to sivran
said by sivran:I have a gas heater and honestly I don't think it's saving us any money Probably you have dirt-cheap electric rates. Our peak-hours rate is near $0.30/kWh |
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MajestikWorld Traveler Premium Member join:2001-05-11 Tulsa, OK |
to morbo
Since I always have an emergency fund for these type of things I would replace it immediately. |
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morboComplete Your Transaction join:2002-01-22 00000 |
to TheMG
said by TheMG:If the water heater is in an unfinished basement and the water runs harmlessly into a nearby floor drain That is the situation. It is in an unfinished part of the basement a couple feet from a floor drain. Thanks to everyone for all the responses. I ended up finding an energy efficient model gas water heater at local hardware store that will be installed next week. |
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to morbo
I left one leak at work for 4 months but I had a 2" floor drain next to it. It was a steady drip.
The annoying part was the day I started to get bids to replace it, the second one started to leak and I had to replace both.
The really annoying part was I planned to replace them in another year.... just wouldn't cooperate. |
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sivranVive Vivaldi Premium Member join:2003-09-15 Irving, TX |
to cowboyro
said by cowboyro:Our peak-hours rate is near $0.30/kWh Yep. That must be the reason gas doesn't seem like much of a money-saver. Electricity is cheap here. I'd estimate that my combined gas+electric bills equal out to roughly what I'd expect if I was using only electric. And to think I complained when I was paying 12c/kWh for a while! |
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djrobx Premium Member join:2000-05-31 Reno, NV |
djrobx
Premium Member
2014-Oct-31 1:17 am
Yep. That must be the reason gas doesn't seem like much of a money-saver. Electricity is cheap here. I'd estimate that my combined gas+electric bills equal out to roughly what I'd expect if I was using only electric. Yup. Before I got solar, I was eyeing up natural gas air conditioners. . Paying $0.33 per kwh will make you think crazy thoughts.... |
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ptrowskiGot Helix? Premium Member join:2005-03-14 Woodstock, CT |
to cowboyro
Isn't CT awesome? That is why I am thinking about converting my entire house to gas. |
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MaynardKrebsWe did it. We heaved Steve. Yipee. Premium Member join:2009-06-17 |
to morbo
Your water heater will totally fail anywhere from 5 minutes from now and a month from now. |
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to ptrowski
said by ptrowski:Isn't CT awesome? That is why I am thinking about converting my entire house to gas. Nat gas is the way to go if you have availability. But even propane beats oil and electric these days (at least in CT). |
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garys_2k Premium Member join:2004-05-07 Farmington, MI |
to MaynardKrebs
said by MaynardKrebs:Your water heater will totally fail anywhere from 5 minutes from now and a month from now. Mine went for six months before I replaced it, the leak stayed about the same and I kept kitty litter and newspapers there to soak it up. |
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morboComplete Your Transaction join:2002-01-22 00000 |
to MaynardKrebs
Thanks. I hope it lasts until Wednesday when it will be replaced. |
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