Water Heater Tank Autopsy: You won’t believe what’s inside!
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- Опубликовано: 19 апр 2018
- Have you ever wondered what the inside of a Water Heater Tank looked like? Matt and Jordan cut open 4 older tanks to find out in this special edition of The Build Show!
Now that you know you need to Flush your Tank annually. Watch the Bonus Video for more insights about Anode Rods. Here's a link to three replacement options (Amazon Affiliate Links FYI)
Anode Rod “Standard” amzn.to/2KrmBSw
Anode Segmented version Better” amzn.to/2rcONQl
Anode Kit! “Best” amzn.to/2I4oDd6
Watch the Follow up BONUS Video - • Four Water Heater Tank...
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I was a compliance officer with a State Public Dinking Water Agency for twenty years and inspected drinking water public systems for most of them. Water systems add calcium for a reason, first when they treat surface water with alum to remove sediment the water becomes corrosive, then they have to restablize it with lime/calcium it so it won't leach copper and lead from the pipes and fixtures. For well water, they also check for stability in the water once they remove the iron and manganese by oxidation, then add lime if needed.
Those water heaters most likely came from different water sources. I would guess the ones that had tons of buildup came from people who had well water or came from a public system that over fed the calcium to make the water softer. The black mixed in with the calcium build up is oxidized manganese and the light red color is oxidized iron, neither is harmful to anyone, just a little ascetically unpleasant. Water lines get looking just like this, but not really a problem except reducing the size of the piping.
If someone installs water softeners (or reverse osmosis units) to reduce the mineral build up, please add a bypass so you can blend some of the harder water with the soften water!!! If you don't the water becomes corrosive and will leach out the lead and copper in your water lines or plumbing fixtures. I think everyone would rather have a little calcium in the water than lead or copper!!!! If you have a water softener, just don't drink the first draw in the morning that sat in the lines all night. Letting that water drain from the pipes will remove that lead/copper build up.
Lime build up in the tanks most likely built up in the lower flow areas of those tanks.
Eric Van Eck this is one of the best responses I've seen on RUclips - informative and clear. Thx.
Thanks Ttf, I had a really good mentor for a supervisor and with many years of experience I learned a lot about water. Not to say all the terrible things I saw too.
Eric Van Eck this is an excellent comment. Now I want Matt to do a video on water softeners and the dangers of them.
I have pretty hard water from a well. I used to have a softener that was nice but it gave out so I'm back to hard. When I used to boil water it would leave a white residue on the pot. Then I got one of those carbon filters at Home Depot. Now when I boil water there is very little residue so I think they help especially for boiling.
I work in the Distribution Division of a Public Water System (PWS). His comment is SPOT ON. I couldn’t have said that any better. Excellent
you really should look at your audio levels while editing, the music parts are far too loud
The sound of the saw was annoying also... too loud.
Agreed.
I thought it wass cool
Yes! Nearly blew my ear drums out.
Sure do, but whed you got head phohes on and you have it loud enough to hear the spoken word then the little speakers less than an inch from your ear drum gives you a sudden blast it hurts before you can react.
The reason you see so much buildup of solids is that CaCO3, the primary component of scale, is less soluble in hot water than in cold water, which is unusual for most salts. The reason it may not adhere as well to the electric element is that the element flexes as it heats up and cools down, whereas the mineral deposits are brittle and tend to flake off.
Doc Work most of the buildup in the electric heaters is aluminum oxide or magnesium oxide from the anode protecting the tank from corrosion.
I drained my electric tank last year. It was sandy, but white as snow. Pure calcium carbonate.
actually CaCO3 is more soluble in hot water than in cold (even so the solubility is bad either way) .
The real reason for the scale accumulation is the heating of the water pushes out dissolved CO2. Thus, with a lack of dissolved CO2 in the water the water-soluble compound Ca(HCO3)2 tends to decompose into insoluble CaCO3, water and CO2.
It's from Jordan using the tank as his "trophy sock."
Thank you for this knowledge. Was wondering how the fuck hot water holds LESS salt.
Great intro and hilarious antics with the chop saw! Thoroughly enjoyable and good content. Thank you.
the first time was ok but it got old quite fast.
to show the power of flex tape, i saw this water heater in half!
True x3
This is a timely video for me. My gas water heater failed and started to leak at the bottom drain valve two days ago. The heater has a manufacturing date of 9/71, as in Sept, 1971!
Show us!
They sure don't build them like they used to. The one we just replaced was a little over 10 years old!
No they don't, I realised yrs ago that there's no profit in building quality products anymore.
Companies would go bankrupt waiting on consumers to replace durable goods.
My Dad bought a "SEARS Lady Kenmore" washing machine in 72'...he replaced a belt and transmission bolt in 86'... he finally replaced it in 95'....
We've been in a disposable society since the mid 80s, so now everything now comes under "USED TO BE"
Appliances, automobiles, electronics, furniture, all have a pre-determined calculated shelf life. Even people are now disposable to the tune of attrition, layoffs, corporate downsizing, shifting labor policies to favor 3rd world resources..... Lets blame it on Nixon & Watergate, only because it sounds funny as shyt right now...lol
They would only go broke now because they depend on the sales - their sales have been going up steadily since the water heater became common, and they get cheaper to make. The manufacturer put themselves into this situation by being too competitive.
All you need is one company willing to take a risk, and somebody will buy it.
Richard Gates I no longer have any brand loyalty due to increased planned obsolescence. All I care about now is purpose suitability and price. Ford, Sony, kenmore, GE let me down so for now it’s Toyota, Samsung, sharp, Maytag...next time something else am sure.
This is my new favorite channel! Subbed! Liked! Notifications On! After watching a couple of your other videos, I like the in depth investigation, analysis, and testing of products used in the home in a real life situation.
Keep bringing more videos like this one! Keep up the good work!
Thank you for these building science videos!
Glad you have a good knife! Love my benchmades!
Volume of water and quality of water is more relevant than age.
richard pay - along with the temperature setting
Some places have really hard water. In our old house every single spigot had white stuff around them. The shower was awful if I didn't clean it every week. The green colored run would have a solid white film all over it. Hard as hell to clean also!
Heather coo¿ that's what clr is for
Michael Murray yea that stuff is good. Even with it I still had to scrub though. Lol
I don't think I've ever seen any hard water in my lifetime. At least, not where I live.
The scale deposit hot water rising theory made sense to me @Matt. Once again thank you for the lessons
Thanks for being Awesome Matt Risinger
Can you show us how to flush a tank and replace the anode then cut it open to see how well the flushing worked.
That would be great
The Robotics Code Depot or scope it...? AND run water tests. Majority of commenters aren’t familiar with Texas water.
I drag mine out to the front yard, open up all the ports and then use a garden hose.
When you buy a new water heater first thing you do is remove the drain valve from the bottom and replace it w a ball valve that won't corrode so you can drain it and be able to shut it off w/o drips.
@@stevewilcox1755 I saw your comment on the water heater experiment then noticed your name. Tell me, are you Steve Wilcox from television?
Hilarious setup. Well done.
"Well would you look at that"
hahahahahahahahaah..... ruclips.net/video/EF8GhC-T_Mo/видео.html
Craig Van Tichelt EXACTLY!
That link had me lmao
excellent video and comments made by professionals are worth a lifelong education in hot water tanks and "portability" - thank you to all the professionals that take the time to explain the information so an educated decision on your water can be made.
Excellent video! Fun and informative. I just replaced my 21 year old electric water heater. I should have cut it up to see what was inside. I had a timer so I only ran it 12 hours a day and had a water softener. Would have been nice to know if it helped. Maybe next time. :)
I'm sure someone has already explained it but there are two processes going on...you need to remember that hot water is able to actually hold more dissolved mineral salts BUT the hotter it gets it's able to hold LESS dissolved gasses.
So a few things happen depending on what's dissolved in your water supply: Sulfur loving bacteria thrive in warm water and they start to digest the dissolved sulfur containing minerals and then release hydrogen sulfide gas. That's actually where the rotten egg smell comes from in some hard water. It's the hydrogen sulfide gas made by the bacteria. When the tank heats up that gas can't stay fully dissolved in the water any longer, so it rises and then interacts with any exposed metal. It'll form zinc sulfide, aluminum sulfide, iron sulfide. Any place where the water in the tank is a bit cooler (so on the walls, even the top it's always just slightly cooler since that's where the heat escapes) those dissolved minerals which were happy in their hot water get ever so slightly nudged out of solution in the relatively cooler water. It takes a long time since it's a slow process but more and more get deposited in these areas. Since new water that comes in already has dissolved solids in it the equilibrium is ever so slightly tipped towards the side of forming more deposits in stead of those deposits dissolving back into the new water. And there are other minerals that get deposited as well which don't contain sulfur but may contain calcium or sodium or potassium. Sometimes they just need a nucleation site and some dissolved minerals actually are LESS SOLUBLE in hot water which is not common but calcium carbonate is one of the most common which makes up a large part of the scale.
I've wanted to read chemical processes for these deposits. I guess too late in life I've learned to appreciate what education I've missed in the field of chemistry. It's true, chemistry is everywhere.
Man! Do I feel like that every day! I love biology and chemistry so much. I didn't feel like that when I was a young lady in high school!
For those who take issue with his volume levels, you are correct for the most part. There is an industry standard Audio volume range which everybody is "supposed to" use and it is called "normalisation". It is used for Audio CDs, DVD and video editing software such as in KDEN-Live or Sony-Vegas. You set your volumes to about 80% unless they suffering "clipping" (a sort of distorted sound i.e. turn it down to say 75%) and then click "normalise".
Thanks for the video guys, I'll be going out to buy a new hot water heater now
You've got a few different things that can cause calcium build up.
Treated verses untreated water?
We're any of the units serviced with new anodes or was the tank drained on a regular basis?
Temperature that the tank was operated at? 125f verses 180f like I have mine set for.
If you have the tank operating at a higher temperature, the scale is boiled (cavitated) from the heating elements and anodes.
Matt/Jordan, thank you for an informative, entertaining, and destructive building science video. Excellent info for sure.
Do you guys plan to do a video on cleaning/flushing older water heaters, or is that something that's not recommended?
I think that’s a good follow up video! Thanks for the idea
Yeah Matt..I 2nd that request.
H20 water flush for gas powered tanks. .
you could add some acid to the flush to dissolve the corrosion, IE muriatic (hydrochloric) will dissolve the minerals but not the steel, likely to give off some nasty gases in the process however. Also works great as toilet/tub cleaner for those without a softener and well water.
Oh my god. The tank in my basement is 30 years old.... I can't even imagine!
Fair Weather Foundry
You'd better change it out soon
Or expect a small flood under it
What how???????? You must have good city water ?
You got your moneys worth out of it.
If you have soft water no problem but if you have hard water I bet that heater is really heavy with all the lime deposits in it !
Flush the tank and remove/inspect the anode. If you replace the anode regularly (before it is completely used up) your tank will stay solid for over 20-30 years. But come 30 years, is likely time for a new tank.
Fun intro. Great content. I love this channel
My first home had an electric heater in the garage. "Community" water was very hard and I had constant problems with lack of hot water. I replaced elements and used my shop vac with a tubing adapter to vacuum the bottom of the tank through the bottom element hole. After that experience I've moved twice and always look at where the tank is located because it can be a real problem if it's in a spot where it's hard to work or gets very wet. In my current home a co-worked told me he always replaced the drain valve on his tanks with a ball valve. Turned out to be an excellent idea when with all that scale the typical drain valve will plug. The ball valve doesn't plug.
Although not a plumber, I work for a multidisciplinary contractor and deal with gas and electric water heaters on a fairly regular basis in an area with some natural salt and fairly heavy mineral levels in the ground water. We get an average of 10-12 years tank life from units without regular maintenance (dip tube inspection, sacrificial anode inspection and tank flushing) and I find that the condition of the dip tube, especially on commercial tanks, seems to make a huge difference in the amount of buildup. The manufacturers have told me that the water jet from the dip tube tends to keep the minerals in suspension, rather than letting them settle and harden into what you see here.
The added lifespan is due to recirculation lines tied in at the bottom of the tank which washes out the minerals more efficiently instead of letting them settle. Which is why electric hot water tanks that have the cold water supply at the bottom of tanks have less build up and last longer
Thats why you open and clean it every 2-5 years. Take a look in the manual! And don't forget to change the sacrificial anode aswell.
You can open them? lol
Yes. Some screws on the under side.
Thats alof of garbage to throw away when scrap metaling... Habe a big one had like 11 in 2 weeks now this big ass one and was debating on taking it apart...might look in get easy non bs copper n stuff out n put lid on for more weight
@@ChrisZomboid I see why you don't for scrap metal
If you open up the ports (unscrew the fittings) you can look inside.
A year or so ago I got a new-to-me 40 gallon electric DWH. Since it had been previously used (in NYC) I circulated a diluted CLR solution through it for ~10 hours. After thoroughly rinsing the tank and installing new heating elements, anode rod, and dip tube, it was ready for action... so I thought. We smelled CLR for another couple months with every shower we took.
Seeing this video, it makes sense that the chemical had absorbed into so many nooks and crannies of the (quite likely) scale buildup that it took months to disspate that odor. Yikes!
Seems like a good analysis. Bummer
James, Great review! Couple of other people suggested CLR. But they don't know what they are saying. Good for you!
Ya, I need ear plugs for your video, too. Appreciate that so much, it shows how much you care.
Would you recommend a whole home water purification system to help eliminate this issue
Higher water concentrations of minerals (ie hard water) is correlated with better health (understand: the purer the water you drink (demineralized, osmose filtration, reverse osmosis, distilled, "purified" blablabla) is, the higher the likelihood of cancers, autoimmune diseases etc .
I doubt it. Where did you hear that?
@Rolf: [source needed]
calcium carbonate from the shells of fossil sea creatures... its the same material as whats in your bones... the harder your water, the less milk you have to drink...
+Rolf, I call bullshit on that! I have not drank tap water in over 45 years! Only bottled spring water or from a PUR filter pitcher. I have nothing that you claim I should have from not drinking tap water.
Ewww wtf our water tank has never been cleaned that I'm aware of.. been living here for about 16 years and no idea if the previous owners touched it
Hey Matt.
I wanted to reach out and thank you for your channel and guidance. You were a immeasurable help to me during my basement reno. I had an empty basement with rough in plumbing. All done now. 6 months and about $7500 incl tools i had to purchase such as tile cutter and plastering tools.
Cheers
RB
Fantastic. Glad I could help! Thanks for watching!
Replacing a water heater every 10 - 15 years is more cost effective than taking 10 minutes to flush your tank seems to be the consensus I find. My company installs a 3/4" full port ball valve with 3/4" hose threads on every heater we install and educate every customer on it's use. Rarely do they use it or conveniently forget that it needs to be done. I hate to say it but, "job security".
Great informative video guys.
My plumber (who is now retired after 45 years working) had a 35 year old water heater in his basement before it was replaced. If memory serves, he had a whole-house water filter on the supply side, flushed through a full-throat valve every year and replaced his anode rod every few years. I never did any of that. I had catch-pans as per code under mine with water sensors that shutoff the water supply to the tank. I routinely could get 13-15 years from my heaters. Which coincided with about the same cycle for rehabbing the tenants kitchens and baths.
Why is it gross? All that was dissolved in any cold water you drank.
What I was thinking is that it's a large concentration that would be dislodged with vibrations, like those from a earthquake. Then you would get a nice concentrated load of it in your system.
@Mat: If it was dislodged, it would settle to the bottom. It would only get through if water was running at the time. Also, taps usually have screens to filter particles out. So you'd just have to unscrew the cap and wash it out.
Yes its all the gross stuff that was taken OUT of the water as it was heated. Must be hard water down there.
It's like wonder bread. Helps build strong bodies in 12 ways. Calcium, magnesium, iron etc.
If you think it looks weird as a solid, you ought to see it when it is in it's gel form... It looks like a giant jellyfish trying to flow out of the drain hole!
Matt, I have examined that "scale" in many heaters in my area. I used 10X and 20X jewelers loops. Around here, in the St. Louis area, very fine sand from the water purification plants often travels thru the water lines. All soda fountains and large commercial ice machines have two filter cartridges. A 10 micron filter traps most of the sand. A charcoal filter improves the water flavor.
Loved the music by the way keep up the interesting topics
The thing no one is mentioning is the efficiency of heating water. The lime /calcium deposits are like insulation so it takes more energy to heat the water . This is worse with a gas water heater because the lime coats the hot surface . But with the electric water heater as you could see in the video the scale forms on the element but often breaks off and falls to the bottom of the heater so it does not cut down on the efficiency as much . The real solution is to have a water softener for the hot water and then you won't get that lime buildup . All commercial systems have water softeners , especially important for on demand water heaters where it does not take much buildup of the scale to cut down the efficiency . And as far as flushing out all that scale - you will get a little bit out but most of it will stay in the tank. I had an electric water heater given to me and it had some loose scale in the bottom - not too bad. With electric water heater you can take out the element and have some access to stick in a hose from shop vac to try and suck it out . I spent a lot of time vacuuming and flushing it out - and I had to tip the tank on it's side and flush with water while trying to get a wire rod in there to shake the scale loose. Forget it if you were just trying to flush it out the bottom via the drain valve - that stuff won't come out and if it does will plug up the valve in short order. And no way to clean out a conventional gas water heater since there is no access hole like you get with electric by taking out the element.
Larry Kapp Except soft water is much more corrosive, so you need to check and replace the anode rod more often, otherwise it will eat it up and then start attacking the tank itself.
[The lime /calcium deposits are like insulation so it takes more energy to heat the water . ] It is the same energy transfer, but slowed, not taking into account a slight increase in loss through the jacket due to increased time to heat the contents.
For electric resistive heating especially, the efficiency will stay virtually the same. The hotter the element gets, its resistance rises, and the current drops.
Interesting points. I just know commercially hard water is never tolerated in water heating equipment.
the mineral buildup looked like it was attaching to the tank more than the heating elements from what I could tell. So, in that case it would help insulate the tank. I was thinking that the mineral deposits would accumulate at the bottom of the gas fired tanks, which would impede heat transfer, but this video didn't show that to be the case.
From 1984 so kind of dated - but it has results of some testing that was done concerning energy consumption by scale buildup in water heaters aceee.org/files/proceedings/1984/data/papers/SS84_Panel5_Paper_18.pdf
i would like to know which one was well water if any?
That's the exact question I had. Water source is really important.
well water varries alot it can be the cleanest as well as the most contaminated with alot of heavy metals or radon gas in it. there is a whole science to keeping them clean and getting the not desired stuff out if you are precistant in wanting to use it if its not all that good
About three years ago we replaced our 1985 propane fueled hot water heater. Not because it didn't work but because of water quality. We live in the Northeast and are truly blessed with soft water. There is a silt issue I discovered when we replaced it so I need a filter system. I figured there was a LOT of years of build up in it so I should replace it. The new one won't last half as long.
my room got flooded in my old house. And now I know why. thx for the insight
Him: “OHOHOO, THIS IS IN-“
Me: “-SANE”
Him: “-Credible”
I have a water filter before and after the hot water heater, and I flush it on a regular basis.
Good for you! Go have a cookie.
I noticed that the drain valve was ~4" above the tank bottom. That was surprising.
I recall reading a heater tank company PDF file on how to rinse the tank monthly. They recommended using the drain valve as the inlet, using hot water as outlet. Apparently, using the drain as inlet stirs up the calcium salts. Of course, I would use it as a drain just to get the silt out first.
drain from drain valve or all that shit will clog your fixtures.
I'm going to start shopping for my next water heater now.
I’ve gone through two water heaters in less than 10 years, and it’s because I have a water softener. The soft water will eat your anode rod at an accelerated rate, far quicker than hard water will. Learned a hard and expensive lesson to replace the anode rod often.
TrollBuster I wonder if it's good or bad for an on demand?
I've heard mixed opinions on that, but I'd imagine the same principle applies.
My anode was 9 years old and it was TOAST! Go with a magnesium one,people.Segmented one is much easier to install.Homeless Depot has 'em.$44.
What happened to them? (Stop heating water / leaking / were they gas or electric ? )
If you ignore the anode,it will cause a leak,due to rust and scale.
Also,the hot water will begin to smell"funny".
Would love to see a video about how to properly tend to the water heater so that sort of thing doesn't happen
This reminds me that this is the 2nd year since our new heater install and I need to drain it this spring.
Lol! Great video and info! Thanks Matt!
Cutting music should be louder.
Definitely needs to be ramped up.
Said nobody ever
WHAT?!
Hahaha
cause the left ear blew out might as well shoot for the right one! 😂
Damn ... makin' me want to go flush my water heater right now. That's gross.
but its just mineral deposits. if you drink from the cold tap you are drinking that stuff, just not in high concentration. your body needs some minerals anyways.
Yeah the thing is, if a big chuck of those came loose, it will increase the concentration in the water to maybe unsafe level.
xdragon2k
You are not supposed to drink from your hot water tap. You cook and drink only water from the cold water tap. Hot water from the water tank is for washing only.
Can hot tap water (or warm tap water) destroy your teeth if you use them for gargling after you brush your teeth?
Not everyone is aware of what is inside the tank.
Thanks to your video, I had my water heater tank replaced..like soon after watching as I realized my tank was going to burst soon. My plumber happened to be in a slow time..and got on it right away. Yep..ready to burst..the back of the tank was bulging and I couldn't see it.
About a year and a half ago I got rid of the two tank heaters installed in my home and got a Navien NPE 240-A tankless along with a water softener installed. Seeing what's inside of these tank heaters is just disgusting. Planning on doing the yearly maintenance for my tankless soon- Also going to look into cleaning my softener as well too!
I was thinking of cutting one of those windows in my tank and then clean it out and resealing with that flex tape they used to put boats back together.
lcagee make sure you turn off the electricity, water and your wife’s voice yelling at you to stop the madness.
That doesn't sound safe
That's a lot of damage.
Google "pressure vessel"
lcagee Sounds like a plan! 👍🏼
I install water heaters and some times we can't even drain them they are so clogged and we use an ELECTRIC PUMP to drain ours & it can't even suck it out. We did one the other day and had to finally haul it out full of water. 50Gal weighed in at 550 lbs....lucky it was all on first floor....we couldn't even back flush it.
As a pro, do you think you need to pay more for an upper grade model (electric)? Or the economy ones are just fine to cover the 10y max imposed by many insurers?
Did you try to pump it from the top? With a pump or not, should not be worse than a sip of gasoline!
Bill Joel
Hey Bill. Been plumbing 24 year's. When draining the WH don't shut off the valve. For first few min it will force flush like a hose bib. After the water pressure cleared a way shut it off and pop the top. Should drain.
About 5 years ago, I had to replace a water heater that had been installed in the 1980's or earlier. It would not drain. I tried opening the drain with the pressure on and so on. My son was on the high school wrestling team in the heavy weight division, and he just told me to get out of the way. He squatted down some, wrapped his arms around it, picked it up, and carried it outside. He then threw it off of the porch.
Gary Langley Hulk Smash!
take the drain valve right off and stick a screwdriver in the hole to dislodge the corrosion and drain out into a catch pan.
The man has good taste in knives... subscribed.
I only have one that is only 2 years old but after watching this video, makes me want to flush my water heater every month.
Calcium Carbonate (CaCo3).
That's taking carbon out of circulation.....that's saving the planet, man....you are a hero.
Nope. Wrong. First video clearly heavy mineral deposits, little calcium
Drop some vinegar on it and I'll bet it bubbles. (Don't try this with your monitor. You need to actually be there.)
so.... it's Tums?
With a little metal poisoning sure.
The hotter the water is, the more solute it can hold. Like, hot water can dissolve more sugar or salt than colder water.
When the solution cools, solutes start to precipitate out of solution. So, I'd expect the deposits to be thickest on the coolest parts of the tank.
Someone else here said CaCO3 is different than most salts, in that it is less soluble in hot water.
Ryan Bissell I think CaCO3 is totally insoluble in water, unless CO2 is introduced.
Great video!
Joe the plumber great video. I have always wanted to cut apart some of the water heaters I have drained or tried to drain. There is one thing in your video that stood out is that a water softner would help the water heater. I have replaced water heaters under warranty for Rheem that were less than 5 years old and every on of them have a water softener system.
It seems to only happen when there is a problem with the water softner causing high amounts of salt in the water heater causing corosion in the tank taking out the anode rode
Calcium and iron, throw that in your garden your plants will love it.
Hi, what do you call that? Salt or calcium
Calcium carbonate? Calcium / lime will help keep the dandelions away.
This seems like a good argument to have a filter and a water softener.
or not buy crapy ceap boiler, buy an european one, it lasts a lifetime.
bálint máté can you give a brand and model?
As for scale buildup: I think design and material differences are part of the reason: newer tanks have wider-spaced inlet/outlet tubes, and some advertise having a method of "swirling" the inlet water (likely thru a perforated inlet tube right next to the tank wall) to help control scale. Not to mention the coatings on the wall could be of a type (teflon-based, perhaps?) that prevents scale adhesion.
As to the water softener question: I live in an area where the water out of the tap is hard as diamonds, and somewhat acidic as well. An older house we bought had brass faucets, which had corroded so badly that they had clogged themselves--and the house did NOT have a softener at any point. We installed one, which took care of the hardness; but I had to ultimately install a whole-house carbon filter as well to deal with the acidity (don't ask me how, but the pH level went more neutral after the carbon filter) and other crap in the water.
But, yeah, I'd love to see a good video on water filters and softeners.
The tank in my home was put in in 1985, works perfect.
Use a TDS meter to determine how hard is your water. if it is low in TDS you heater will last a very long time.
Awesome. My tanks from the 80s 😂
As some of Matts other videos show, they need to be flushed annually or so to keep them pristine too. I wonder if doing a similar flush on tanks would help? I bet it would.
servant74 oh probably. I bought the house with it. Just waiting for it to pop now 😂
flush it and replace the anode, maybe get another 10 years. Let the anode rot away and corrosion will start to eat the tank itself.
How are scrap water heaters managed? Does the junk yard just throw them in to the crusher? What does the steel plant that buys the crusher product think of all the scale?
Steel, being dense and magnetic, is pretty damn easy to separate from unwanted waste materials. It's not really a big deal.
I knew a guy that sold a water heater to a scrap metal place, knowing it was full of calcium and sand, got a good payout and didnt complain. Decades ago though.
Awesome intro video!!
you can still scrap them no problem and they will not make sure you flushed the scale out. but they will give you a lower price because its not clean steel. aka other metals form different components and the isolation from the tanks still on it. scrap steel price has been really down for a long time now its really not worth much. during ww2 and for some time after im sure scrap prices were fantastic.. i scraped a big old dryer not long ago and it could not even buy a lunch from McDonalds. not even worth getting a friend to help. should have pushed it to the curb and let some other pore sole do it lol
The scrap business is just like the commodities market. Prices go up and down. When I was in the used appliance business, it went as high as $75 per ton for car bodies and appliances. The major west coast processor of scrap in National City California had to close due to EPA rules, and scrap went to $5 per ton.
Hilarious opening 😂❤️
Love your videos! Camera guy is boss!
When you think it's time to stop drinking shower water
Manufacturers should read this great idea. Put a larger bung in the top, and a 1" drain on the bottom of the tank. That way someone could drain the tank and insert a pressure washer in there, that buildup is disgusting!
The manufacturers want to sell MORE water heaters MORE often - the less serviceable they make them the better it is for them (and their stockholders)
Things are designed to fail within 10 years. These new built homes dont last but 5years before needing major repairs. But iverall repairs start within the first year. Cars are just as bad. Funny knowing oure forking over 250k for a home and 80k for a car just to have it fail in no time yet stuck 5-30 years in it.
ALL WATER HEATERS ALREADY HAVE THAT. bung at the top for the anode and drain at the bottom. What's stopping you, go pressure wash your water heater. I on the other hand will simply follow the manufacture's instructions and drain the tank annually of any sediment.
woohunter1 planned obsolescence. Catch up on the ever forgotten 100 year light bulb and the Phoebus cartel
rfarevalo I said, "larger bung in the top and 1" drain valve on the bottom" not the lame 3/8" ID valve that they currently come with. Sometimes trying to drain a customers tank, there is so much buildup in there, you can't even get it to gravity drain. I'm not even talking about prolonging the life of the tank, just getting the nasty stuff out of there. I have a tankless instead of a tank, that gets flushed annually and treated well water, so I don't have all this nasty stuff.
I had an electric I cleaned regularly. The scale you'd expect on the elements ends up in the bottom due to the heat expansion of the elements. It just flakes off. When I cleaned mine you could see the flakes that came off the elements in the sludge at the bottom.
My hot water heater got really hot and kicked off and I had to have an electrician come and reset it to turn it back on but every since then I have had grit coming out of my water faucet and out of my bathroom bathtub faucet there's tiny flakes of black sooty kind of stuff. I noticed little flakes of it in the bathtub after I drain the tub from taking my bath. It makes me worry that it's in the bath water with me and I wonder if it's black mold or what it could be. Do you have any ideas.?
Calcium buildup sure it smells gross but you dont complain when you cant even see it
6:30 in the morning wtf am i watching?
It really has to do with the source of the water. City water versus well water. Some wells have an extreme amount of calcium in them. Also if your well is running low or shortly after a heavy rain your pump may suck mud. It's always good to filter your water before your hot water tank actually before it meets the house.
You just blew my eardrums!!!
Tone down the terrible music.
I found a magical device called volume control. It magically solves the noise issue :D
Wolok I know right. Hovering over the volume button is SOOOO stressful! You'll need therapy for years 😂😂😂😂😂
I actually thought it was another tab or something was very off setting.
If it's too loud, you're too old
water softeners destroy water heaters. I changed one recently that lasted only about 1.5 years.
how?
Stop buying cheap heaters then put money into a good one with warranty
How often should you flush a hot water tank out? I am on a well, I just installed a brand new whole home water softener to replace that older one. zI did flush out the tank about 15 months ago.
The one we have still in operation is worse than the 2001 that you had. When I changed the bottom electic element I had to scrape out calcium buildup to put it in. Any recommendations to stop this from happening to our next unit?
That poor benchmade 😭 I cringed so hard when he was scraping with it
ctuan13 It’s a tool...nice...but only a tool
I thought that too
what a sissy
hair metal and chop saws = epic
maybe so...
That's not a chop saw...
Very cool video !!!
Nice Benchmade Volli. I have one with black blade.
I have 8 rental units as well as my home, all with their own individual water heaters. Six of the nine are electrics. Only my home electric water heaters has softened water. The other five electrics(as are the gas) are subject to the hard water we have. I continually (at least once every two years) have to replace heating elements or the heaters themselves due to failure except for my eleven year old home heater. Very little problem with the 3 gas units. I've been trying to flush the electrics yearly by removing the bottom element and turning water supply off and on. A large quantity of sediment comes out each time.
Lawrence Carroll if you inspect/replace the anode rod in the electric units regularly then you won't kill heater elements or end up with leaky tanks. If you find the elements last 2 years, then change the anode yearly and see if the elements last longer. Also, better warrantee tanks usually have larger anodes, hence the longer guaranteed life.
don't forget to replace the anodes! They're hidden under a cap on the electric units. Keep on top of them and keep flushing like you are and you won't be replacing the tanks or elements as often. The size of the wrench you need is 1 & 1/16.
Its mostly calcium carbonate.
Dang. I wish I had photo's from a repair years ago. An electric booster heater [used for a commercial dishwasher] had so much scale inside, that tank volume was reduced to less than 10% of capacity! Needless to say, the condition was discovered due to heater element failure. How it lasted as long as it did flat out amazed me.
Filter your water supply. Scale will still happen from minerals in solution, but it can be reduced in some cases.
My Grandmother still had the same water heater from when the house was built in 1942 until she passed away, the water heater was still working when we sold her house in 2012.
That’s not scale it’s extra insulation !
Thought it was coffee cake !
more weight for scrap
Gray mustard for d trump !
Insulation is on the outside of the tank, not inside.
One barista said to another that what he had drained from the water heater was a new coffee flavor (which he just made up). He acted weird for a while later after the other told him he sold it and people keep asking for it. He assumed his partner would realize he was kidding.
Music was so loud, a bunch of white kids broke into my house and started moshing.
Was I in the crowd? I remember doing that recently but can’t remember where. 🤪
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My gas water heater is about 20 years old. It got to the point where my volume of hot water had greatly diminished. It was so plugged up I could not drain it. I disconnected the water pipes to the tank and poured in a gallon of CLR. Reconnected pipes and filled tank. Lite pilot and allowed it to heat water. DID NOT ALLOW HOT WATER TO LEAVE TANK. After a couple hours I shut off gas and water source and drained. Opened maintenance sink faucet to let air into system to aid draining. Did lots of filling, heating, draining, and finally flushed through maintenance faucet until clear water with no foaming. Took lots of cold water to neutralize the CLR. Heats great now. Smells and tastes better too.
Are you sure it doesn't smell like CLR in the shower?
Very interested how much difference a water softener Impacts Mineral deposit in the hot water tank?
Great experiment thanks a lot!
The music is waaaaaaaaaaaaay too loud vs the speaking audio. I'm trying to listen to this at night and it's not enjoyable at all because I'm constantly having to mute or adjust the audio.
Poor baby. This is You tube, bro. Not prime time!
Hot water tanks are old school, antiquated methods of heating water. The modern way to heat water is thankless instant on off heaters that are also the most energy efficient way to heat water. There can be multipal heaters throughout the house that are safe and econimical.
and that scale builds up in the demand units' small passages quicker, requiring more frequent service - Factor that in.
You are ignoring the "facts" tankless water heaters only come on to heat the water when the faucet is turned on, and only then when there is a demand for the hot water. The is a build up of minerial deposits but very minamal compared to the tank type heaters that are always heating the water even when there in no demand for hot water.
Kenneth Russell "Always heating" is a rather dramatic claim as tank water heaters actually run very little unless fresh cold water is being drawn into them. Even most older tanks were insulated well enough to maintain their temperature for up to 24 hours and many more modern tanks will still have enough hot water to afford one several very comfortable showers as much as 72 hours after they last had power (such as in the case of an extended power outage). Because of how well insulated they are the energy savings are not nearly as dramatic as one may initially suspect unless the household seldom ever uses hot water, but most households tend to use a fair bit of hot water each day -- bathing, laundry, dishes, etc. -- so that is seldom the case for an occupied home (and if going on an extended vacation, it is trivial to turn off a tank water heater and then turn it back on when you arrive back home). That is why you often see more marketing focusing on the idea of "infinite" hot water capacity as the chief advantage over tank water heaters (infinite being a bit of a misnomer as their realtime heating capacity is seldom more than a few gallons per minute at best unless tremendously oversized) -- of course, if the power goes out you will instantly have no hit water whatsoever whereas a gas tank-style water heater typically requires no electrical power to do its job and an electric tank water heater will still have its reserve of preheated water that you may call upon until consumed. By the time you figure in the added install costs and more regular maintenance it is at best a draw between the two technologies for most families -- and for those families that do not have access to natural gas or propane they are all but impractical (with a typical unit capable of delivering just enough water to support two concurrent showers typically requiring at least 180A single phase or 60A three phase, or more than most ordinary residential services can deliver in addition to existing residential load demands).
Buy a water softener.
Ethan is correct. In the days of pilot lights, the heat from the pilot often overheated the water due to the lack of heat loss through the insulation.
Like he said, tankless systems also have a high power density requirement, so you get all the complications with that, as he mentioned. If its gas, you're talking pipe size and maybe talking to the company about bumping your pressure and dealing with every other gas appliance in the home.
Nobody talks about the tankless temp variations, though. Unless you're talking about a "tankless" that's just an exchanger on a boiler or similar system, you'll never have a guaranteed steady shower temp, unless MAYBE you've got a fully modulated burner. If you're someone who has muscle, joint, back, anxiety problems or are trying to unwind after your boss chewed you out... Good luck. Asking the wife and kids not to flush the toilet won't be enough.
Furthermore, if they're gas tankless, you have to have a flue on EACH ONE if you have a bunch... Unless you want to take a cue from many european countries, and just OMIT that. Yes, they take combustion air from inside then just dump it back into the house. Flue gases may have no CO (when running perfectly) but they still dilute oxygen and WORSE, burning hydrocarbon fuels means you're combining HYDROGEN with oxygen, too-- So you get WATER vapor in the house- In mass amounts. Mmm, fungal growth.
The house I bought last year had a 15 year old tank and it gurgled badly when heating the water. It was gas powered. The drain valve didn't work at all and after beating on it I got some water and chunks to come out. I had galvanized pipes in the house and they were rotted. Replaced it with all copper and a new tank. I clean up the scale and hard water on the anode once a year and the walls look like new after the first year of it being installed.
Would the be a good reason to add a flush cycle once a year or every other year?
If you flush once a month every month, like I do, you don’t get this issue. I used the hot water to clean the engines and bilges of my boats and truck. Plus the top water rises, and the cooler ware resides in the lower sections. If you would just flush 5-10 gallons that will do the trick. I have never have to replace a hot water heater in the last 40 yrs, unless I bought a home with an older home that was NOT maintained. Even it if I do not wash something, I just water the plants. Works every time. Oh one last thing...WHEN ARE YOU GOING TO BUILD A GREEN CONTAINER HOME??? ENOUGH OF THE OVER PRICED STUPID STICK BUILT STUFF ALREADY!!!!
Every month? Annual is the recommended, but I guess that would do it. The key is a water softener and a whole house filter before the softener.
Most people have their water heater in their basement or otherwise hard to drain area. Going through all that work to save a few hundred bucks every decade is probably overkill.
Barely audible talking with super loud music. Typical youtube editing.
The serious question is, why do heater tank manufactures not making hatches or bigger holes for us to clean? So that we buy new units every 2 years?
I've been a boiler , water heater installer since 1998. The differences can of course be maintenance as explained or could be as simple or complex of if the tank contained city water or well water. Let's just say for arguements sake that all 4 tanks contained city water! Ok? Now let's consider elevation and location! The further and higher in elevation, and location tank will have way more sediment than a tank that was in water authority's wash room. I love and enjoy your videos. I'm from new york long island and I can talk to you about extreme differences in units from the north and south shore on long island which perspectivally is quite small in comparison to other towns and cities.