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| leaking water heater | Rate Topic |
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| Posted: Tue May 27th, 2008 03:24 am |
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1st Post |
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cathy Member 
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i am a new home owner and have a 40gal. gas water heater that is located in the attic of my home. There is a runoff pipe from the attic to the outside of the house...this alarmed me that there was a problem. I connected a hose to the tank to empty the water into the yard and have turned off the pilot light leaving me with no hot water (but some water) until i can resolve this within a couple of days. Are these solutions okay or should i be doing something else?
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| Posted: Tue May 27th, 2008 04:33 am |
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2nd Post |
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elenano Member
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That's all fine, but it's possible you didn't have to do all that. When you say runoff pipe, what do you mean? If the temperature/pressure relief drain line was running water, that wouldn't mean the tank was in imminent danger of breaking. Runoff from a drain pan beneath the heater would mean exactly that. So do you happen to know which it was? If it's the drain pan, maybe you should be thinking about replacement, but if it's the other, it might just mean the valve is bad, or there might be pressure problems that need addressing. Hope that helps. Randy Schuyler
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| Posted: Tue May 27th, 2008 11:58 am |
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3rd Post |
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cathy Member
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there are (2) short pipes that are located on the side of house, these pipes are dripping water that is coming from the water heater area and the pan under the heater is completely full. The house was built in 01.
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| Posted: Tue May 27th, 2008 05:03 pm |
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4th Post |
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elenano Member
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If the drain pan is full of water, the heater is probably a goner. The two pipes are probably the T&P drain line and the drain pan drain line. I suggest that when you replace the tank you either get a maximum-warranty heater or buy a second anode from us and install it, mark the date of installation on the tank and in your scheduler, and have somebody check one of the anodes in a few years. Attic installations are more serious than other places because of the danger of a flood if a tank breaks. The arguments for water heater maintenance are far more compelling than usual in such situations. Randy Schuyler
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| Posted: Tue May 27th, 2008 08:15 pm |
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5th Post |
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cathy Member
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Thank you for your response. I shall do as you suggested, but I would like to know what the purpose for the second anode is for and would you suggest having the water heater re-routed to the garage....all of the homes in this area have them in the attic (I live in Houston). I do not know why they have them in the attic, it makes me uneasy.
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| Posted: Wed May 28th, 2008 12:08 am |
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6th Post |
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energyexpert Member
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Cathy, The purpose of the second anode rod is the same as the first. Placing two dissimiliar metals in water creates a current to flow. One of the metals gets eaten up. In any situation where you want to protect one metal, in this case the water heater, you choose a metal which is more reactive than the steel. Aluminum, magnisium, etc. The anode get consumed rather than the tank. A second anode gives you better and longer protection than only one anode. Since water runs down hill and the water heater will leak at some point, you stand a chance of getting water below the WH. I don't know your layout but I would be inclined to try to place it somewhere beside the attic, like the garage as you suggested. David
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| Posted: Wed May 28th, 2008 02:46 am |
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7th Post |
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elenano Member
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Ups and downs, pluses and minuses. The attic isn't the greatest place to site a water heater, although it will probably cut your energy bill as it will be hot up there a lot of the time (I've lived in Houston). If you have a rambling house, putting it in the garage, essentially on one end of the house with, perhaps, a bathroom on the other end may mean longer waits for hot water and more radiant heat loss from the pipes. Tell me about your house. One story? Two? Square footage? Where is the kitchen and the bathroom(s)? Randy Schuyler
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| Posted: Wed May 28th, 2008 12:52 pm |
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8th Post |
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cathy Member
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It is a single story 2200sf home. The attached garage is located in the front right side of the home. Through the garage leads to the laundry room across the hall from that is the guest bathroom and on the opposite wall of that is the master bathroom. If you leave the laundry area and go left about 35ft you will be in the kitchen. While getting quotes I am finding that its going to cost a lot more for this attic setup.
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| Posted: Wed May 28th, 2008 06:43 pm |
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9th Post |
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elenano Member
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Well, that doesn't sound too bad, for moving the thing. If you go that route, make sure they insulate the piping. If you find you have a long wait at the farthest faucet for hot water, consider a Metlund D'mans push-button pump. You can come back here later for details on that. I'm not surprised it costs something to replace an attic heater. They have to find a way to hoist the new one in and get the old one out, all while trying to avoid falling through the ceiling.  Randy Schuyler
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| Posted: Thu May 29th, 2008 02:59 am |
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10th Post |
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cathy Member
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Thank you so much Randy for your help. I am much more informed now on something I knew so little about before. Thank you also for easing my fears and I shall recommend this web-site to every homeowner I know.
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| Posted: Thu May 29th, 2008 04:12 am |
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11th Post |
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fishman Member
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I am not anywhere near qualified to offer any advice, but would this work with the attic heater? put the heater in a round rubbermaid cattle troth, they come with a drain hookup pre installed, I think its 2" ...then just hook into an existing drain, or run it direct outside and down the side of the house, a union would stop air flow into the home I think. that way if the tank leaked the water would simply drain away and the cattle troth can handle any temp the heater can dish out so that is a non issue. Troth can be had for under a $100.00, they are almost indestructable so it would never have to be replaced, even it a tank leaked out. Different sizes are available so it should be possible to tailor fit one to most applications. Workable? Last edited on Thu May 29th, 2008 04:17 am by fishman |
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