One of two water heaters in my 15-year old house is not heating. The breaker is not tripped. The last heater I installed (about 20 years ago) was connected with copper pipe. This house is plumbed with PVC and CPVC. I like soldering copper, but this plastic shart scares me. What do I need to know?
Unless its leaking there probably is no reason to replace it. They have electric water heater "rebuild kits" at the big box stores. They come with two new elements and two new thermostats. I cant remember exactly how much they are but i know its less than $50. Go see what wattage yours is and get one that is close. Drain the water heater, the elements just screw in (they are a big hex, cant remember the size but if you dont have a big socket set the store will have a special wrench for it), and the thermostat just has a clip holding it on. Its a super simple job.
EDIT; Although it probably goes without saying, Turn the breaker off before you start.
In reply to gearheadmb :
I've never known one to last more than 15 years before the tank leaks. I'd be very reluctant to put any money into repairing it for that reason. That's pretty much the lifespan of the tank itself. I've already had to replace the pressure tank. Did that a few years ago. I think well water tends to eat plumbing faster than that so-called "water" provided by municipal systems.
Edit: A quick google indicates average life expectancy of a tank-type water heater to be 8 to 12 years, so I've used this puppy up.
Well in that case pvc and cpvc are easy. Cut it with a hack saw, deburr it with a pocket knife, make sure its fairly clean and dry, smear the purple primer on both halves of the joint, then glue on both halves, push them together and twist while you do it. From primer to finished needs to happen FAST because the glue starts hardening really quickly. Hold it in place for around 30 seconds because for whatever reason they try to push themselves apart. Wipe off the excess. The glue can will tell you how long to wait before turning the water back on. Note that pvc and cpvc use different fittings. Also note that you arent supposed to use pvc or cpvc directly to the water heater. I cant remember the spec but it was like 18 or 24 inches of metal pipe before you switch to plastic, so if you dont have that now would be a good time to change it.
Just pony up for the 18-24” braided stainless water heater connector hoses with a sharkbite on the end to hook up to the cpvc you cut off. Be gentle too, that stuff gets brittle with age. I’ve broken old cpvc just thinking about looking at it wrong
gearheadmb said:Unless its leaking there probably is no reason to replace it. They have electric water heater "rebuild kits" at the big box stores. They come with two new elements and two new thermostats. I cant remember exactly how much they are but i know its less than $50. Go see what wattage yours is and get one that is close. Drain the water heater, the elements just screw in (they are a big hex, cant remember the size but if you dont have a big socket set the store will have a special wrench for it), and the thermostat just has a clip holding it on. Its a super simple job.
Once I gain access to the unit, I may actually give this a shot. I suspect the thermostat is fried, or the elements open. The kit from Lowe's gets good reviews. My biggest concern is draining the tank and removing the old elements. It wouldn't surprise me if the heater was half-full of sediment.
I would replace a 15 year old water heater.
NermalSnert said:I would replace a 15 year old water heater.
You are undoubtedly correct! Lost my head there for a second. It's the cheapskate in me.
NermalSnert said:I would replace a 15 year old water heater.
This right here .....unless you're feeling frisky about running a garden hose to somewhere and hoping that said drain is also not clogged with sediment...then have at it, but if it's partially full regardless of where it sits, expect a back wrenching exercise to extricate.....mine was upstairs(Tx). Sliding it down the folding stairway is something I don't want to repeat nor did I when it came time again...4 years ago
In reply to 759NRNG :
Yah, I'm pretty much hosed either way if I can't drain it. It's behind a wall in the laundry room, under a flight of stairs. Not particularly easy to access.
A few years ago I learned that glued CPVC joints need some time to cure. In my case, 15 minutes wasn’t enough and the first return of water pressure turned into an accidental indoor waterfall. I replaced it with copper at that point so I really don’t know how long CPVC needs to cure.
Joints in PVC on the other hand cure fast.
Patrick said:Just pony up for the 18-24” braided stainless water heater connector hoses with a sharkbite on the end to hook up to the cpvc you cut off. Be gentle too, that stuff gets brittle with age. I’ve broken old cpvc just thinking about looking at it wrong
+1 for this. They make replacing an electric water heater a fairly self-explanatory task for a reasonably competent DIYer. Adding shut-off valves to the inlet and outlet piping if they don't exist may make it easier the next you have to do this. You should be able to drain the tank from the valve at least enough to get it out of the house. This is one reason why it's nice to have an appliance hand-truck around. Makes getting the heavy beast up the basement stairs a lot easier.
This thread is cementing why I don't mess with plumbing.
Okay, since I know all of you are delaying your Saturday mornings waiting for an update:
I have uncovered the beast. It's a 40-gallon A.O. Smith shorty. The aluminum drip pan contains a good bit of what I'm guessing is evaporated mineral deposit, but is essentially dry, but for a tiny bit of moisture under the stub from the pressure-relief. Bottom of the unit shows evidence of rusting, but I'm not certain if it was caused from the inside due to tank perforation or from the outside due to water in the drip pan.
Supply piping is CPVC, manufactured in 2001. I am blessed with a 1/4-turn CPVC cutoff valve in the supply line. The piping is CPVC right up to the points of connection on the heater. I've called this a 15-year old heater, but given that the C.O. was issued in 2001, it's either a 17- or 18-year old heater.
I have taken the relative dimensions. I am now going to drain it and go to procure its replacement. Yes, I have turned off the circuit breaker and verified a lack of voltage at the supply with a VOM.
General strategy will be to cut the pipe connections and make the connection to the new unit with flexible metal connectors made for that purpose.
I have done several over the years. Both gas and electric. No issues at all. And yes replace it if 10 years or older. Much easier to change a water heater on your terms then have it brake just before a holiday with guests over. Oh and then there is dewatering your basement when it lets go and you don’t find it for a day or two.
When you get to the nitty-gritty of the R&R you may want to turn the water off at the street also, lest you accidently snap a pvc fitting. Ask me how I know :)
If you can't get it to drain, I used a female to female hose connector like this - hose coupling - to clear the drain on mine.
One hose to the water heater outlet and one to an outside faucet. Close the water inlet to the water heater. Open the water heater drain and a hot water faucet in the house - If you can, a hot water faucet in a tub would work better than a sink. If you use a sink, pull the aerator from the inside faucet - if this works, there will be a lot of crap coming out.
Turn on the outside faucet. Watch the inside faucet. When it has run for a bit (assuming it does), turn off the outside faucet, disconnect the hose coupling, and let the tank drain. Might have to do it again if it clogs before it is empty.
The stuff that drained from mine had some rust, so you might want to drain it where that won't create a problem...
z31maniac said:This thread is cementing why I don't mess with plumbing.
I don't like it either, but I've learned to deal with it when I have to. Designing and installing the supply and drain systems for my ex's house addition helped to make me more comfortable with plumbing. But "comfortable" doesn't mean I like it.
And it pays to drain and flush just like on the instructions.....who knew?!?!?!!??? 
PVC and CPVC are pretty easy to work with, and it is hard to have leaking joints. The solvent cement is pretty foolproof.
It works much like model cement. The solvent actually dissolves the PVC, so once the glue is gone it is pretty much one piece.
I will also put in a hug nod for Shark Bite fittings. Those things are amazing.
Well, it's in place and hooked up. I haven't switched on the breaker as yet. I've got a very slow leak at the hot water outlet nipple, and tightening it isn't making it better. I think I've got a bad fitting. Annoying. Brand new part doesn't work as advertised.
Did you use a brand new brass nipple at the outlet? Pipe dope or tape? This is why I find plumbing flustrating
TRoglodyte said:Did you use a brand new brass nipple at the outlet? Pipe dope or tape? This is why I find plumbing flustrating
Hmmm? Water heater nipple is brand new, part of the water heater. Connector is brand new. Rubber washered "hose" type connection on one end, sharkbite attached to CPVC on the other. The second time I put it together, I used pipe tape. It slow-leaked for a couple of minutes. Been dry now for near 24 hours.
One surprise I got from the experience. The aluminum pan under the old heater had a jagged hole about 8" across where the rusty bottom of the heater rested on it. Apparently the discharge from the T & P safety valve caused the metal bottom of the heater to rust, which ate the aluminum. The T & P valve was dumping into the pan.
In reading the directions that came with the new heater ( ! ), I found that they require that the T & P valve be plumbed to the outside, or to a floor drain, and not dumped into the pan. Who knew?
Given that this heater is pretty much in the middle of my house, can I tee it into the pan drain? I guess I'd have to do that in the vertical under the floor, as plumbing it into the horizontal above the floor would just allow it to run back into the pan, and we'd be right back where we were.
Other than that, it's heating water. Really not bad once I got the old heater drained and out.
Sounds like I'm later to the game, but a couple of things to point out. You are not suppose(code) to have any plastic water piping withing 18" of the tank connections. The first few inches of piping can get extra hot and cause the plastic to fail. If this does happen, the insurance company can deny your claim. This does not include the temp/pressure relief valve. That discharge tube can be plastic. Secondly, all newer water heater tanks are larger than their pre 2014 predecessors. This is because of new regulations mandating increased insulation between tank and jacket. Don't just assume a 40 gallon tank will fit where the last 40 gallon tank did. The T&P can be piped to the floor unless its located above living space.
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