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Siliconemelons

Siliconemelons

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Water heater is acting meh... going to drain it tomorrow and replace it's elements.

Any suggestion on the loop back coil and wavy zig zag ones? They don't seem to be more "efficient" just "last longer and less hot spots?"

I have a water softener so I general there is not much sediment - it's just been at least 4 years since a drain out and I am getting hoter water if I let hot water run for a bit, like do some dishes, then give it a few min, then take a shower - vs if I just go take a shower.

Could that be thermostat? Most likely the bottom element per normal.

So just going to do a drain and replace them both.

Just wondering if the curved low density is worth 2x the cost per element. I only would care about effecancy not longevity
 
iannis

iannis

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Why do women always expect home repairs or remodels to be free?

It's the weirdest fucking thing.
 
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Dandai

Dandai

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I didn’t see any indication of how much Xadion expects to pay in that post.
 
iannis

iannis

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You can get a perfectly fine residential water heater down here for like 4-800 bucks that should last 15+ years. Installing them is super easy... easier than cleaning them and replacing components. And if you talk to someone at the place you buy it, they have dump bins for the old whitegoods so you don't even have to make a trip to the county dump.

But our winters are very mild and I don't have any fancy uses for hot water in the house like radiant heating or anything. So maybe it makes more sense to fix it than replace it.
 
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Siliconemelons

Siliconemelons

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Dandai said:
I didn’t see any indication of how much Xadion expects to pay in that post.
Click to expand...

Oh you!


Lol


New elements are 8$ "fancy" elements are 20$ each...

It takes 10 min to turn off power and water, drain it halfway, swap the elements- dry everything down and turn it all back on.

Apparently I had more sediment than I thought (again it's been at least 4 years... and a small drain should be done 1 to 2 times a year) - as the sidewalk it drained out of is all chalky white - Now that it has dried and I looked at it.


Edit: I forgot to mentioned I drained a little of it today just to see if I had lots of sedentary crap.

Guess once I look at the element stats so I can buy the proper watt etc. I'll just do the drain and swap - it needs to be done anywho and 20$ for new elements is not bad even if the ones I replace were just "worn" and not "dead"
 
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iannis

iannis

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If there's sediment in it maybe the components are fine and you don't have to replace them.

Could just be dirt was gunking up your heat distribution.
 
P

Picasso3

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The wavy elements are lower watt density to slow scaling if your water is hard.

Important to keep time frame in mind, if you've gotten 5+ years out of cheap elements the next set will probably outlive your water heater.
 
Siliconemelons

Siliconemelons

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Yeah we are 4ish years in this house and we have never drained it - and God knows how old it is, or when it was last drained.

I have heard of sediment being so thick and nasty it won't even drain- but mine started fine.

16$ for new standard elements- may as well swap em while I drain- as I know that needs to be done- just going to do a full flush because it well over due.

Yeah going cheap vs the fancy wavy ones- they are not more efficient, don't care about longevity- as I plan on getting a heat pump one in a few years and cool my attic with it for insulation purposes or..who knows ;)
 
lurker

lurker

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Another $30 will get you 2 new thermostats. Don't forget the anode rod, if you have/need one.
 
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Picasso3

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I think sediment plays a much larger role in gas water heaters because the sediment insulates against the flame. In electric the elements are elevated.
 
Siliconemelons

Siliconemelons

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Yeah there is a 30$ set, 2 elements and 2 thermostats - may just do it all while its all powered off and drained.

Electric elements create lime scale or somesuch crap due to their very high tempature - that is why the lower heat density options "last longer" because a: less surface temp and b: larger surface area to have to scale up etc.

time to youtubes a thermo swap and see if i do want to do it :)
 
Lanx

Lanx

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ha, one of my first homeowner things was to change the anode rod, i remember coming on here going, "holy shit, this thing is stuck", telling me to buy a breaker bar, (which i eventually did, cuz of the car tho) i think i was able to break it with a impact driver and then just hammering away on the ratchet. rod was down to nothing, i think i posted pics. it is about time for my yearly flush soon, i think i'll still do the white vinegar wash too.
 
Siliconemelons

Siliconemelons

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What toss a gal of white vinegar into the damn thing when I take the rod out? Keep it in fill it up then drain via spouts, or drain the vinegar through the bottom? - I may as well do everything while its powered off and dumped.

also, because I am potato, my upper thermostat was turned up and did not match my lower... I am sure this caused all sorts of imbalance and increased power costs... so I fixed that while I was in there to look at the elements and find out their specs.

its a 3500w 204v element, so glad I didn't buy those 4500w "standard" ones and tossed them in! and the 3500w ones are cheaper like 6$ vs 8$ lol - anoed rod 18$ shipped 2 day free prime, huzzah.
 
Lanx

Lanx

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Xadion said:
What toss a gal of white vinegar into the damn thing when I take the rod out? Keep it in fill it up then drain via spouts, or drain the vinegar through the bottom? - I may as well do everything while its powered off and dumped.

also, because I am potato, my upper thermostat was turned up and did not match my lower... I am sure this caused all sorts of imbalance and increased power costs... so I fixed that while I was in there to look at the elements and find out their specs.

its a 3500w 204v element, so glad I didn't buy those 4500w "standard" ones and tossed them in! and the 3500w ones are cheaper like 6$ vs 8$ lol - anoed rod 18$ shipped 2 day free prime, huzzah.
Click to expand...
yea the vinegar descales the calcium and other stuff stuck in the tank. Flushing will just get rid of all the loose sediments, the vinegar will break up the accumulation at the bottom. (since you're also replacing the elements, you don't have to worry about that).

But the easiest way to get the vinegar into the tank is through the anode rod. Turn off all the power, flush the tank, and drain completely. then pour a few gallons of vingar and let it sit for a day, then flush again.
https://www.hunker.com/12420324/how-to-clean-a-hot-water-heater-with-vinegar

it'll probably come out "milky" for you since you got the softener.
 
ToeMissile

ToeMissile

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Xadion said:
Water heater is acting meh... going to drain it tomorrow and replace it's elements.

Any suggestion on the loop back coil and wavy zig zag ones? They don't seem to be more "efficient" just "last longer and less hot spots?"

I have a water softener so I general there is not much sediment - it's just been at least 4 years since a drain out and I am getting hoter water if I let hot water run for a bit, like do some dishes, then give it a few min, then take a shower - vs if I just go take a shower.

Could that be thermostat? Most likely the bottom element per normal.

So just going to do a drain and replace them both.

Just wondering if the curved low density is worth 2x the cost per element. I only would care about effecancy not longevity
Click to expand...
Need to look into mine as well.

The water heater is about 5 years old, having a similar issue with water not get as hot as fast as before. I definitely haven't flushed the tank since it was put in. Not many things as first world shitty as a luke warm shower during a southern california winter :D
 
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Siliconemelons

Siliconemelons

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Yeah the anode rod comes in today, so I haven't flushed or replaced elements yet, doing it alll at once Monday morning when no one is here and I won't hear my wife complain of no hot water for a few hours.

Also, it was the cheapest on amazon and it was magnesium rather than standard aluminum - as we know aluminum is not good for human innards...so okay.
 
lurker

lurker

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In AZ I have a neighbor lady that used to complain that her water heater didn't work as well in the winter. She based this on the fact that in winter she had to turn the shower handle farther in the hot direction than she would in the summer months to achieve the same useable setting. What really happens is that the cold water in winter is really cold, like 35-40 degree cold and it takes less of it and more heated water to achieve shower temp vs. in the summer when cold water is more like 60 degrees.
 
Big Phoenix

Big Phoenix

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So theres no way this is code right? Pipe coming up from ground on the left is the feed pipe to my house. Pipe going to the right is going to a siphon valve for my sprinkler system. Theres no shutoff valve on the line that feeds the sprinkler system so if I want to do anything on my sprinkler system I have to shut off the water to my house. Im no plumber but that doesnt sound right.

20190209_171352.jpg


Basically the anti siphon valve wore out finally. I dunno how but the control cap on it ended up seriously deforming so it started leaking. I was just going to buy the same valve and replace the caps but I couldnt get the caps off a new valve so I ended up just cutting the damn thing off a capping that line altogether. I dont use it at all so nothing lost other than an hour of my time and some water.

Which leads to a second question; when I completely shut off water to the house there was still a little bit of water flowing out of that line. How bad is that?
 
lurkingdirk

lurkingdirk

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So a couple of things

1. where the hell are you? That's your water feed to your house? In a zone where it freezes that's a major problem.
2. you always want a shut off between the main and everything.
3. it's not surprising that you have some leakage when you turn that off. It's an old shut off, and one that is prone to leakage. I'd replace it with a ball valve, and I'd put one before your sprinkler system, too.
 
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