water heater vs. water heater

[JerseyMike]

Nat. Gas 40gal; A.O. Smith vs. Bradford White, both are similar in cost including installation. i currently have a A.O.Smith 40gal installed in Feb'94 but the dip tube fell apart and has been causing problems for a couple years now and the T&P valve leaks from time to time. serviceman came out yesterday and said the unit itself looks to be in great shape and the burner is working perfectly as well as the thermostat. he recommended to replace the dip tube and T&P valve, flush out the waterheater (he seemed to think this should give me at least another 6-8 years of excellent efficient use) and the hot water lines leading thru the house to get rid of anything that might have collected in the line fromthe deteriorated dip tube. the repair will cost $500.00 and the new waterheaters are $750.00. if my soldering experience was better i'd put in a new water heater myself but i don't wanna thake that chance, IMO there are times when some things are better left up tot he pros.

thanks for any input...

mike................

[No]

Why not give it a go yorrself. T&P valve is about a $10 part. Not sure on dip tup but well under $100 for sure. A wrench and a half an hour your done. Flushing lines is draining and refilling tank and removing airtator screens from faucets and letting the water run for a while. $500 is probably a fair price for having a pro do it but I certainly wouldn't pay that knowing that parts would be less than $100 total and I could do it in under 1/2 hour.

I know a pastor who had a faulty pressure relief valve. The valve was plumbed to a drain that ran under floor. All he knew was that the floor was hot and it wasn't normally. Tile fllor on slab construction. The plumber told him he would have to jack hammer up the tile and the concrete to "fix the leak" in the hot water pipe in the slab. This was right after one of the FL hurricaines. All the trades were charging big $$$. I was doing emergency relief work, this pastor was coordinating volunteers. I fixed the water heater for about $7 in about 10 minutes with no jackhammer. It took me longer to explain to the pastor what the problem was and to get the part at Lowes than it did to fix it. Whats the point of my story? Not sure. It seemed like a weird thing to be fixing when there were hundreds of people without roofs, houses destroyed, etc. If I didn't fix it he would have paid out the nose to a hack and wouldn't have been able to focus on his responsibilities as a pastor in a disaster area. So, I guess my point is, fix it yourself if you can, have the plumber do it if you have better uses of your time and money.

Good luck.

[Bubba]

This one is easy.. You evidentially have an 11 yr old water heater and are considering a $500 repair to it?? If you cant figure this one out, you needent even bother to attempt a repair yourself. Have your wife make the decision. Its like golf. Go up to the red tee and pull your pants down while you swing. Bubba

[Roger Shoaf]

$500? I suggest you read a little here:

They will explain how to fix your own heater and make it last.

To install a dip tube you need a pipe wrench to unscrew the inlet nipple and a new dip tube. No soldering required. You could do this yourself in about an hour, and the dip tube should be cheap.

If you unscrew the screens on your faucets all you need do is turn on the water and any crud will blow right out. Clean the screen and replace. If they are calcified, soak overnight in vinegar.

[JerseyMike]

any good input for which water heater is better than the other?? my main question was is the AO Smith better than the Bradford White??

mike...........

[willshak]

On 1/7/2005 12:00 PM US(ET), JerseyMike took fingers to keys, and typed the following:

They are all probably of the same quality when made by a well known mfg. My OA Smith, 40 gal., propane fired, water heater is just over 5 years old and still working. The previous one was 9 years old when I replaced it, but I don't remember the brand. I don't know anything about BW.

[JerseyMike]

my water heater is in my basement and the ceiling is only 84" (7'). the top of the water heater is 57" off the floor leaving only 27" of free space. the way i understand a dip tube is that (it is not rigid and semi-flexible) it runs to almost the bottom of the tank. it's 45" from top of tank to drain. so unless the dip tube is less than 35" (to fit between the joist to the subfloor) the water heater has to be tilted to give me more clearance, plus i thought the dip tube was directly under the cold water supply, which would need to be cut to get the dip tube out.

the plumbing supply service said the dip tube is between 36"and 42".

looks like i'll be going w/ a new heater unless i can find someone who can solder, besides the cold water supply line is soldered to the nipple that would let the dip tube out, unless ther e is a coupling i'm missing.

mike...........

[No]

The thing we are talking about, I think, is an anode rod. They are not connected to the cold water supply. Just look for a big nut on top of the tank. Unscrew it, out will come the rod. Thats what needs replaced. You can bend the old one if need be to get it out. They make new ones that are like a blind persons folding cane so you can get them in there w/o tipping the tank.

If you DIY this is a very easy, no soldering required, project that would cost you probably close to $30. It will breath some life into you water heater and let you spend the $$ else where. I think it wold be a waste to get a new heater just ecause you need a new rod and valve.

Rod info...

I doubt you need a dip tube.

[JerseyMike]

it's the dip tube....it's been falling apart for years now. there was a big problem w/ heaters made in time i had mine installed and i misssd out on all the class action stuff to have it repaired and taken care of. so i guess it'll be a new Bradford White for us.

mike..........

[willshak]

On 1/7/2005 1:46 PM US(ET), No took fingers to keys, and typed the following:

No, they are talking about the dip tube, a plastic pipe that directs the cold water inlet to the bottom of the water heater, so it doesn't cool off the hot water at the top of the tank. They used to be made of a metallic material, but now they use plastic pipe. Some earlier plastic pipe was manufactured with materials that disintegrated when exposed to the hot water for long periods. When they disintegrated, or broke off completely in the tank, small particles clogged the faucet/showerhead/appliance screens and the hot water wasn't that hot because the cold water was no lnger being directed to the bottom of the tank and was mixing with the hot water in the top of the tank, cooling it off.

[No]

Ah, OK. Dip tube, I know what it is, I would just expect an anode rod to go first. replacing dip tube would be a bit harder and probably require some soldering. Personally, I would still have at it. OP may not be as adverturesome.

-B

[Joseph Meehan]

$500.00 !!!!!! FOR WHAT?

I have a A.O. Smith, the diptube was replaced years ago. Since it was part of the class action, the cost was zero. Total time in my home could not have been more than 30 minutes including BS time. He did replace the tube and flush the tank. I took care of the rest of the pipes, just remove the strainer and run the hot on full for a few seconds.

BTW I am not sure I would pay even $100 for an 11 year old heater. most make it about 15 years, but you local will make a big difference, the water can make 10 years a good life or 20 may be normal.

[Roger Shoaf]

There are two ways a dip tube is installed, one is the drop in method where the shoulder of the dip tube is directly below the cold inlet and you just wedge a stick into the hole and work it out or the other kind they roll over the edge and you just take a 7/8 hole saw knock off the edge and then proceed as in the earlier case.

As far as his overhead clearance goes, the dip tube is plastic it might very well flex around enough to pop in.

[willshak]

On 1/7/2005 4:08 PM US(ET), No took fingers to keys, and typed the following:

It would be a real adventure if the old tube had broken into larger pieces. There's no way they would come out of the drain valve during a flush of the tank. They may also get stuck in the drain valve preventing the closure of the valve. Even if not, the pieces would continue to disintegrate and pass through the water lines to clog the faucet screens. At least, the water would be hot with a new dip tube, but the faucet screens would require regular cleaning to allow the hot water to run from the faucets. Best to just change the whole tank.

[default]

If you replace the water heater, you need to disconnect and remove the old one. If you can disconnect and remove the old one, then you can replace the dip tube, and so you don't need a new one.

[Joseph Meehan]

One additional note. I suggest you shop around, that price for a new one sounds high to me.

[JerseyMike]

i called around yesterday and got phone prices from 3 companies and 1 company actually sent a guy out to see what was the problem, that was the company i got the info on about repairing the AO Smith. the 5 other companies i called never returned my phone call as of this time so i guess i'm going w/ the company that sent a guy out. all the prices are w/in $75.00 of each other for a new install.

mike..........

[JerseyMike]

my soldering experience i minimal at best and w/ my luck i would end up w/ an emergency call to a plumber anyway.

mike............

[Bob S.]

semi-flexible)

clearance,

You don't need to know how to solder anymore. They now have a copper assembly where you cut the existing pipe at a convenient place, screw the new assembly onto your cold WH inlet, slide the compression fitting over the cut pipe, tighten, and you're all done. It is corrigated to bend into the shape you need also. Available where you buy water heaters.

[JerseyMike]

get out...a flexible copper line?! i guess it looks like the flex. stainless gas lines. i never heard of that. it sounds like something i might be able to deal with. thanks for the info.

mike..........