Repair Or Replace My Hot Water Heater?
Posted on | December 7, 2009 | 6 Comments
I have a 9 year old Bradford White gas water heater. It just started overflowing hot water and partially flooded my basement. Should I have someone out to try to fix it or should I just get a new one?
We have lots of minerals in our water.
If I get a new one, are there any available that are less prone to breaking due to high mineral content?
Are the tankless water heaters worth the extra money?
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6 Responses to “Repair Or Replace My Hot Water Heater?”
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December 8th, 2009 @ 2:04 am
Just replacing the T&P relief valve is a good repair option. And not expensive to do. Doing this will extend your water heater’s service life.
Your relief line from this should be piped to a drain, to bring it up to code. If there is no drain it can be a little more expensive, but you can run it to a sump pump and then to a drain, or to the outside.
As far as the tankless water heater, you will have to install a filter system before the tankless to remove the sediments from your water source. All tankless water heaters have problems with hard water, and will have to be repaired more often.
December 8th, 2009 @ 5:35 am
High mineral content means you have a lot of build up on the bottom of your tank. This robs your heaters ability to transfer heat efficiently, go for a new one.
My company installs a lot of tankless water heaters and our clients love them. They are an investment to get one that will do the job you desire. The advantages are, they will last 2-3 times longer than a tank type and consume 40-50% less fuel.
The disadvantage, upfront cost is higher, they must be flushed annually. If you go tankless, skip the box store and go with a quality unit. Return rate at box store is around 50% because they sell units that will not handle most homes. A unit like ours would enable you with endless hot water. Your investment for a great tankless with installation, in our area, is around $2700.00 to $3500, depending on particulars. Our standard tank type runs around $980.00. Hope this helps.
December 8th, 2009 @ 9:36 am
Depends on where it is leaking from. If it is coming from the pressure relief valve on the water heater, either there is too much pressure built up (over heating?) or a bad valve and very simple to replace. If it is leaking out the bottom of the water heater, it is definitely time to replace it. No matter which option you choose, be sure to flush it occasionally.
December 8th, 2009 @ 5:11 pm
If your water has a high mineral content it is likely there is significant mineral build-up in your tank after 9 years. You may have noticed the water temperature declining in the past, and perhaps you increased the set temperature to compensate, if so this can increase the rate of mineral build-up in the tank. After 9 years it’s likely the tank has started leaking so your only option is to replace your heater. However, if the leak is from the T&P valve this may indicate a high pressure condition caused by mineral build-up, this can be more dangerous than a simple leak, the heater should be looked at ASAP.
Mineral build-up problems can be even more problematic with tankless heaters which use a small ID tubing heat exchanger to heat the water while it flows; these narrow tubes will become blocked with mineral build-up and the heater will stop working. In either case you could use an in-line water softener on the incoming water line to your heater. You could also try one of the new electronic water treatment systems like Easy Water, which claim to remove solids from the water without the use of salts or chemicals.
December 8th, 2009 @ 2:58 pm
You can get a pretty good residential hot water heater for less than $300 installed, and it will have a warranty. My guess is that a repair bill will run you around $100.
As far as the high mineral content goes, have you considered installing a water-softener? It will protect the hot water heater and also make your showers more pleasant. Good luck!
December 8th, 2009 @ 9:44 pm
I’d get a new one for the simple fact that the technology is better on newer models. Most offer a better efficiency at heating the water and you end up saving money on your electric and water bills. I don’t know about minerals, but I’m sure a salesperson could help you out.
We are waiting for ours to bite it. My husband wants one of those water heaters that only heat as much as you use. Very efficient.