Hot Water Heater Leaking

[Townhallsavoy]

Home help -

My hot water heater is dripping from the bottom . It's about a drop every two seconds, and the water is hitting the burner prior to running down to the bottom and onto the floor.

I've already placed a service order through American Homeshield, but they can't come until Tuesday.

Is it safe to keep the gas burning when there's a leak? And if I've already shut the gas off, is it safe to relight the pilot with a small leak?

[Kaos]

Home help -

My hot water heater is dripping from the bottom . It's about a drop every two seconds, and the water is hitting the burner prior to running down to the bottom and onto the floor.

I've already placed a service order through American Homeshield, but they can't come until Tuesday.

Is it safe to keep the gas burning when there's a leak? And if I've already shut the gas off, is it safe to relight the pilot with a small leak?

If you're heating hot water, you're probably doing it wrong. 

[Townhallsavoy]

If you're heating hot water, you're probably doing it wrong.

Fucking hell, man.  The ice cold shower I took this morning has me confused. 

[Kaos]

Fucking hell, man.  The ice cold shower I took this morning has me confused.

Sorry.  Wisecracks are unhelpful. 

Cold shower?  I'm sure the missus appreciated it.

My knowledge of water heater repair is "Hello Lowes?  What time can you be here with a new one?"

[Buzz Killington]

A little dripping water shouldn't affect the gas, but I am no HVAC expert either.

[Townhallsavoy]

A little dripping water shouldn't affect the gas, but I am no HVAC expert either.

I'm worried about the tank busting at this point.

I just spoke to AHS and stated that this was an emergency since the inlet valve is jammed.  I can't stop the water from leaking, and if it busts, the wall to my finished basement is fucked. 

Of course, AHS said it's not an emergency, and that Quality Plumbing has every right to schedule me up to five business days from the time the call is made.

[GarMan]

I'm worried about the tank busting at this point.

I just spoke to AHS and stated that this was an emergency since the inlet valve is jammed.  I can't stop the water from leaking, and if it busts, the wall to my finished basement is effed. 

Of course, AHS said it's not an emergency, and that Quality Plumbing has every right to schedule me up to five business days from the time the call is made.

It's doubtful that it's going to bust.  How old is the water heater? 

[Townhallsavoy]

It's doubtful that it's going to bust.  How old is the water heater?

20+ years.

Sorry.  16 years.

[GarMan]

20+ years.

Sorry.  16 years.

Wow...  That's up there.  I recently replaced mine that was also about 16 years old.  It's time to replace yours.  Leave everything on/functioning and put a pan, bucket or towel underneath it to catch the dripping water.  Check it every several hours to make sure that the leak isn't any worse and confirm that you're able to catch the water from doing any other damage to your house.  Nothing is going to bust unless you start hammering on it or try loosening/tightening pipe fittings or valves.  You should be fine for days/weeks/months depending on the extent of the leak.

If the pilot goes out, just relight it to keep the water hot for showers and "stuff".  If the water starts to affect the pilot, there's a check valve that should automatically shut the gas off when the pilot goes out, so you should be fine.  Don't worry too much about water dripping on the burner, but I wouldn't let that go too long... as in months.  The water could cause the burner to rust and result in a little carbon monoxide.  You don't want to be responsible for global warming. 

What is American Homeshield?  You might do better just calling Lowes or Home Depot.  Better yet, go shopping for a new water heater this weekend and see if you can schedule installation next week.  I think I paid about $1,000 last year to replace a 40 gallon.  That included installation along with removal/disposal of the old one.  I did get a higher end model, but you should plan on spending at least $800 for a 40 gallon. 

Hope this helps... 

[BZ770]

You should be fine till monday.  The scale buildup in the bottom has caused the inside of the tank to flake up.  It will give way soon but if it's just a drip then the water has just found a small crack.  You may want to hook up a water hose to the drain valve and have it rolled up so that you could get it to a sink fastin an emergency.

[Saniflush]

I think you should begin hitting it with a twelve pound sledge and see what happens.

[Token]

The drip is going to put the pilot out and your gas is going to continue to run.  It will run all the way up to the point when the repair guy shows up and knocks on your door.  Of course, he won't be able to get in because you'll have died in your sleep from carbon monoxide poisoning.  After standing outside of  your door for a few minutes playing "angry birds" on his droid, he'll make a note of a gas smell (which he will assume is your tank leaking) and will put in a request for someone else to come at a later date.  It won't be until 9 days after you've passed on that a family member will call the local authorities with concerns of your whereabouts. 

But hey, who wants to take cold showers?  Turn that heat gauge to "super kamehameha" and go to sleep.  Everything will be fine.

[CCTAU]

$1000? Shit. I need to be in the water heater business.

Several years ago on Christmas Eve, mine went out. I got to home depot before closing and picked up a new 50 gal heater for like $250. The hardest part was getting the old one drained and removed. The rest was just fitting and soldering. Took about 3 hours.

If your are gonna drop a wad, have the guy install a hw recirculating pump also. They coat about $200 and you will have hw at all faucets within like 10 seconds.

Keep in mind that since it is so old, you will probably need an expansion tank added. I call bs on those things, but the gubment added them to the code.

You can keep running for a few days. The tank is rusted and leaking. It will blow the Pressure release valve before it ever explodes.

Any ole plumber can do the job. Ask around. There has to be one a friend knows who needs the work.

[GarMan]

Having recently priced them, I didn't find any gas water heaters in the $250 range.  The 40 gallon models seem to start in the $400-450 range and go up from there.  Everything is automatic on my new one, and yes...  They had to upgrade some items to meet the new gubm'et codes, probably resulting in the added expense.  Like I said, plan on spending between $800-1000. 

I don't think the HW pump can be easily installed in an existing home.  You need to run parallel plumbing for all of the hot water feeds in the house to make that work properly. 

[Token]

If you go to the power company and tell them you'd like to swap from gas to electric, they will give you a new tank.

[Townhallsavoy]

Having recently priced them, I didn't find any gas water heaters in the $250 range.  The 40 gallon models seem to start in the $400-450 range and go up from there.  Everything is automatic on my new one, and yes...  They had to upgrade some items to meet the new gubm'et codes, probably resulting in the added expense.  Like I said, plan on spending between $800-1000. 

I don't think the HW pump can be easily installed in an existing home.  You need to run parallel plumbing for all of the hot water feeds in the house to make that work properly.

American Home Shield is a home warranty company.  $40 a month and a $60 deductible.   

They're a pain in the ass to use, but it does save money.  For example, last summer our air conditioner went out.  It took three appointments to finally get the company they hired to admit I needed a new unit, but all I paid was $60 and received a brand new air conditioner. 

I'm sure this will be a pain in the ass too to get fixed/replaced, but in the end, this service will only cost $60 instead of $500+. 

[Townhallsavoy]

If you go to the power company and tell them you'd like to swap from gas to electric, they will give you a new tank.

You just blew my mind. 

Any idea if an electric water heater is cheaper/more expensive than a gas?

[Saniflush]

If you go to the power company and tell them you'd like to swap from gas to electric, they will give you a new tank.

If you go to  construction site you can pick one up pretty cheap as well.

[Buzz Killington]

If you go to  construction site you can pick one up pretty cheap as well.

While you're there, you can pick up some copper pipe as well and make a little extra money.

[GarMan]

You just blew my mind. 

Any idea if an electric water heater is cheaper/more expensive than a gas? 

Probably a little cheaper right now with the high fuel prices, but that could change at any time.