Water Heater Sediment Cleaning

[rbattelle]

I have an electric water heater and recently the lower element burned out. I've removed the old element in preparation for installing the new element, but there's a few inches of sediment at the bottom of the tank.



The hole for the heating element is roughly 1. 5" in diameter, so there's not much space to get anything in there, least of all a vacuum cleaner hose.



Anyone have any suggestions for cleaning out some of the sediment before I install the new element?



On edit: anything wrong with using some plumber's silicone on the o-ring for the new element prior to installation? None of the instructions I've seen mention it, but it seems to me it'd be good to prevent rust.



-Ryan

 

[HoleshotHolset]

I ran into the same thing with my electric water heater... right after I moved into the house.



I cut a piece of garden hose and duct taped it to the shop-vac's hose. Using that setup pulled out a LOT of crud, but it was slow going since the little hose kept clogging up.



Matt

 

[rbattelle]

Great suggestion Matt. And you're right - it's slow going. I'm starting with 5/8" heater hose, which helps. I'll move to smaller stuff to get in the corners later.



At least at this point I can see the bottom of the tank! And I can see the dip tube now, too! I'm hoping for a big improvement in efficiency from cleaning this crud out.



-Ryan

 

[HoleshotHolset]

Cool - let us know how it all works out.



Matt

 

[rbattelle]

Well, I finished vacuuming... basically just decided "that's good enough". Put in the element, turned on the water, element leaked from the o-ring.



The instructions for the element said "tighten element with wrench". Didn't say anything about HOW MUCH to tighten it, and I'm always nervous about o-rings because they really don't like to be overtightened. But I did the only thing I could do - I cranked it down more.



I *think* it's stopped leaking now. But I swear whenever I make a connection I can easily hallucinate ultra-slow leaks around it.



I'm so paranoid.



-Ryan

 

[rbattelle]

Job's done... I hope. Leaks are cleared up, and the heater appears to be back to full functionality. I thought I'd post a couple pics of the 4 GALLONS of CRUD I extracted from the bottom of the tank. Also a picture of the lower heating element (which prompted this unwelcomed adventure). The heating element had cracked open and swelled in several places, and there are actually BURN MARKS in various portions of it. It was quite obvious on removal that it had been 100% encased in sediment. Not only that, but somehow it had been mangled all to heck, which made quite a problem removing it (took me about 2. 5 hours to get the stupid thing out of there).



So far, the only ill-effect I can see is that I think maybe some sediment clogged the drain valve, which will make draining the tank in the future quite difficult. For now I'm done with it and will try a drain procedure maybe in spring.



Also, among the debris I removed I found some pieces of what I assume is a sacrificial anode that was located somewhere in the tank. Looks like magnesium. I guess that's what they mean by "self cleaning".



-Ryan

-Please excuse the blurry photos-

 

[rbattelle]

All this work with the water heater made me want something much superior to the standard. I think a heater should have a large access panel that can be opened to gain access to the interior of the tank, so it can be cleaned and serviced. And forget this thin steel construction - give me something made of iron with a concrete interior liner. No plastic parts anywhere (including PVC). 1" brass ball or gate valve for draining.



Such a beast would cost a fortune, but would be a "lifetime" heater.



-Ryan

 

[The patriot]

Dats some nasty looking I TRIED TO BY-PASS THE CUSSING FILTER.

Eric

 

[Paychk]

And to think that all this could be avoided by flushing the tank 2-4 times a year. Most forget about the heater till something breaks, myself included. I just replaced my heater and couldn't drain it because it was stopped up with sediment, I took my air hose and blew some air into it. After several attempts I was able to drain it & then move it outside. I hope you caught yours in time.



BTW did you replace the anode, it minimizes the corrosion of the tank, when the anode is gone, the corrosion accelerates quite rapidly and the tank will need replaced.

 

[HoleshotHolset]

Nice pics, Ryan - looks identical to what I went through. Almost 2 years later - mine's still kicking (insert sound of knuckles striking wood here... ).



Sacrificial anodes are (usually) made of zinc.



Here's some good info - taken from here... :



"Historically, zinc was the first material to be used as a sacrificial anode because it was the simplest and cheapest material available that would do the job.



Magnesium gives the highest voltage protection but has a very short life and needs to be used carefully.



Aluminium, which lasts five times longer than magnesium, also outlasts zinc and is a more active metal; but pure aluminium is useless as an anode material because it immediately forms an oxide layer that insulates it and stops it from working effectively as an anode.



The alloy anode arrived relatively recently, made of aluminium with zinc and indium added to eliminate the formation of the insulating oxide coating.



Aluminium alloy has a greater negative voltage when immersed in water and creates a larger voltage difference between it and the threatened metal, to ensure proper protection.



Although aluminium alloy lasts longer and provides better protection, zinc remains the most common anode metal. "



Matt

 

[rbattelle]

I didn't replace the anode, because I don't know where it's located (although I suspect the top of the tank). From what I could see, the interior of the tank is actually in great shape - very little surface rust at all.



Of course, 4 flushings per year (or better yet, 12) would likely have prevented this mess. Unfortunately, no one does this (including the previous owners). Now I doubt draining will be possible at all. It lasted 7 years with (apparently) no periodic draining, so at least I know it should be 7 more years before it'll need replacing if I can't drain it.



I'm pretty sick of this disposable plumbing garbage. I mean, it's a 100% given fact that water heaters will accumulate sediment. Since we know people won't drain like they're supposed to, why is there not a large access port (VERY LARGE) on the tank to allow it to be cleaned properly?



On edit - my manual actually says to remove the anode rod every 3 years and inspect it. I never knew that! I've never ever ever heard of anyone removing their anode rod every 3 years. It also says that if a water softener is used before the inlet to the water heater, it will significantly decrease the life of the heater. That's exactly what I have. Swell. My next tank will be concrete-lined, no question.



The specs on mine also indicate a "fused ceramic shield" on the interior. Must not be a very good shield if an anode rod is still required.



-Ryan

 

[The patriot]

A manhole, or handhole would be a great idea, but it would be cost prohibitive.

The tank would have to be built like a brick - - - - house.

It would be VERY expensive.

Eric

 

[rbattelle]

A manhole, or handhole would be a great idea, but it would be cost prohibitive.

The tank would have to be built like a brick - - - - house.

It would be VERY expensive.

Eric

What about slicing the top off the tank and welding a standard flange to the (now two) pieces? Bolt it back together with a rubber gasket. No need to make the tank any thicker, just use a large flange thickness. Might at a couple hundred bucks to the cost... maybe more?



-Ryan

 

[Dieselnut59]

Here is the one I am considering putting in my shop (or swapping the 5 year old one in my house to the shop and putting this one in the house).

I have a gas (propane) water heater and love it. I do drain it about once a year. It is a great unit except for the cheesie plastic drain valve. My current one is a Rheem, the one I have checked into is a Bradford White.



www.bradfordwhite.com/waterheater.asp

 

[The patriot]

What about slicing the top off the tank and welding a standard flange to the (now two) pieces? Bolt it back together with a rubber gasket.



-Ryan

I dont think anyone would want to take that chance.

That's a large surface area to keep sealed with thin metal.

Water heaters can become missiles if theyre comprimised.

I've seen it myself.

Too much liability building one of those "on the cheap".

Eric

 

[Little Bill]

Ryan,



All that white crud is calcium carbonate -- limestone. A water softener will fix that. Elements fail quickly in hard water because calcium deposits create hotspots. Usually you will hear all kinds of popping and bumping sounds emanating from the water heater as the area of deposition increases and you get localized boiling on the surface.

 

[Bill Stockard]

We're currently building a new house and here's the electric water heater we are installing:



http://www.marathonheaters.com/index.html



Very efficient, hand hole in the side for cleaning out, and a plastic lifetime(?) tank.



Bill

 

[TowPro]

PS: Your sopposed to take the filter off your shop vac when you use it as a wet vac . I also learned the hard way ($30. 00 replacment after it started stinking like mold and would gag you every time you turned it on. )

 

[Hohn]

I have a replacement filter for my Shop Vac that's made by W. L. Gore out of nanofiber. It's waterproof and doesn't need to be changed from wet to dry.

Donaldson also makes some SWEET shop-vac retrofit filters.


If I get a chance to build my own house, I've already gamed out the water system:

1) Centralized conditioning-- sediment and mineral removal

2) Decentralized heating via tankless water heaters.


The system provides the following advantages:

1) The water is filtered and conditioned for ALL internal uses, giving you better performance for laundry, dishes, showers, and everything else.

2) You only heat the water you use. This is a LOT more efficient just on principle, even if the individual heaters themselves are marginally less efficient.

3) Loss of heating performance only affects a "zone" instead of the whole house.

4) Lower plumbing costs-- you only have to run ONE water line to the bathrooms, laundry, kitchen, etc. This no only saves money, but HALVES the chance of a leaky line. Conversely, you can use premium quality plumbing for about the same price as a traditional setup using crappy stuff.


Really, this is one of those things that I just can't figure out why people still heat water "the old fashioned way"

 

[HoleshotHolset]

Usually you will hear all kinds of popping and bumping sounds emanating from the water heater as the area of deposition increases and you get localized boiling on the surface.

Uh-oh... my electric water heater sounds like a popcorn popper. Maybe I ought to replace the top element, eh?



Matt