Are indirect water heaters prone to leakage?

Joseph_4

I was told by someone recently that indirect waterheaters are prone to leakage. Is this true? Doesn't really make sense to me since no fire underneath it.

Thanks

Joe

hot_rod

Tanks

the life expectancy of any tank fired or not, is directly related to the quality and construction of the vessel as well as the life it lives. How much water flows through the tank. What is in the water as far as minerals and chemicals, etc. The temperature you run the tank at, as well as any maintenance or clean outs.



Most tanks are either stainless steel, or glass lined steel. In certain water conditions stainless last longer, and vice versa. Usually the local plumbers and suppliers have a good idea of which perform best and last longest in your area and water conditions. Many tank manufacturers offer both steel and stainless.



So buy a quality name brand, know what is in your water, maintain the tank and anode rods as suggested by the manufacture, and size the tank properly so you don't need to run excessive temperatures. Calculate how much DHW you currently need or use.



140F with a great quality thermostatic mix valve on the outlet should provide plenty of DHW, prevent bacteria growth, and protect the users from excessive DHW temperatures.



hr

Greg Maxwell

Indirect Leakage

One more thing, I have seen cases where there has been the ground for the whole house connected to grounding clamp on the incoming water line, and this has caused electrolosis corrosion on the dissimilar metals. I would look around to see if that is the case, and install di-electric unions.

Jason_13

Another choice

There are also water conditions that affect both stainless steel and eventually glass lined tanks. There is another option which would be stone lined no anode required. These usually require smaller boilers for the same hot water output.