Gellatinous mess in WH

kcopp

I was replacing a water heater today and was unable to drain out the tank w/o some messy intervention w a wire in the drain. The bottom of the tank clogged up w this clear viscous ooze. Any idea what this junk is?

gschallert

anode slime? had that years ago with one of my early electric tanks when I had to replace the bottom element. took the anode out of all the tanks after that one. now I have indirect stainless, no anodes required!

Gordy

kcopp said:

I was replacing a water heater today and was unable to drain out the tank w/o some messy intervention w a wire in the drain. The bottom of the tank clogged up w this clear viscous ooze. Any idea what this junk is?

Was it electric?

ChrisJ

Did cold hurt it? Like a CO2 extinguisher? You could tell Dave you need CO2 if that's the case.

hot_rod

kcopp said:

I was replacing a water heater today and was unable to drain out the tank w/o some messy intervention w a wire in the drain. The bottom of the tank clogged up w this clear viscous ooze. Any idea what this junk is?

It's the various minerals "salts" in your water. Check the TDS.

Some minerals precipitate out when water is heated, think tea kettle. Others stay in solution as water is heated. These show up on your faucets and glasses from your dishwasher.

kcopp

Power vent Nat gas.
I was wearing gloves and did not want to get it on my hands in the case it was bacterial.....
Funny, is is city water and generally speaking the was here is really pretty good.

ChrisJ

Just in case no one got my comment, it's from the movie The Blob with Steve McQueen.

Fred

ChrisJ said:

Just in case no one got my comment, it's from the movie The Blob with Steve McQueen.

I wondered what the hell that was about, @ChrisJ . Now I know.

ChrisJ

Fred said:

ChrisJ said:

Just in case no one got my comment, it's from the movie The Blob with Steve McQueen.

I wondered what the hell that was about, @ChrisJ . Now I know.

I know.
If I'm going to try and be funny with movie quotes I should pick something newer than 1958.

Gordy

Try is the keyword.......

hot_rod

kcopp said:

Power vent Nat gas.
I was wearing gloves and did not want to get it on my hands in the case it was bacterial.....
Funny, is is city water and generally speaking the was here is really pretty good.

Let some of it dry out on a plate. I'll bet it turns into a crunchy white deposit. Calcium, magnesium, etc the common hardness minerals.

Do you have a water hardness test kit?

Google water hardness testing, there are some DIYer test procedures with drops of soap.

The city should have info available on hardness, TDS, maybe other data.

I'd be interested in seeing what the chloride levels are if they offer that info.

I've been doing a lot of research on chloride levels in all the cities I visit. In areas where they do a lot of road deicing with chloride blends, the levels in the aquifers are skyrocketing.

Paul Smiths college in upstate NY did some studies on chlorides in the rivers and streams in the Adirondacks. Interesting read, on how it effects everything from the water, plants, road surfaces and vehicle corrosion.

http://www.lakegeorgeassociation.org/What-We-Do/Lake-friendly-Living/documents/Saltstudy-adkaction.pdf

Canucker

> @ChrisJ said:
> Just in case no one got my comment, it's from the movie The Blob with Steve McQueen.
>
> I wondered what the hell that was about, @ChrisJ . Now I know.
>
> I know.
> If I'm going to try and be funny with movie quotes I should pick something newer than 1958.

Don't feel bad, I got it @ChrisJ lol

MilanD

For what it's worth, I've had a GE whole house water filter for a while now (9 years, maybe). It removes a lot of sediment and other stuff above 25 microns and is good for about 30,000 gallons. I still flush my hwh, but only once a year, as here was no sediment at the bottom of it for years now... faucets also don't calcify, nor do I have sand or any other issues with the dish washer or washing machine. Only thing is to install a bypass for your outside hose, or your lawn and plants will get some filtered water. I highly recommend it to anyone. I'm actually about to install a small 5 micron version of it on the boiler feeder at work.

And here's a pic of what the filter looks like after about a year (I replace it when water pressure starts dropping). This thing was extra-heavy, too.

Larry Weingarten

Hello, If the gelatinous goo is slightly bluish in color, it's likely from an aluminum anode rod. It dries to a white powder. It's not bacterial, but it is somewhat toxic. I almost always make sure I have only magnesium anodes in tanks I work on, because of the health consideration.

Yours, Larry

kcopp

When you say toxic... to touch or ingest?

Larry Weingarten

Hi, I meant to ingest. I'm in California where the State EPA has a limit of one PPM aluminum in the water (physics shouldn't vary with location ). I measured twice that from the center of a tank with an aluminum anode in it. For those who have a recirc line that has a malfunctioning check valve, the concentration can be MUCH higher.

Yours, Larry

ChrisJ

Larry Weingarten said:

Hi, I meant to ingest. I'm in California where the State EPA has a limit of one PPM aluminum in the water (physics shouldn't vary with location ). I measured twice that from the center of a tank with an aluminum anode in it. For those who have a recirc line that has a malfunctioning check valve, the concentration can be MUCH higher.

Yours, Larry

I thought aluminum rods were necessary with some water due to a bad reaction with magnesium?

kcopp

So needless to say you should not drink hot tap water....

ChrisJ

kcopp said:

So needless to say you should not drink hot tap water....

You're never supposed to drink or cook with water from a water heater. This is because the tank holds all kinds of junk and hot water is more likely to leach lead from old solder joints.

Larry Weingarten

Hello, I've never run across a "bad reaction" to magnesium, but I haven't dealt with all types of water. In general, aluminum is cheaper, so it gets used. Also, you may have heard of the aluminum-zinc rod, which is used when odor is a problem. It works in mild cases. Aluminum is less reactive than magnesium, so tends to reduce odor.

I don't mind using hot water for cooking etc. as long as I know there has always been a magnesium rod in the tank.... but then I haven't had a good hair day in decades!

Yours, Larry

flat_twin

ChrisJ said:

Did cold hurt it? Like a CO2 extinguisher? You could tell Dave you need CO2 if that's the case.

Yep, Dave was the police officer. Not sure why Helen Crump left Steve for Andy, but she did!

JUGHNE

I recall one of the last comments at the end of the movie.."The Blob will remain frozen and not threat us as long as the polar cap remains frozen..." When is the sequel coming out??

happydave

Anode or water softener can do it, we use air compressor to blow tanks out using the vacuum breaker port

hot_rod

The spin cleanable filters are another nice choice to extend filter life. Lakos is one brand