EK system 2000 hot water tank fail

Juggatweet

I've got an Energy Kinetics system 2000 and the hot water storage tank leaked water all over the floor. I need to determine if it's better to replace it or just buy a separate electric hot water heater. Any help is appreciated!

HVACNUT

No warranty left on the tank?
You could go with an electric tank, but you'd lose the purge. The System 2000 tank is piped differently internally. The cold dip tube doesn't go to the bottom of the tank like it does on an electric water heater. If it were mine, I'd go with the EK tank.

STEVEusaPA

The best thing to do is replace it. But, first determine why it failed, and get your water checked. I'd also check for stray electrical current.

Juggatweet

No warranty it was not transferred by the original owner.  I Got the replacement tank ordered.  What things can I look for to know why it failed? And why do I want to test my water.   Sorry I'm not familiar with any of this and the why helps me understand. 

Mikeman

Another thing to consider is that anything that affected you storage tank also affects your heat exchanger. EK says to backflush the heat exchanger fairly frequently if you have water issues. https://www.hannabery.com/how-to-backflush-plate-exchanger-hot-water-heating-system.shtml

Larry Weingarten

Hi @Juggatweet ,Things you can do to understand why it failed... Here's a short list. Get a water quality report, so you know about the water, whether it's aggressive, acidic, or hard. Measure static pressure. It's easiest on the tank if it's between 40 and 60 psi. Is there provision for thermal expansion? If not, you could be getting pressure spikes. Get a pressure gauge with the little red indicator built in. This will show you what the highest pressure seen by the plumbing is. Have a look at the anode in the tank (if there is one) and let us see a photo. If you pull out just a plug, it was long since used up and should have been checked more often. Look at all fittings on the tank. Did any leak or seep? If so, that water could have eaten through the tank from the unprotected outside.

Yours, Larry

Roger

Thank you for your post on this, @Larry Weingarten , that's great information. @Juggatweet , Joe in our tech support group PM'd you earlier, let us know if we can help further.
Best,
Roger