Water heaters

Jeff Lawrence_24

Down here in the South, on gas water heaters, I have noticed that tanks start leaking long before the controls go bad, even thermocouples. Is this the average in your area? If the control goes bad on one of your customers gas water heaters (past the warranty date), would you suggest a new unit or a new control?

I replaced the gas water heater in my house before it started leaking and it was 26 years old. About 20 years of that was a street pressure (about 120 psi). I installed a PRV to bring the pressure to about 65 lbs not long after we moved in. I really don't think the new tank will last near as long as the old one did.

Below is a (poor) picture of a WAGS valve I installed on the last WH changeout I did. I offered it as an option and the customer jumped on it quickly. The water on the floor is from the old water heater. It had started a slow leak fortunately. This one was in a basement they hardly ever go into.

Thanks for the input.

Jeff

Jackchips

Jeff

if we could predict how long a water heater would last here in Massachusetts (or anywhere) we could save customers a lot of grief from bad ones. So much depends on the water source, the volume of water used and the temperature the thermostat is set at. My wife made me turn ours all the way up (I cheat a little). Luckily we are empty nesters and do not have kids around any more to worry about scalding.
A couple of questions for you, what size T & P valve did you have on the heater that was operating at 120 psi? Did you have any problems when your washing machine valve shut off?