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Hot water storage tank

georgearoush
georgearoush Member Posts: 11
in Domestic Hot Water

I have an AO Smith 100-gallon gas-fired hot water tank connected to an Aero AST-50, a 50-gallon hot water storage tank. The AST-50 came with a six-year warranty, and sure enough, just six and a half years in, it has started leaking!

Given this experience, I’m hesitant to replace it with the same brand, as I’d likely face the same issue again in six years.

What would you recommend as a reliable replacement? This is for a residential apartment building with six units.

Comments

  • leonz
    leonz Member Posts: 1,407

    Do you have room for an AOSMITH model T-80 vertical bare uninsulated welded pressure tank 80 gallon storage tank? This tank is 20 inches in diameter and 62 1/2 inches tall.

  • georgearoush
    georgearoush Member Posts: 11

    @Leonz, yes, I have the space, but the AO Smith T-80S, the one you suggested, only comes with a 5-year warranty!

  • Larry Weingarten
    Larry Weingarten Member Posts: 3,699

    Hi, It looks like the failed tank is glass-lined. If you keep pressure in bounds, and check and change the anode regularly, you should get many more years from any glass-lined tank. Or maybe you could go with something like a Marathon tank that won't corrode or rust.

    Yours, Larry

  • EdTheHeaterMan
    EdTheHeaterMan Member Posts: 10,075

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dug-G9xVdVs

    Edward Young Retired

    After you make that expensive repair and you still have the same problem, What will you check next?

    jesmed1
  • leonz
    leonz Member Posts: 1,407
    https://forum.heatinghelp.com/discussion/comment/1841545#Comment_1841545

    Perhaps a hot water bladder tank would be better?

  • jesmed1
    jesmed1 Member Posts: 964
    edited February 9
    https://forum.heatinghelp.com/discussion/200460/hot-water-storage-tank

    That tank has a magnesium anode rod for internal corrosion protection. But with high water usage in a 6-unit building, the anode rod will be gone within a year, and the steel tank will then rust internally for the next 5 years until it finally fails, which is what happened to you.

    We have a similar situation in our 4-unit condo building with high DHW usage. I suggest that when you buy a new tank (either the same brand/model or any other), the first thing you should do BEFORE INSTALLATION is to remove the factory-installed anode rod, and replace it with a electrically powered anode rod. A quality powered anode rod will cost you maybe $150 and last 20+ years. There have been numerous discussions of powered anode rods on this forum, and several heating pros (which I am not) recommend them.

    For a multi-unit building like yours with high DHW usage, a powered anode is definitely the way to go. If you're doing the work yourself, you'll need a 7 or 8 amp corded (not cordless) impact wrench (you can get a an inexpensive one from Amazon or Harbor Freight) and a 1-1/16" impact socket to fit the anode rod hex head. The factory anodes are installed with very high torque and are almost impossible to get out without an impact wrench. So don't even try this without an impact wrench. And I would put a separate powered anode on the water heater, as well as one on your new storage tank.

    I installed a Corro-Protec brand powered anode in our water heater a few years ago, and so far so good.

    https://forum.heatinghelp.com/discussion/195279/powered-anode-for-dhw-do-these-really-work?utm_source=community-search&utm_medium=organic-search&utm_term=powered+anode

    Larry Weingarten
  • hot_rod
    hot_rod Member Posts: 24,332

    Are the tanks piped in series with the first tank being the 50 gallon? If so it is doing the heavy lifting in a high demand DHW system

    Bob "hot rod" Rohr
    trainer for Caleffi NA
    Living the hydronic dream

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