Old Water Heater Worries?

[thinkxingu]

Hi All,
Both my water heater and washing machine could serve to be replaced, so I'm looking for advice on which. The water heater is about ten years old, and it's working fine. My concerns are that I've only flushed it once a couple years ago, and I'm not convinced the drain valve would tighten enough to flush it again. We go away for weekends, so I'm concerned it might burst (though glass tanks don't have that problem? It's a Kenmore Miser).

The washing machine is making ugly noises and I don't think the agitator is working (the top half spins freely). Also, we get stains once in a while, though I can't be sure the cause. It, too, is about ten years old.

Thoughts? Whichever doesn't get replaced now will be replaced next fall.

Thanks!

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[Seasoned Oak]

I like the front loaders,gentle on the clothes and stingy on water and detergent. You can get a nice Whirlpool now for about $550 .I recently paid $1250 for a hi-efficientcy top loader. I dont like it ,noisy ,it just vibrates the clothes as there is no agitator. I have a 5 yr old 30 Gal electric water heater that works fine for 6 people. Any new electric model is pretty good.

 

[Highbeam]

Hi All,
Both my water heater and washing machine could serve to be replaced, so I'm looking for advice on which. The water heater is about ten years old, and it's working fine. My concerns are that I've only flushed it once a couple years ago, and I'm not convinced the drain valve would tighten enough to flush it again. We go away for weekends, so I'm concerned it might burst (though glass tanks don't have that problem? It's a Kenmore Miser).

The washing machine is making ugly noises and I don't think the agitator is working (the top half spins freely). Also, we get stains once in a while, though I can't be sure the cause. It, too, is about ten years old.

Thoughts? Whichever doesn't get replaced now will be replaced next fall.

Thanks!

Sent from my XT1528 using Tapatalk

I replaced my electric tank water heater a couple of years ago. Replumbed the whole house actually and used nice SS semi rigid connections to the water heater, a nice expansion tank, earthquake strapping, and a drain pan. I have no intention of ever draining the tank to clear out debris due to the valve failure possibility. The tanks are very easy and fairly cheap to swap out if you have access to it. It's just not worth the time, effort, and risk, to maintain a basic electric tank water heater. A water heater can fail at any time. Most likely at initial install due to defect or after the warranty period on the tank which is almost certainly under 10 years. I don't think your "glass" tank is actually glass but a glass coating inside a steel tank like just about all basic water heaters.

Washing machines are much more complicated. Technology has improved and prices have fallen in the last ten years. I can replace my washing machine (also bought ten years ago) with the current model that has significant improvements for almost 50% of the price.

 

[Highbeam]

I like the front loaders,gentle on the clothes and stingy on water and detergent. You can get a nice Whirlpool now for about $550 .I recently paid $1250 for a hi-efficientcy top loader. I dont like it ,noisy ,it just vibrates the clothes as there is no agitator. I have a 5 yr old 30 Gal electric water heater that works fine for 6 people. Any new electric model is pretty good.

Posted at the same time. I agree SO. My whirlpool front loader is stingy on water and cost me 1000$ new. Now at 550 or so with some improvements that were well needed.

I bought a small 40 gallon water heater electric and was warned it was too small for my family of four. We do not run out of water. Low flow shower heads and the front loader washer use less hot water than in the olden days when you needed a giant tank.

 

[peakbagger]

A quick way to check the condition of your hot water heater is remove the anode. It looks like a standard threaded blank plug on the top of the tank. If its gone of mostly corroded then the water heater moves up in the running for replacement. The life of water heater is pretty well determined by your local water supply. if the water is hard or acidic the heater will get eaten from the inside out due to corrosion. The anode is sacrificial, it rots away before the tank does. If folks checked and replaced their anode when needed the heaters would last a lot longer unless they fill up with crud from not doing yearly flushing and short out the lower element. If the anode is in good shape, you probably have a few years left on the tank. In some areas with aggressive water, a tank may only last 5 of 6 years. Keep an eye on the anodes and 20 plus years is possible.

With respect to a washing machine, do yourself a favor and turn off the hot and cold water everytime you use it. Hoses and solenoids can fail and they can make as much of a flood as a hot water heater.

I bought a Staber Washer years ago. No transmission and it gets clothes super dry. They are a real commercial machine, not a lot of parts can go bad and they don't use microprocessors. http://www.staber.com/. No gaskets like a front loader but its horizontal axis like a front loader. The drum is stainless steel.

 

[Highbeam]

I bought a Staber Washer years ago. No transmission and it gets clothes super dry. They are a real commercial machine, not a lot of parts can go bad and they don't use microprocessors. http://www.staber.com/. No gaskets like a front loader but its horizontal axis like a front loader. The drum is stainless steel.

Yikes at 1299-1699 plus shipping! I have never seen a non-stainless steel drum on any modern washing machine. That's why they make such great firepits.

 

[peakbagger]

They have gone up in price but like I said they are commercial grade and don't wear out. I have run into several non stainless drums over the years. Porcelain enamel over steel used to be popular.

 

[jb6l6gc]

I'll just chime in from experience that front loaders as great as they sound/look still have inherent design defects. I have a 2yr old Samsung that was the biggest pia till I figured out a cleaning regimen and one specific detergent that doesn't seem to cause problems. I will be replacing with a top loader when it breaks

 

[thinkxingu]

A quick way to check the condition of your hot water heater is remove the anode. It looks like a standard threaded blank plug on the top of the tank. If its gone of mostly corroded then the water heater moves up in the running for replacement. The life of water heater is pretty well determined by your local water supply. if the water is hard or acidic the heater will get eaten from the inside out due to corrosion. The anode is sacrificial, it rots away before the tank does. If folks checked and replaced their anode when needed the heaters would last a lot longer unless they fill up with crud from not doing yearly flushing and short out the lower element. If the anode is in good shape, you probably have a few years left on the tank. In some areas with aggressive water, a tank may only last 5 of 6 years. Keep an eye on the anodes and 20 plus years is possible.

With respect to a washing machine, do yourself a favor and turn off the hot and cold water everytime you use it. Hoses and solenoids can fail and they can make as much of a flood as a hot water heater.

I bought a Staber Washer years ago. No transmission and it gets clothes super dry. They are a real commercial machine, not a lot of parts can go bad and they don't use microprocessors. http://www.staber.com/. No gaskets like a front loader but its horizontal axis like a front loader. The drum is stainless steel.

I went to check these before, but there are no bolt-looking things on top, only sunken caps that do not come out easily and I don't have an owner's manual.

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[moey]

Turn your water off when you leave dodge.. 50 gallons is a lot easier to clean up then 10000..

 

[firefighterjake]

Murphy's Law ... whichever item you do not replace will break two weeks after you make your purchase.

 

[Highbeam]

I'll just chime in from experience that front loaders as great as they sound/look still have inherent design defects. I have a 2yr old Samsung that was the biggest pia till I figured out a cleaning regimen and one specific detergent that doesn't seem to cause problems. I will be replacing with a top loader when it breaks

I think we will too. The HE top loaders have no agitator but a sort of impeller looking thing on the bottom. The reviews from people that are supposed to know about these things say that technology has improved a lot on these top loaders so that they do perform well.

I will still put it in a drain pan. I had to move my front loader to a drain pan to catch all the leaks and drips.

 

[jharkin]

Ever time I talk to a repairman they tell me the worse thing to do is replace functioning 20 year old appliances that are not broke. The longevity seems to go down with each new generation.

We had an old GE range that never had a problem but wanted "new". New had 3 service calls in he first 2 years.

knock on wood.


On the water heater depends on the type. A cheap steel electric tank pushing 10 years old is on borrowed time. OTOH a stainless indirect could last decades.

 

[prairielife]

Still running a very old COMMERCIAL top loader here. Every part inside easily accessible and replaceable (downtime at a laudromat for any machine costs the owner money!) and all parts readily accessible and cheap on Amazon Prime, shipped to my door.

Wife thought she was getting a nice shiny new front loader earlier this year when it wouldn't spin up. Five minutes with a capacitor tester and $3.50 shipped to my door, and the motor start capacitor that got toasted during a thunderstorm was replaced and the machine was back in business.

Motor and pump both come out with a couple of clips and a screwdriver for hose clamps. Transmission comes out with a socket wrench.

We had a fancy front loader pair at the old house. Always broken and arguing with manufacturer about fixes under warranty.

I'll be keeping these old Whirlpool's running with hand tools and cheap parts for at least another decade.

 

[thinkxingu]

Sounds like people aren't all the jazzed about front-loaders!

Also sounds like I should be starting with water heater and crossing fingers on washing machine.

That being said, suggestions on economical water heaters? What I've got is a 50 gallon tall, electric, Kenmore Miser. Has performed well, though we have two kids and have gotten down to warm water for the last shower.

I've done the cost analysis, and it doesn't seem that a hybrid is worth the trouble or the cost, or that an electric on demand can keep up.

Thoughts welcome--thanks!

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[firefighterjake]

I've actually had very good look with my "older" Whirlpool Duet front loader . . . I had to replace one part a number of years ago, but as I recall it was a relatively easy and cheap fix. The only drawback is the original paddles had a minor design flaw which they have since remedied with a simple screw to secure them in place a bit better.

 

[Seasoned Oak]

Sounds like people aren't all the jazzed about front-loaders!

Also sounds like I should be starting with water heater and crossing fingers on washing machine.

That being said, suggestions on economical water heaters? What I've got is a 50 gallon tall, electric, Kenmore Miser. Has performed well, though we have two kids and have gotten down to warm water for the last shower.

Iv been using various front loader brands for 30 years ,No leaks, no breakdowns, very energy efficient and very gentle on the clothes as well as getting clothes very clean. If your samsung dont perform i suspect its the brand and not the style of washer thats the problem. I wont buy another top loader.
We have 4 adults and 2 kids in the house and our 30 gal WH works fine. Sure if everyone warts to spend a half hour in the shower you will run out of HW even with a 50gal.

 

[RichW_SC]

I just got an LG toploader set. Absolutely love it. Huge loads without the middle agitator they used to use. Was going to go with front loader but too many complaints about mold and poor seals. YMMV.

I replaced my gas tank water heater with a Rinai tankless 5-6 years ago. Having endless hot water with a family of 5 is very nice. I installed myself. Much cheaper to use too compared to keeping a huge tank heated 24/7. Will never go back.

Another thing I installed under my kitchen sink was a point of use 4 gallon water heater. Having instant super hot water is really nice and they are very efficient and cheap to operate. Got this one from Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0006GVO1C/?tag=hearthamazon-20

 

[peakbagger]

The Maytag Neptune really gave front loaders a really bad rep.

The Staber I have is definitely different, its a horizontal axis drum but a top loader. There are two doors on the outer diameter of the drum that open up to load it. Since its a top loader there are no seals to leak.

 

[begreen]

We have Frigidaire (Electrolux) front loader going on 5 yrs old now. No problems with leaks or moldy seal. We always leave the door open when the load is done so that it can air out. It definitely saves on water and does a good job of cleaning.

 

[semipro]

Also sounds like I should be starting with water heater

Electric water heaters are highly repairable. As long as they aren't leaking and you can access the wearable parts why replace it? That's juts more stuff in the dump.
You can add more insulation and heat traps if you want to make it more efficient.
www.waterheaterrescue.com is a good source of info.

 

[Seasoned Oak]

Theres a downside to endless hot water, they are called teenagers. They will tie up the shower for hours if they have endless hot water. Nothing like the water getting cold after awhile to cut water use ,big time. IM keeping my 30 Gal Electric. Recovers fast so after 10 minutes or so its ready for the next shower ,but not a 40 minute shower. With 6 people here water bill is already $100 a month.

 

[Highbeam]

Theres a downside to endless hot water, they are called teenagers. They will tie up the shower for hours if they have endless hot water. Nothing like the water getting cold after awhile to cut water use ,big time. IM keeping my 30 Gal Electric. Recovers fast so after 10 minutes or so its ready for the next shower ,but not a 40 minute shower. With 6 people here water bill is already $100 a month.

Exactly. Bad for energy use, water consumption, and loading the septic up. I would not want a tankless heater unless on sewer and cheap energy/water costs. The little 40 gallon electric tank just hums right along. Quick recovery too!

I've actually had very good look with my "older" Whirlpool Duet front loader . . . I had to replace one part a number of years ago, but as I recall it was a relatively easy and cheap fix. The only drawback is the original paddles had a minor design flaw which they have since remedied with a simple screw to secure them in place a bit better.

I also have a whirlpool duet front loader set from about 8 years ago. I have had several huge leaks and and an ongoing small one. They changed the design so that the fill spout (biggest source of leaks) now is attached to the front door seal and not easily blocked by junk in the drum. Much tighter inner to outer drum interface now too.

Just yesterday I pulled out the washer and leveled it. It's a noisy, shakey, bugger but it keeps on running. The leakage (unless I get another big one) is slight enough that it evaporates from the drainpan faster than it leaks so I've decided to ignore it. The drain pan is required.

I also looked at top loaders yesterday. I just can't imagine them working well with no agitator or way to stir the clothes.

 

[Seasoned Oak]

I also looked at top loaders yesterday. I just can't imagine them working well with no agitator or way to stir the clothes.

We replaced a kenmore frontloader that went 14 yrs ,no leaks ,no mold or smell no proplems other than a new pump at 7 yrs i replaced myself. The new Hi- efficiency GE ($1250.00) is noisy, and dont get the clothes near as clean as the front loader,especially the whites. It dont have a agitator it just vibrates. The only real advantage is its bigger than the standard front loader 5CU FT.

 

[begreen]

Our Frigidaire replaced a 12 yr old Kenmore (also made by Frigidaire). Both have been good machines. The only reason we sold the Kenmore was a remodel and a desire to replace with a matched washer/dryer set of the same height so that a shelf could be made above them.