Hot Water Heater Question

[scmhogg]

I have a 50 gal gas hot water heater. This morning, I found the dreaded puddle in the garage.

I turned off the water and dried the top of the HWH. When I turned the water back on, none of the pipe fittings was leaking. The water is coming from the vent pipe in the top of the HWH. It is coming out in a fine mist. Obviously under pressure. It is not a condensation problem.

Any suggestions?

TYIA

Steve

[charliex]

Turn off water and remove the leaking unit, hold services for it and order a new one. The alternative, no hot water, will not set well with your significant other. Check on rebates and tax incentives in your area. If they are as good as around here it pays to get an energy star rated device. Because of tax incentives I've been considering replacing my HWH because it's a 6 year unit and it's over 10 years old.

[JimD]

Steve,

What charliex said is also my advice but I will provide a bit more explanation. Water heaters have glass lined steel tanks. They always rust at the penetrations. It would appear yours is leaking at the vent connection. It will get nothing but worse. How quickly is a guess. Safest thing to do is replace immediately. It is not a huge job IMHO. It will take longer to get the materials than it does to do the job. If you are not 100% confident of your ability, you might want to hire it done. Gas piping in particular is not something to take a chance on. Soapy water will tell you if you have a leak, however.

Jim

[LCHIEN]

once it leaks it can only get worse...

[jackellis]

Ditto. Replace it right away with the most efficient model you can buy. SoCal gas should be offering rebates.

In 22 years, we replaced water heaters twice. Once because there was a (large) puddle. More recently because a whole house inspection prior to selling the place revealed a leak in the making.

Count on a new one no less frequently than every ten years, whether you need it or not.

[phi1l]

I'm afraid all recommendations will be the same, there is no repair for a leaking HWH, only replacement.

Edit:
Here is why & the sooner the better. Water heater failure can be rather spectacular, when viewed from a safe distance.

[mineengineer]

Do you mean vent pipe or pressure relief pipe?

Is the water comming out of the vent(where the combustion gasses exhaust) or out of the Temperature/Pressure releif valve? Might be a bad P/T valve if your lucky, If it is comming out of the vent pipe its dead and run before she blows.

[scmhogg]

Thank you all for showing how well founded my fears were.

Steve

[cabinetman]

Steve - If need be you can shower at my place. Get your gear together, and I'll get you the coordinates. Personally, I prefer day jumps.
.

[iceman61]

Is the water comming out of the vent(where the combustion gasses exhaust) or out of the Temperature/Pressure releif valve? Might be a bad P/T valve if your lucky, If it is comming out of the vent pipe its dead and run before she blows.

This is right on target with my thinking. Is it electric or gas? If it is electric then the "vent pipe" is the pressure relief valve leaking; a $12-$15 dollar fix. If it is gas then it could be either a faulty pressure relief valve or the dreaded water heater replacement. Hopefully it's the lesser of two evils.

[L. D. Jeffries]

What is a HOT water heater? What do you use to heat COLD water? LOL LOL LOL!!!

[Daryl]

Good news is you are about to turn your garage into a sauna.

[capncarl]

What ever you do, don't repipe the system and eleminate the pressure relief valve. It would be easy to just remove a leaking valve and put in a plug until you can get a replacement and could be fatal. The system might not blow up but it could really show you where the weak spots are. Everyone should see Myth Busters when they test hot water heaters blowing up. Hot water heaters are cheap, if it is damaged, throw it away and put in a new one.

capncarl

[JR]

Let me know if you need some labor, Steve. It's an easy project, but requires two men.

JR

[dbhost]

After having one leak IN the house, trust me, you do NOT want the consequences of that... Replace that sucker...

If you have Gas, you might want to give some serious consideration in a tankless unit. A friend of mine has one, and has no trouble doing laundry, dishes, and showering at the same time... I can't do that... Stupid all electric house...