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thathomeschooldad

Water Heater Internal Leak

ThatHomeschoolDad
11 years ago

Geez. Even with a softener taking a bite out of our 40+ grain hard water, it still seems to eat my plumbing. Latest fun is a water heater leak that seems to be coming from inside the tank.

All fittings are sound on this GE gas unit, less than the 10 yr warranty age. Taking off the pilot door, I found went insulation, and a nice little pool of water at the bottom. Turning the cold inlet off and on showed that, yes, the puddle of water swirled just as if a hose were filling a swimming pool. The leak stops eventually, which means the leak is near the top of the tank, and the rate of flow means it's bigger than a pinhole.

Assuming I could remove the tank's outer cover, any way to replace the saturated insulation and patch the leak? My gut says to bite the bullet and replace the whole unit (maybe tankless this time), but I thought I'd ask.

Thanks.