Water Heater Maintenence

[Big bob]

Start looking for a wet spot if you never changed your rod.

[Bruze]

Youse guys got to get up with modern times.

Here's my pre-heater which sits behind my coal stove, built and installed in 2009. It's a 7" aluminum tube with a 1/8" wall, 1/2" caps welded on each end, relief valve on the top. Water comes from the basement, feeds in the bottom then on to the electric water heater from the top.

It works well, and has a couple interesting things I didn't realize til using it:

1) The colder it is outside the better it works. When the coal fire is orange-hot in the coldest days of winter, the hotter it gets in that corner and the warmer the water is. I put a thermometer in front of it back when, and the air temp was around 110+ as I recall.

2) The less I use it, the better it works, lol. After I take a shower the bottom portion is quite cold (pressure tank is in basement which gets into the 30s in the coldest weather) and gets warmer and warmer as I run my hand up. So I decided to not take any more showers to keep it running as efficiently as possible.

[Bruze]

Originally Posted by Big bob

Start looking for a wet spot if you never changed your rod.

I'll have to roll it in some flour first.

.

[Big bob]

Good deal now a bit of pipe and baseboard heater and this you be cooking.


https://www.amazon.com/HY-C-MH-8R-Re...24979050&psc=1


Looks like you could fab one up.

[Bruze]

Originally Posted by Big bob

Good deal now a bit of pipe and baseboard heater and this you be cooking.


https://www.amazon.com/HY-C-MH-8R-Re...24979050&psc=1


Looks like you could fab one up.

I burn wood from the start of heating season until TG Day or into December, depending on the weather, then switch to coal.

I have to clean the creosote out of my chimney before switching to coal, and that thing would only make it worse.

[Yadkin]

Big Karen is fixated on other guys rods.

[Big bob]

Originally Posted by Yadkin

Big Karen is fixated on other guys rods.

Interesting to see what brings you out of the woodwork .

[Big bob]

Originally Posted by Bruze

I burn wood from the start of heating season until TG Day or into December, depending on the weather, then switch to coal.

I have to clean the creosote out of my chimney before switching to coal, and that thing would only make it worse.

No it doesn't it has a built in cleaning system. And I bet you could make one better and it is a lot of recovered heat. Coiling copper tubing around the stove and chimmney with a magnetic pump works wonders as well.

[MadInNc]

Originally Posted by Yadkin

Big Karen is fixated on other guys rods.

Really!

Thread has been going on for 5 days and this is the best ya can come up with after the 5 days?

[Mike Mercury]

Originally Posted by Big bob

Then why did you ask?

thanks, nice.

I was wanting to know if it were for different reasons than typical; that's all.

[Yadkin]

Originally Posted by MadInNc

Really!

Thread has been going on for 5 days and this is the best ya can come up with after the 5 days?

She's the rod guy, and you're the nipple guy.

[Don Rickles]

Originally Posted by MadInNc

Really!

Thread has been going on for 5 days and this is the best ya can come up with after the 5 days?

Angdogs threads > DR's......

[Big bob]

Originally Posted by Yadkin

She's the rod guy, and you're the nipple guy.

Aren't you over due for making an engineered ignorance post?

[Yadkin]

Sorry Big Karen, unlike you I have nothing to say about other guys rods.

[Big bob]

Originally Posted by Yadkin

Sorry Big Karen, unlike you I have nothing to say about other guys rods.

I bet you find it hard to talk when your mouth is full of one thing or the other.

[Yadkin]

I'll defer to you on that, since you're the stated expert on other guys rods.

[Don Rickles]

I stopped in the plumbing supply house yesterday looking to buy a water heater insulation blanket. I was told these newer heaters have an additional layer of insulation, no need for a blanket....


I asked about the anode rod, the counter guy said they're a rarely sold item...

But I did pick up a hole house water filter, like Mike's. My next project is to install the puppy!

[MadInNc]

Originally Posted by Don Rickles

I stopped in the plumbing supply house yesterday looking to buy a water heater insulation blanket. I was told these newer heaters have an additional layer of insulation, no need for a blanket....


I asked about the anode rod, the counter guy said they're a rarely sold item...

But I did pick up a hole house water filter, like Mike's. My next project is to install the puppy!

Ok, so plumbing guy says “naaaaah ya don’t need an anode as nobody buys them”. But after 3 yrs the old ones look like this! WTF

[Don Rickles]

Originally Posted by MadInNc

Ok, so plumbing guy says “naaaaah ya don’t need an anode as nobody buys them”. But after 3 yrs the old ones look like this! WTF

I'm waiting till next year to do the anode rod.

Those are the elements NOT the anode rod.

[Bruze]

Originally Posted by Big bob

No it doesn't it has a built in cleaning system. And I bet you could make one better and it is a lot of recovered heat. Coiling copper tubing around the stove and chimmney with a magnetic pump works wonders as well.

Will that gadget brush out the creosote near the top of the chimney -- where most of it collects -- fifteen or so feet above it?

The cooler the chimney the more creosote there is created. That was my point. I can't run the fire any hotter than I do -- I keep it 75 or so in the living room, higher in the kitchen where the stove is.