"Heathcliff" wrote in message
...
On Sep 10, 10:27 am, Heathcliff
wrote:
My natural gas GE water heater is leaking. I bought it and installed
it myself about 9 years ago. It is still within warranty (12 year
warranty) and I called the GE service hotline and the big box store
where I bought it - everyone was very accommodating and I can bring in
the old one and exchange it for a new one, receiving a credit of about
$300. My question is whether it is worth it to do so, since it means
I will wind up with another GE water heater. (They are actually made
by Rheem.) Considering the effort involved in hauling the old one
over there and installing the new one, I would consider forgoing the
credit if there is a noticeably better option in terms of brand. So,
was this one a fluke, or do they all do that? -- H

Thanks all for the responses. Looks like replacing the water heater
will be tomorrow (Saturday)’s project. I am pretty sure it is leaking
from the tank; the connections are on top and there is no water
there.

Similar to Stormin’s situation, the refund amounts to about half the
price of a new unit, which is certainly better than nothing.
Apparently prices have risen quite a bit since 2000. I checked a
couple other local big boxes and there don’t seem to be any bargains
out there.

I was inclined to doubt the quality of the unit since my perception is
that our local water is pretty benign (Lake Michigan water) and water
heaters usually last a long time. But maybe not. Or maybe it was
lack of maintenance – the website on water heater rescue was very
interesting. I will certainly check the anode(s) on the old unit when
removing it, out of curiosity. If there is significant corrosion on
it I will resolve to check it as a preventive measure in the future.
When I first got my current heater I did drain it occasionally, but
stopped after a couple times since there did not seem to be any
sediment to speak of coming out. I’ll see if there is any when I
drain it for removal.

Cheers and thanks again for the responses. -- H

I would do a couple of things to the new one to make future maintenance
easier.

1] Pull the anode on the new one now so heat does not set the sealant
they use on the threads. When you pull the old anode you will see what I
mean.

2] Now is also a great time to install the full port ball valve and toss
the plastic piece of junk that is on the tank.

Also report back here after you check out the old one. You might also strip
the old one of its gas parts (control unit burner and thermocouple) and keep
them as Murphy's law will have a water heater failure occur when you have no
time to run around and look for parts and a house full of guests.

--

Roger Shoaf

About the time I had mastered getting the toothpaste back in the tube, then
they come up with this striped stuff.