Greetings ~

I have had my 40g gas hot water heater since 1998, and I vauguely
recall some cheap part that could be replaced every 5 years or so that
would extend the life of the thing, but I can't remember what it was.

Also wondering what other steps I could take to make the heater last
and make it more efficient. (I already have a blanket on it.)

Thanks,


Bluesman

wrote in message
oups.com...
Greetings ~

I have had my 40g gas hot water heater since 1998, and I vauguely
recall some cheap part that could be replaced every 5 years or so that
would extend the life of the thing, but I can't remember what it was.

Also wondering what other steps I could take to make the heater last
and make it more efficient. (I already have a blanket on it.)

Thanks,


Bluesman

the part you may be remembering is the anode.

A good flushing every so often helps. The time period has to do with the
water you have. Lots of minerals, more often.

wrote on 17 Nov 2005:

I vauguely recall some cheap part that could be replaced every 5
years or so that would extend the life of the thing, but I can't
remember what it was.

You might find this helpful:

http://www.dougboulter.com/repair/pl...water_heaters1

Also wondering what other steps I could take to make the heater
last and make it more efficient. (I already have a blanket on
it.)

Given that it's a 1998, the blanket probably isn't doing much
beyond what you get from the built-in insulation.

You could insulate the hot water pipes near the heater, but that
heat is lost to the air, so it's really heating your house and
isn't lost (unless the heater is in an unheated attic or crawl
space).

Finally, you could install a pump and a recirculation loop so that
cold water in the hot water supply lines flows back to the water
heater for re-heating. That doesn't make the heater more
efficient, but you don't waste water running the faucet until the
water coming out is warm--it's more a comfort and convenience
thing.

--
Doug Boulter

To reply by e-mail, remove the obvious word from the e-mail address

wrote in message
oups.com...
Greetings ~

I have had my 40g gas hot water heater since 1998, and I vauguely
recall some cheap part that could be replaced every 5 years or so that
would extend the life of the thing, but I can't remember what it was.

Also wondering what other steps I could take to make the heater last
and make it more efficient. (I already have a blanket on it.)

Thanks,


Bluesman

I installed an extra anode from the URL given here expecting to extend the
life of a fairly new water heater. Also there are, recently available
plastic lined nipples to connect between the tank and the supply and
discharge lines which should minimize the common problems that occur with
brass and steel nipples. If you install the anode cited in the referenced
site, you will need only one, otherwise two.

http://www.waterheaterrescue.com/pag...ium-Anode.html

SJF

i like this theory:
if your water tank's location is warmer than the arriving water line
temperature, a tank in series before the hot tank would permit free
preheating of arriving cold water to the air temperature of the tank
room. this will require your water heater to add a lesser differential
of heat.

or, lots more to read at:
http://www.greenhouse.gov.au/yourhom...nical/fs42.htm