It looks like the tank is finally going since it's wet underneath it.
I'm guessing that because gas is involved I had best just pick one out
at Sears or somewhere and have it installed? I'm ok at fixing stuff
but I don't think I want to mess around with gas.

How long do I have if the floor was damp around it?

On Oct 22, 8:26?am, dgk wrote:
It looks like the tank is finally going since it's wet underneath it.
I'm guessing that because gas is involved I had best just pick one out
at Sears or somewhere and have it installed? I'm ok at fixing stuff
but I don't think I want to mess around with gas.

How long do I have if the floor was damp around it?

RIGHT NOW, a minor drip may turn into a major flood!

You better off upsizing to a larger higher BTU tank, so you dont run
out of hot water. That was a major complaint around here till I
upgraded from a 40 gallon 34K BTU unit to a 50 gallon 75K BTU unit.
our new one now about 7 years old gives us nearly unlimited hot
water. nice if theres houseguests.

do a little price shopping you will likely find home depot or lowes
cost less, and buy a long warranty tank so you dont have this trouble
anytime soon.

if you ask me sears is now the high price leader for most purchases:
( and they dropped the satisfaction guaranteed or your money
back ............

On Oct 22, 7:26 am, dgk wrote:
It looks like the tank is finally going since it's wet underneath it.
I'm guessing that because gas is involved I had best just pick one out
at Sears or somewhere and have it installed? I'm ok at fixing stuff
but I don't think I want to mess around with gas.

How long do I have if the floor was damp around it?

Find the leak it could be at the top and just a bad pressure release
valve, you dont say how old it is, turn the temp down and see if that
helps, tanks go without warning prepare for it.

In article ,
dgk wrote:

It looks like the tank is finally going since it's wet underneath it.
I'm guessing that because gas is involved I had best just pick one out
at Sears or somewhere and have it installed? I'm ok at fixing stuff
but I don't think I want to mess around with gas.

How long do I have if the floor was damp around it?

17 days, 14 hours, 12 minutes.

On Oct 22, 8:26 am, dgk wrote:
It looks like the tank is finally going since it's wet underneath it.
I'm guessing that because gas is involved I had best just pick one out
at Sears or somewhere and have it installed? I'm ok at fixing stuff
but I don't think I want to mess around with gas.

How long do I have if the floor was damp around it?

First, I'd identify where the water is coming from. Make sure there
is no obvious source, like a leaking fitting, the T&P relief valve, or
the drain valve. If it's coming from the tank failing, I'd say time
is of the essence. It could continue to just leak slowly for a long
time, or it could suddenly get much worse, with water gushing out.

While looking for a new one, I'd get one of the $10 alarms available
at the home centers or hardware stores. They run on batteries and sit
on the floor. You should have one anyway. You can set it at some
point away from where the water is now, and at least you'll get an
alarm if it gets worse. I'd also shut off the water to it whenever
leaving the home for anything over maybe an hour.

Are you sure that's not 28 days, 6 hours, 42 minutes and 12 seconds?

--

Mike S.

"Smitty Two" wrote in message
news

How long do I have if the floor was damp around it?

17 days, 14 hours, 12 minutes.

On Oct 22, 7:26 am, dgk wrote:
It looks like the tank is finally going since it's wet underneath it.
I'm guessing that because gas is involved I had best just pick one out
at Sears or somewhere and have it installed? I'm ok at fixing stuff
but I don't think I want to mess around with gas.

How long do I have if the floor was damp around it?

What do you mean? How long for what? If its leaking you better replace
pronto , you could have gallons of water spread out over your floors.

On Mon, 22 Oct 2007 06:12:02 -0700, wrote:

On Oct 22, 8:26 am, dgk wrote:
It looks like the tank is finally going since it's wet underneath it.
I'm guessing that because gas is involved I had best just pick one out
at Sears or somewhere and have it installed? I'm ok at fixing stuff
but I don't think I want to mess around with gas.

How long do I have if the floor was damp around it?

First, I'd identify where the water is coming from. Make sure there
is no obvious source, like a leaking fitting, the T&P relief valve, or
the drain valve. If it's coming from the tank failing, I'd say time
is of the essence. It could continue to just leak slowly for a long
time, or it could suddenly get much worse, with water gushing out.

While looking for a new one, I'd get one of the $10 alarms available
at the home centers or hardware stores. They run on batteries and sit
on the floor. You should have one anyway. You can set it at some
point away from where the water is now, and at least you'll get an
alarm if it gets worse. I'd also shut off the water to it whenever
leaving the home for anything over maybe an hour.

I have one, called a leak frog. But I guess I'd better start turning
the water off when I leave. I just noticed it yesterday so I'm already
lucky. It can be a week before I look in the basement.

I'd like to have enough time to look into a tankless one. Gas prices
are going through the roof so maybe it pays to get one. But if I need
to do it tomorrow then it's going to be the standard one.

On Mon, 22 Oct 2007 06:24:21 -0700, Jack
wrote:

On Oct 22, 7:26 am, dgk wrote:
It looks like the tank is finally going since it's wet underneath it.
I'm guessing that because gas is involved I had best just pick one out
at Sears or somewhere and have it installed? I'm ok at fixing stuff
but I don't think I want to mess around with gas.

How long do I have if the floor was damp around it?

What do you mean? How long for what? If its leaking you better replace
pronto , you could have gallons of water spread out over your floors.

Yep, I just called the plumber. Hopefully we'll look at it tonight.

On Oct 22, 11:03 am, Smitty Two wrote:
In article ,

dgk wrote:
It looks like the tank is finally going since it's wet underneath it.
I'm guessing that because gas is involved I had best just pick one out
at Sears or somewhere and have it installed? I'm ok at fixing stuff
but I don't think I want to mess around with gas.

How long do I have if the floor was damp around it?

17 days, 14 hours, 12 minutes.

PS. It will leak:
Further: It will do so;
a) At 2.00 AM etc. when everyone asleep.
b) When everyone is out.
c) Just as the (usually male) handy person in the house has just gone
on a weeks business trip.
d) While on vacation.
e) During a long holiday weekend, when stores closed.
f) When the nearest supplier happens to be out of stock.
g) When the suppliers delivery service is not operating. Need friend/
relative with a pickup or utility trailer.
h) The regular trash collector will not take anything larger than
three plastic bags of garbage weighing not more than 30 lbs each!
i) The local municipality has deemed old water tanks 'must' be
recycled; to a depot 25 miles away.
j) Other eventualities; such as replacement tank 'must be equipped'
with a new pressure relief valve and must be of a type approved by
your insurance company. Who just happen to not have a 1 800 number!
OR: Any combination of at least two of the above!
PS. And must admit our entire experience had been with electric ones.
We have had I think, four or maybe five in our two houses since 1960.
Water is a little acid here (acid rain pollution and soil conditions)
so we are averaging 9 to 10 years per tank.

On Mon, 22 Oct 2007 08:26:35 -0400, dgk wrote:

It looks like the tank is finally going since it's wet underneath it.
I'm guessing that because gas is involved I had best just pick one out
at Sears or somewhere and have it installed? I'm ok at fixing stuff
but I don't think I want to mess around with gas.

How long do I have if the floor was damp around it?

Check the faucet to see if that is leaking. If your tank is over 10
years old, you should look into replacing it. Also, get an
"appliance tray" underneath it with a pipe to the outside--when the
new tank leaks it won't flood the floor. You may need a tank today
unless you enjoy cold showers.

On Mon, 22 Oct 2007 08:01:07 -0700, terry
wrote:

On Oct 22, 11:03 am, Smitty Two wrote:
In article ,

dgk wrote:
It looks like the tank is finally going since it's wet underneath it.
I'm guessing that because gas is involved I had best just pick one out
at Sears or somewhere and have it installed? I'm ok at fixing stuff
but I don't think I want to mess around with gas.

How long do I have if the floor was damp around it?

17 days, 14 hours, 12 minutes.

PS. It will leak:
Further: It will do so;
a) At 2.00 AM etc. when everyone asleep.
b) When everyone is out.
c) Just as the (usually male) handy person in the house has just gone
on a weeks business trip.
d) While on vacation.
e) During a long holiday weekend, when stores closed.
f) When the nearest supplier happens to be out of stock.
g) When the suppliers delivery service is not operating. Need friend/
relative with a pickup or utility trailer.
h) The regular trash collector will not take anything larger than
three plastic bags of garbage weighing not more than 30 lbs each!
i) The local municipality has deemed old water tanks 'must' be
recycled; to a depot 25 miles away.
j) Other eventualities; such as replacement tank 'must be equipped'
with a new pressure relief valve and must be of a type approved by
your insurance company. Who just happen to not have a 1 800 number!
OR: Any combination of at least two of the above!
PS. And must admit our entire experience had been with electric ones.
We have had I think, four or maybe five in our two houses since 1960.
Water is a little acid here (acid rain pollution and soil conditions)
so we are averaging 9 to 10 years per tank.

Thanks for the tips. I've been a bit laid back about it but realize
that it is a short-fuse timebomb.

Ok, now for more questions. It seems like a tankless job is not too
good for me. The main bathroom is far from the likely location of the
unit, plus it's a fairly cold climate so it needs to be a strong
(expensive) unit.

So assuming the standard storage-type water heater (natural gas), does
it pay to do something like a self-cleaning type with a piezo-electric
starter? That one is $379 at Lowes while the same 40 gal size without
those two features is $299. Not a huge difference in price but my
usual caution on these things is that any additional features can
break.

I've had a stove with piezo-electric starter for 13 years with no
problems, and it does seem to make sense to save gas that way, except
that even a pilot light on a water heater would go towards heating the
water a bit maybe.

Self-cleaning is nice, but will it work well enough and not break?

Installation for each is around $285 depending on the actual
conditions.

On Mon, 22 Oct 2007 18:00:53 GMT, Phisherman wrote:

On Mon, 22 Oct 2007 08:26:35 -0400, dgk wrote:

It looks like the tank is finally going since it's wet underneath it.
I'm guessing that because gas is involved I had best just pick one out
at Sears or somewhere and have it installed? I'm ok at fixing stuff
but I don't think I want to mess around with gas.

How long do I have if the floor was damp around it?

Check the faucet to see if that is leaking. If your tank is over 10
years old, you should look into replacing it. Also, get an
"appliance tray" underneath it with a pipe to the outside--when the
new tank leaks it won't flood the floor. You may need a tank today
unless you enjoy cold showers.

When I was a kid I liked cold showers but I seem to have outgrown
that. I'll give it a good exam when I get home since I don't even know
if it is 30 or 40 gal. I think 40.

I'll give it a close look and see if I can find where it's leaking.
Not that it really matters too much, it's at least 13 years old and
I've been wondering how much longer it would last.