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« HELP: Cert. of Occ. issue Running Toilet Tank »
February 5, 2009
Is my hot water heater dying?
Two things: first, a brownish particulate accumulates in the screen of the showerhead. I have to clean it every couple of weeks; second, last night, we ran out of hot water, and the cold water that came out at the end left a reddish residue on the floor of the shower. Is this as ominous as it sounds? What does a new one cost (large enough for a family of 3 in the upper duplex of a 4 story brownstone)? Thanks for any insight
Comments
You might try hooking a hose to the tap near the bottom of the tank and running it into drain or better yet a toilet to see if it will run clear after a while. you might have some accumulated sludge in the bottom. If it's a gas heater take a flashlight and look under the tank where the pilot is and see if you can see or hear a drip. If it's electric, well, look on the floor.
Posted by: mod squad at February 5, 2009 8:58 AM
If you need a new tank, just go to Home Depot or Lowe's. Buy one with installation. the price will vary as to how long the warranty is. I think they are 2 yrs, 4 yrs and 8.
Posted by: mod squad at February 5, 2009 9:02 AM
Similar thing happened to me back in December, so I replaced it. If your heater is more than 10 years old, you should look into it and fix it before it starts to leak. You probably have a while, but I'd use the time to get the money together (mine cost $1200 installed).
Posted by: slopenick at February 5, 2009 9:47 AM
before going to H/D - go to ebay and by 10% or 20% off coupon. it costs $3 on ebay but would save you a $100.
Posted by: bobjohn at February 5, 2009 6:14 PM
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