hot water heater leaking (# wx-203)

[neehowhenhow]

Dearest Wisest Appliance Sensei...Oh my goodness! Looks like from the papers of the install, this baby is 15 yrs old. the floor around the base is wet, and the water has leaked thru the wall/floor in the basement and into the playroom carpeting. At first sight, the top of the tank has rusty water pooling, and around the pipe inserts- where a big plastic cap and lots of insullation sit- the bolts and metal top are all rusted. Then on the side where the relief valve is- the valve itself has a patina colored corrosion, and where it attaches to the tank, is a lovely stream of rust colored streaks- from water leaking- streaming down to the floor.

I will try to upload a photo of this beast.

Is this a plumber fix, or can my Super Awesome funtime Husbandtaduh fix it?

Many thanks to all your help!

neehowhenhow

Edited to add:

this is the hot water TANK...not the heater...(uhh dingy blonde moment)

Wrong Model #- that one is the pressure water tank. sorry!

Edited August 29, 2012 by neehowhenhow

[neehowhenhow]

images of tank: and I got the model # from the install papers- any idea if I could find it on the tank itself? thanks!

one more photo-

[jumptrout]

It must be replaced and the hubby SHOULD be able to do it.

[neehowhenhow]

uggh. I will cheer him on with my little pom-poms through the whole process!!! (not a big deal, right?) We'd really love to do something more energy efficient...cost effective...less old school- more modern. Any suggestions?

thanks

[jumptrout]

I use the standard type water heater. When I want hot water........I want hot water...not on a timer schedule. You decide what is best for your lifestyle.

[Cactus Bob]

if your asking me i vote of a tank type water heater hands down

you never know when your water supply will go down (broken main , power failure , ect )

no better feeling than having 40 -50 gallons of fresh water on hand

you want money savings ? turn the temp down .

[neehowhenhow]

dankeschone! now to find a hot water tank- as we have a boiler for the heat/water. this suka's just the water tank, right?

[neehowhenhow]

Okay, I am going to ask a question here, which may or may not solidify my status as a dingy blonde...

this tank- is just a water holder, right?

is there a heating element within it?

I ask because when I look online for an "OIL" hot water tank..google sends me info on hot water heaters.

Am I missing something?

okay- 3 questions.

I would love to do gas- tankless, actually but find there is a heat exchange inside them as well.

Many thanks for your enlightement.

[RegUS_PatOff]

... this tank- is just a water holder, right?

... is there a heating element within it?

... when I look online for an "OIL" hot water tank..

1) seems to be

2) is there any electrical going to it ? (besides the Thermostat ? in the picture)

3) does it use "OIL" ?

[Cactus Bob]

It looks to me like it's a oil fired water heater , 40 gals i would guess

but it's just a guess , going by the control in the photo

there are no photos of the burner , (gun) , or fuel lines

If all you have if fuel oil into the house , you will need to replace with the same tank type heater , there are no tankless water heaters that work on fuel oil

or you will have to run gas to your house and that would be a big deal $$$$$

Edited August 28, 2012 by Cactus Bob

[neehowhenhow]

okay- here is what we have

http://www.vaughncorp.com/html/tp.html

vaughn S50TP Heat Exchanger 30 sq ft

Storage 50 gal.

I called Vaughn Corp today to find out whats what with this. Since we are not the original homeowners...%$&*!!!! No warranty. They recommend getting a cerfied plumber to come, assess the situation and recommend what to do.

New tank??? or just New top housing/coils. The latter would be significantly cheaper.

Hubby seems to think the top housing is where the leak is coming from.

From the photos I provided, would you gestimate the same?

and I need to ctc the local distributor for any part. Hoping they sell to common folk like me!They claim "easy installation"...hope that applies to me!

thanks again for your input!

[Cactus Bob]

Ok now i know what you have

it's just a tank with a coil that is heated by water running through it from your house boiler that is fired by oil or gas

there is no way to tell from photos where the water is leaking from

you my have just a bad gasket between the coil plate and the tank , might be the coil mounting plate or the tank side

the only way to tell would be to see the leak or take apart the top of the tank and see what and how bad the metal is rusted away

back in the 70's when i was in new jersey we replaced a ton of these as well as installed these tanks when the hot water coil in the boiler pluged up

when something goes wrong it does not end well . most of the time it's just a giant rust ball with no way to get it apart and if you do , no way it will go back together and not leak

your best bet is to call a plumber

[neehowhenhow]

Hello again!

So it looks like a new water tank is the solution. The quote was $3k for 40 gal, $4k for 60 gal. Just 'bout fainted from that.

If we went to an electric water heater/tank- would that be more cost effective than to dump this much into an oil-heated water tank?

Is there an alternative -on demand water heater? more efficient?

thanks

also...what do you think of that price?

He originally said $3671.50, but after a call into his "Boss", he brought it down to $2995.

thanks again for your help!!!

Edited September 18, 2012 by neehowhenhow