Water Heater Help Needed,,, It Has Air In It After A While

[quicksandfarmer]

I really don't think it's air.

Downstream of the pump, air only enters when the pressure is at or below atmospheric pressure. If you drain the pipes and refill them, yes, you get air. But if there's a leak it's the water that leaks out, not the air that leaks in.

If the pump is sucking air, that shows up as the pump being unable to achieve pressure, as the pump can't move air. So you get low pressure, low flow and long run times. That doesn't seem to be happening here.

I'm sticking with my guess that it's not air, it's another gas being formed somewhere in the system.

 

[Mtsoxfan]

I had an indirect water heater, oil burner heated a tank as it's own zone. I had similar issue, ended up being a pin hole in heating coil in indirect tank.

 

[EddieWalker]

I'm interested in this because I've never seen it before, and I can't imagine how air could get into a pressurized system, and water isn't leaking out of that system.

The only time I see air coming out of a faucet is after I've turned off the water, done something to the line where the water drains from the pipes, and then put it all back together and turned the water back on. Air comes out as the water pressure builds back up. Water pushes air out of the line until it's all gone, which just takes a minute.

This is very odd.

 

[CADplans]

OK,, here are the pics of the lower element out of the hot water heater.

Not too bad looking for being 17 years old,, well, except for that little "split"
My daughter only had one element left, so I ordered a couple more
The lower element was the one I replaced.

Possibly, that split spot exposed enough of the nichrome wire to cause the water to turn into oxygen and hydrogen?

We will know tomorrow, the hot water heater had the "gas" again this morning.

 

[CADplans]

If you have a well pump, I highly recommend this type switch, of your correct pressure.

Amazon.com

If a pipe bursts, and the pressure in the storage tank drops below a certain point, this switch will disable the pump until you reset the switch manually.
I think that is better than 2,000 gallons of water in your basement.
Also, continuous running of your pump for a long period can burn up the pump, which is BIG $$$$

The only negative is that if you loose power, and use the water in the storage tank, the pressure will drop and the switch will disable.
You will have to turn that little lever for a few seconds, until pressure is above cut in pressure.

 

[quicksandfarmer]

This article on hydrogen sulfide gives an idea of the kind of reaction you can see in a water heater:

Hydrogen Sulfide (Rotten Egg Odor) in Water Wells

Hydrogen sulfide is a gas that gives water a distinctive "rotten egg" odor. Various treatment options are discussed in this article.

extension.psu.edu

I don't think it's hydrogen sulfide per se, because that has a strong smell.

 

[CADplans]

My sister had that,, any water they wanted to drink the next day had to be left on the counter the night before.

I thought she was just being efficient when she filled the MR COFFEE pot right after dinner.
I was shocked she lived with that sulfur smell,,
Just setting there, the sulfur smell would go away.

They had a company working on their property that damaged the first well that had no sulfur.
There would have been no problem getting them to drill another well.

 

[ponytug]

My sister had that,, any water they wanted to drink the next day had to be left on the counter the night before.

I thought she was just being efficient when she filled the MR COFFEE pot right after dinner.
I was shocked she lived with that sulfur smell,,
Just setting there, the sulfur smell would go away.

They had a company working on their property that damaged the first well that had no sulfur.
There would have been no problem getting them to drill another well.

Sulfide smells are easy to remove; pump into a storage tank and aerate it, or through an aeration unit that actively mixes in air, or add ozone. I wouldn't put up with it personally.

Congratulations on finding the blown electrode. I hope that fixes your gas issue. Did you by chance check the anode as well?

All the best,

Peter

 

[CADplans]

Congratulations on finding the blown electrode. I hope that fixes your gas issue. Did you by chance check the anode as well?
All the best,

Peter

I have the second element coming Tuesday,, AND,,,
also, I ordered a powered anode, which is also coming Tuesday.

The powered anode does the same thing as the metal one, except it uses your house electrical current.
I think it said it uses $3 worth of electricity a year,, something like that.

It is made out of titanium.

 

[ponytug]

I have the second element coming Tuesday,, AND,,,
also, I ordered a powered anode, which is also coming Tuesday.

The powered anode does the same thing as the metal one, except it uses your house electrical current.
I think it said it uses $3 worth of electricity a year,, something like that.

It is made out of titanium.

I have had a powered anode for a long time. I love them. I think that the anode controller draws a coupe of watts, so yes, you will never notice it. Way better than standard anodes. I suspect that most people don't service their anodes regularly, and end up replacing water heaters often, especially in hard, or softened hard water. Plus, many of us are lucky enough to have water heaters with limited head room, and limited access which makes the whole service process...fun.

Good luck!

All the best,

Peter