Water heater. On the 3rd one in less than a year. Any causes known?

Question

Hello I work at a shop. About a year ago the water heater went out and was leaking this seemed normal because it was nearly 10 years old. Since that time the new one started leaking(about 3 months later) they assumed I installed it improperly and sent out a plumber who said it was broken as well and he replaced it. Now the one HE installed is leaking (about 6 months later) and they are going to replace it again.

I'm wondering if something could be causing the water heaters to fail? The plumber is inhouse and on salary so he is not profiting by somehow causing the water heaters to fail.

All three are 19-20 gallon water heaters that appear very simple without even a temp gauge on them. All they have is an input, output and wiring harness. The hot water heater is lightly used and should really last a long time in my opinion as we don't have a dishwasher or any other appliance that uses a lot of hot water. Just the sinks for washing your hands

Answer 1

you do not say what kind of water goes into the tank. Is it well water, city or county water. Some mineral deposits are killers to hot water heaters.

Answer 2

I had one of those also .......and it didn't appear that they were put together to well...........but how high is the thermostat set...and how much pressure do you have in your area.......Thats all i can think of........good luck

Answer 3

Is it electric?(Bet it is) Is your water well water?(more than likely hard water) Did you change the anode for a hard water one?(if not your water probably has/had an odor)

Answer 4

even a brand new cheapest heater will last for 5 years!  i can only think of 2 things, (1) a used tank was installed for the price of a new one, (2) the setting is on the highest but water isn't being used enough to justify a high setting. all tanks have a setting. yours should be at the lowest.

Answer 5

what name brand is it so I can make sure I never reccomend that name brand

Answer 6

Do you turn them off for any long periods of time?

I once had a water heater begin leaking right after re-starting it after it was off for a couple of days and had cooled down.  My theory is that it was close to failure and the temperature cycling opened up a crack.

Answer 7

I would investigate the quality of the water.  Start by checking the pH - kits are available at pool supply places.  If the water is too far off 7, it'll rot the water heaters pretty quick.

Answer 8

sounds as though your water itself could be the culprit. Also sounds as though you should start draining that sucker about every month. each month, on the same day each month, put a bucket under that exterior spigot you see and drain off a gallon or two of water. This will remove most of the sediment that is collecting in the bottom of the tank and scaling on the heat element. This will only help your water heater last as long as it should be