SaratonyT

The electric water heater in our apartment is dripping! It only drips when the water is heated and only loses a very small amount of water. Does this drip mean the heater is on its last legs or is it worth trying to replace the parts, we have been told that heaters only last about 5 years because of the hard water?

If we have to replace the heater, does anyone know of a good place to buy a new one in the Villamartin area?

Any advise would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks

JnK

Hiya, can't help but am curious as we have the same problem on our electric water heater complete with little red bucket underneath

Veleta

I've got a feeling this slight drip is normal with electric heaters. Most of the ones I have seen seem to have this.

There should be a little black key/tap/lever/whatever you call it which you can fiddle with and it might reduce the dripping slightly.

bil

Please apply all the usual caveats about safety, responsibility etc. Were this problem mine, I would assume the following. The increase in heat is causing an expansion which is allowing water to pass.

The important question is this. Is the leak coming from a joint, or from elsewhere, ie the casing, or where a pipe joins the body of the tank where there is not a threaded joint.

Number two could be very nasty, number three is beyond most people's capability, but the first is not. All you need to do is to turn off power and water, and disconnect the joint. Beware as this might release a lot of water so have something to catch it in, and pleanty of old towels to mop up spillage. Clean the threads, and wrap them in ptfe tape (dirt cheap). If you are holding the joint in your left hand with the male thread pointing towards your face, wrap the tape clockwise. Use lots of tape. Then reassemble and tighten firmly. It has been my experience that if such joints ground, ie screw in all the way, then I haven't used enough tape, and the joint may well leak still. As I say, all you are wasting is your time, and the tape is very cheap so if you waste a roll or two, it's no biggie.

Sometimes, if you are using a tap as connector between the flex pipe of the boiler and the pipe in the wall, the bearing of this may go and cause a leak. Then you just replace the tap using the tape. I wouldn't use tape on a male joint that screws into the flex pipe as that should have a rubber seal.

Hope that helps.

Solarwhizz

All the above may be worth doing, but it is more likely a cause and effect of varying mains water pressure combined with expansion when water is heated, The " little thingy black lever tap" is a pressure relief valve and if it is leaky it is because of excess pressure or it may simply be that there is a some dirt on the valve seating (solution change the valve, ensuring you take adequate isolation and safety measures prior to doing this), if it is due to excess pressure on the mains combined with heat expansion there is little you can do about it except maybe regulate the incoming mains pressure, or change/adjust it for a valve of higher pressure which then may just pass the problem onto other parts(weak points) of the system as indicated above. I had a similar problem as described and changing the HP valve solved it.
Or maybe the little bucket under the valve is the least cost most effective solution.

Hondon Rock n Roll

Had this problem with our water heater. It was caused by the high pressure of the incoming mains water. Had a pressure reducing valve fitted on the incoming mains water to regulate the pressure. This solved the problem. Cost of valve and fitting around €90

jdr

I`d go along with this, but get the valve checked out or replaced.
You could one day go home for a nice bath/shower and end up de-flooding the apartment if the valve totally fails. ;-))

P lumber.

bil

I'm curious. If it's the incoming pressure, then why wouldn't it leak when the system was cold?

Knowing the precise point from which the water leaks would be helpful. We have a straightforward Fador heater, and the only connections we have (from memory) are simple screw down ones, sealed with ptfe, with a tap inbetween wall and tank. We are on pumped well water, so our pressure varies enormously and regularly.

If it's a threaded joint that is leaking, rather than anything else, a little work and a roll of ptfe would, IMO be an excellent point to start from.

cavecritter

We had the same problem with one of our electric water heaters, we too had a pressure relief valve fitted but unfortunately the heater started leaking again 3 weeks later. The plumber came out and said the heater had had it and took it out. Lucky he did as the water had leaked into the wiring and could have been a death trap! we had the pressure valve refitted to the other water heater and touch wood everything's been OK since.

(Our heater only leaked when it was switched on........)

bil

But, as I say the 64,000 dollar question is, where did/does it leak from?

There is a world of difference in that, and without it, advising or suggesting anything is almost pointless.

Mike Cross

I would check the age of the heater before spending any money on a pressure valve.

If the heater is coming up to 4-5 years old, it may well be worth replacing it at around €150 for a 75 ltr tank.

If the tank is outside then when you fit a new one, cover it with a weather-proof lagging jacket to elongate the life to up to 8 years or so.

Bil is right regarding the leakage, it will most likely come from a joint or valve rather than it being a pressure issue, it can easily be checked by turning your mains water supply tap down a little.

Mike