Water Heater help!

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Posted: 3/2/2010 6:27:50 PM EDT

I was walking in the front room of my house and saw that there were some wet floor boards (wood floor). I went to the water heater closet and saw that the spigot used to drain the tank was leaking through the center of the handle.

Is there a way to replace this spigot or the handle? It is a Rheem 40 gallon gas water heater.

Thanks.

Posted: 3/2/2010 6:40:19 PM EDT

[#1]

Yes you can replace the spigot. You can put a regular faucet on it. any kind really.
You probably will have to drain the tank first though. Make sure you turn off the gas first though. also, it may be stopped up. If so, draining will be a problem. Depends on how daring you are, you might be able to pull the old valve off and quickly put the new one in with out too much of a mess. thats only if its stopped up.
Otherwise you can make a big mess pretty quick.

also, you may be able to take the handle off and if there is a packing nut you might be able to tighten that up to stop the leak

Posted: 3/2/2010 6:43:59 PM EDT

[#2]

Thanks Elvia, it doesn't look like a regular spigot, so it threw me a little.

Posted: 3/2/2010 6:46:18 PM EDT

[#3]

You WILL snap it off at the threads, you'll need an easy out sized large enough to get the rest of it out and you'll need to drain it first. The plastic get brittle with heat and age and takes very little to snap off.

Posted: 3/2/2010 6:51:52 PM EDT

[#4]

Quoted:
You WILL snap it off at the threads, you'll need an easy out sized large enough to get the rest of it out and you'll need to drain it first. The plastic get brittle with heat and age and takes very little to snap off.

This.

If you can't find and easy out, usually you can take cut the plastic with a hacksaw blade and pry pieces out with a screwdriver/chisel. Just be careful of the threads on the tank.
Replace it with a brass one, probably @ $10 at a home store.

Posted: 3/2/2010 6:53:09 PM EDT

[#5]

Quoted:
You WILL snap it off at the threads, you'll need an easy out sized large enough to get the rest of it out and you'll need to drain it first. The plastic get brittle with heat and age and takes very little to snap off.

Luckily, since I am in landscaping, I am used to breaking plastic nipples and have a selection of EZ outs to choose from.

Thanks for the tip, most of the stuff I deal with does not have heat as an issue.

Posted: 3/2/2010 6:58:48 PM EDT

[#6]

Quoted:

Quoted:
You WILL snap it off at the threads, you'll need an easy out sized large enough to get the rest of it out and you'll need to drain it first. The plastic get brittle with heat and age and takes very little to snap off.

Luckily, since I am in landscaping, I am used to breaking plastic nipples and have a selection of EZ outs to choose from.

Thanks for the tip, most of the stuff I deal with does not have heat as an issue.

Excellent! I water lock all the other parts [T&P and thermostat] and only lose a little bit of water but since this part almost always breaks when trying to take it out, it is always best to drain it. If it just drips a bit from the end, I just screw a sealed cap onto it whick works perfectly fine.

Posted: 3/2/2010 7:10:22 PM EDT

[#7]

Thanks guys, repair is better than replacement.

Posted: 3/2/2010 7:14:21 PM EDT

[#8]

While you have the tank drained, you should really consider putting a pan under it(while it is light), and installing a drain through the floor. All it takes is one ruptured tank, and you will see that the $20 investment in a pan as a wise move. I had to replace an entire pantry floor due to a slow leaker, and have seen half the hardwood floors and subfloor in one house have to be replaced from a ruptured tank. The floors buckled badly.

Posted: 3/3/2010 5:46:22 AM EDT

[#9]

Already decided to do it, unfortunately a drain presents an insurmountable problem due to the location of the heater.

Posted: 3/7/2010 9:33:54 AM EDT

[#10]

SHIT!!!

It did snap right the heck off and it is so old and caked the EZ out didn't work. To top it all off the cold water supply gate valve didn't close all the way so as I was disconnecting the hose (with the leaking valve closed) it partially filled back up. When I attempted to unscrew the valve the darn thing snapped right off and out rushed the water to the previously damaged hardwood floor.

And to top it off the darn replacement has a 3" inch shank and I need a one inch. If I ever find the builder who put the water heater in an interior location with no way to drain it I am going to do something dire.

Also, the way that it is plumbed in there is no way to put a pan underneath.

This is why I hate home improvement and repair.

Posted: 3/7/2010 11:31:09 AM EDT

[#11]

Success!

Does anyone need a 3/4 inch tap?

Posted: 3/7/2010 11:53:32 AM EDT

[#12]

Pretty good, 2 hours between failure and success.

Posted: 3/7/2010 11:57:18 AM EDT

[#13]

Glad you got it fixed, and thank you for not calling it a hot water heater.

Posted: 3/7/2010 11:58:02 AM EDT

[#14]

Good job.

I was was waiting for the phone call to come over and help. Next time I'm over lets look and we should be able to devise a way to get a pan in there.

Beers and Cigars....

Posted: 3/7/2010 12:04:51 PM EDT

[#15]

How old is it? If it's more than about 5 years old you may want to seriously consider replacing it. They're basically made of foil and designed to give out a day after the warranty expires. Ask me how I know.

Posted: 3/7/2010 8:25:44 PM EDT

[#16]

Quoted:

Good job.

I was was waiting for the phone call to come over and help. Next time I'm over lets look and we should be able to devise a way to get a pan in there.

Beers and Cigars....

Did you like the dinner picture I sent? It was roasted potatoes fried up in some bacon with cheese baked on with "real" ranch dressing. My cholesterol went up 2 points.

We need to make time for beer and cigars, soon.

Posted: 3/7/2010 8:26:32 PM EDT

[#17]

Quoted:
How old is it? If it's more than about 5 years old you may want to seriously consider replacing it. They're basically made of foil and designed to give out a day after the warranty expires. Ask me how I know.

Too true, I have replaced them before.