Help, hot water heater drips water ONLY when heating

[chimansaurus]

My 14 year old Rheem hot water heater ONLY drips water from the bottom when the fire is burning. It drips water directly on top of the burner plate which caused the unit to shut off twice over the years. The water stops dripping a minute or so after the fire goes off and does not drip anymore until the burner turns on after many hours. It happens in all heat settings, hot, warm, vacation. I put a metal can on top of the burner to collect the water. It collects about half a cup everytime the fire goes on.
Have you seen this issue before? Any temporary fixes other than replacing it (low on cash right now)?

 

[ExtraMilePlumbing]

It seams you have a pin size hole in the bottom of youre heater.it only leaks when its on beacuse the hot water raises the debris inside which is what is keeping it from leaking constantly.options are stick fire resistent tape down there untill you save enouhg money to replace it.so you can go on a vacation comfortably.think about the future

 

[chimansaurus]

Thanks for the comment. There is a small puddle underneath but a large towel handles it fine. Lately it drips every second or faster when heating. It creates a lot of steam. The system automatically shut itself off 2 times so far this summer.
I live in rural Illinois and the underground hard water I get, even in summer, is ice cold. So condensation probably adds to the issue.
I have a CO detector next to it and it hasn't beeped yet.
If you are right, it may be a seam or a pin hole that is underneath layers of sediments and debris. It expands or moves when heated and the water drips.
It used to make loud cracking noise when heating in early days. Now the noise stopped.
I lowered the gas supply and made the fire smaller than it used to be which reduced the number of drips significantly. However the heater turns on more frequently now due to the smaller size fire.
How can I locate the small leak and stop it?

 

[Caduceus]

A leak in your tank requires replacement of the tank to remedy. Fire resistant tape would only trick you into thinking you have bought yourself time. With pressure in the tank and an already thinned tank, you could have the tank rupture and start to flood the area. The leak could be in a number of places and would still need to be replaced even if you found it.
Once a tank heats and maintains proper temperature, condensate is not an issue. It will only condensate in the flue if the tank has cooled down when shut off or newly installed.
Replace the tank is the best advice I can give.

 

[chimansaurus]

Thanks for the comments. It is a 40 gallon Rheem. I turned the HWH off. I tried feeling the bottom of the tank and the flue. It seemed pretty solid with no rust. It seems like there is some life left on the tank. I added some sand on the bottom of the tank, and under the boiler plate and on top of the boiler plate and added an empty can on top to catch the drips and evaporate.
The condensation drips added to the original problem when I turned the HWH back on because I flushed the HWH and filled it with cold water.
I made the fire smaller, which made the water hotter. I was expecting the opposite.
Could it be a faulty pressure valve, hot water coming out from thread when heated and vapor is formed inside? My pressure valve is on the top and I can move the draining pipe back and forth with very little force. If that is the case, can a regular person (like me) replace it?

 

[coffeesnob]

I'm by no means a plumber but one of these days youre' pin sized hole may change into a giant pit overnight.

 

[DFBonnett]

OP,
The WH is 14 years old and has been living on borrowed time for a few years. You've gotten your money's worth from it. The corrosion you felt around for is on the inside, not the outside. You'll be replacing this unit in the not too distant future. You might best do it on your schedule rather than on an emergency basis.
FWIW
YMMV

 

[chimansaurus]

Problem fixed. Not a pinhole or leaking/expanding seam or debris issue. It was an exhaust issue through the flue. The fin inside the flue came loose, blocking the exhaust and condensing. I had to take lots of photos from inside and outside to figure it out. Tiny camera phones with flash are great. Keeping the burner hole door open and reducing the size of the fire did the trick. Not a single drop of water leaked over the last few days. I appreciate your comments.

 

[Caduceus]

Thanks for the follow up. I would have never guessed, nor have I ever seen, a misaligned flue baffle cause condensation to build up and drip. the heat typically burns it up even if the baffle is out of place. It must have been that way since the original installation 14 years ago unless there was some event that happened since. I guess poor air flow would be a contributing factor.
It should also be mentioned that the crackling noise that you heard earlier may have been a reaction between your tank's anode and the water if the Ph is naturally high (8+) but after 14 years you probably have a good amount of sediment (calcium) on the bottom of the tank as well. You also said that you reduced the burner flame and the water got hotter. It would cycle for longer periods, but the temperature should remain about the same and any sediment also slows down heat transfer to the water. That could also be an explanation for the condensation in the flue...too slow getting to temperature with the introduction of cold water. but that's only a guess.
Additionally, if the baffle was the cause, couldn't you just set the water heater back to normal flame, normal operation temperature and put the burner cover back into its place covering the compartment and all would be good? I ask this just to help you confirm that the problem and the solution match up and something else isn't being masked by the work that you've done.
Otherwise, it's great that you solved your dripping tank issue and having technology to get in there and help diagnose is always a plus. Others that visit this forum can really benefit from your experience when they have the same problem.

 

[chimansaurus]

....Additionally, if the baffle was the cause, couldn't you just set the water heater back to normal flame, normal operation temperature and put the burner cover back into its place covering the compartment and all would be good? I ask this just to help you confirm that the problem and the solution match up and something else isn't being masked by the work that you've done....

Thanks for your comment but I am having trouble understanding the logic. If I make the fire bigger, that means more steam from burning the gas, so it will drip more. If I close the burner door and the water drips too much, there is too much water vapor and not enough oxygen and it eventually shuts the unit.

The water tonight was significantly colder for some reason. I thought probably someone used up all the hot water right before I took a shower. Today was a significantly colder day with no humidity. I went to the basement and turned up the heat slightly. I was very sad to hear the sizzling sound of water dripping after several minutes.

The flue issue could have been there since the beginning but the small puddle never existed before.

I am still not sure if it is a pinhole or condensation.

 

[Mr_David]

Condensation drip is a common occurrence. Normally when a cold heater is fired on, or the humidity is higher than normal. don't know the exact mechanics . It has something to do with the DEW POINT. It's the moisture in the air that at a certain temperature in relation to the temperature of the wall of the tube going up though the water heater, causes the moisture to condensate on the tube wall and drip back on to the burner.

I have seen high BTU commercial water heaters that put out some serious heat do this as well as your standard residential heater. Brand new heaters.

Do you live in an area that has relatively high humidity? if you throttled down he flame make sure the flame is still a bright blue flame so you don't end up with a sooted up heater and vent. That could be very bad and unsafe


Wikipedia >>> DEW POINT

 

[chimansaurus]

Thanks for your comments. Have you ever used Furnace Cement to patch a hole in a HWH?
The photos I promised will be attached again soon.

 

[Mr_David]

Thanks for your comments. Have you ever used Furnace Cement to patch a hole in a HWH?
The photos I promised will be attached again soon.

No. Never. If they leak, time to replace. Too much liability to even consider it.

 

[Allen122]

If I make the fire bigger, that means more steam from burning the gas, so it will drip more. If I close the burner door and the water drips too much, there is too much water vapor and not enough oxygen and it eventually shuts the unit.

 

[journeyman]

dont know how many ways you can be told something change the damn heater. it is 14 years old. you are going to wind up with water damage or burning down your house it is a gas appliance and is not to be underestimated. if you are messing with the burner i will tell you that heater do burn down houses. if you are not familiar with how it works then call someone who is qualified. you dont sound like a plumber or heater guru. call a plumber. trying to save a buck is going to cost you the bank

 

[Caduceus]

He's putting in a Bosch tankless.

 

[chimansaurus]

dont know how many ways you can be told something change the damn heater. it is 14 years old. you are going to wind up with water damage or burning down your house ......

I removed the collapsed flue from inside the HWH. Everything is working fine now. No more drips for 3+ weeks now, heating water like a champion now. I have the new tank-less HWH sitting next to it just in case. I installed an additional Carbon Monoxide and Fire detector next to the HWH. Also designed and made a moisture detector alarm and it is monitoring the basement floor round the clock (I taught Electronic Engineering back in the day). I replaced the burner plate door with a heavy duty sheet metal shield with holes for better air circulation. Those drips were nothing but condensation drips due to the collapsed flue. I would say the root cause is bad workmanship and/or design on Rheem's part. I will update again if the HWH fails or something else happens.

 

[frodo]

there is other reasons water will show up under a water heater besides a bad tank

leaking nipples and/or plugs

will seep out water, the insulation jacket wicks up the water. it runs down the side of the tank after the insulation becomes soaked and drips out the bottom

i fired a guy for selling a woman a new heater, when she did not need it.
he saw water and immediately went into sell mode
we are here to protect the public and to deal with them honestly. bad word of mouth will kill a company quicker than the irs and obama care


that being said, i agree with the plumbers, that a 16 year old heater needs replacing when it starts to "act up"
or fail. just for purely safety concerns