QuestionHi Shawn,
I'm trying to decide between repair and replacement. I know little or nothing about hot water heaters. This unit heats up the water just fine, and still works fine (except that the red water heater light comes on more often than before and I have to hit the reset switch more often to get it to work, but that might be the windy rain & snow or something). I'm worried that leaving it this way will mean more repeat puking events and more water damage to the carpets and oak cabinets.
It started about a month ago when I came home after a 4 day trip to see water on the floor and thought it was a pipe connector that froze in the cold weather (the heater wasn't working and fortunately only this small connector was cracked and dripping) but it never made sense because it was a very slow drip and yet 3' x 3' of the carpet was soaked, and then today the hot water heater puked, sending water to the exact same place on the floor, so I'm pretty sure it was the hot water heater both times (but not positive).
Between these events there was one drip every 3 seconds from the relief valve outside, and where that water would pool up was clear plus it had a fair amount of a grey clay-like substance accumulating in it (pipe sealer?). So somehow today the coloring has changed from this grey clay-like substance to large quantities of this rust and/or red sediment (there is red sediment in the tap water here from the volcanic rock and it stains everything and can sometimes build up in a pipe that hasn't been used for a long time and shoot through all at once - I'll get this in the sink if I've been away for awhile).
I pulled out all my kitchen drawers to get a good look at the unit and cannot figure out where the water came from, however, I do see signs where there was water around the lower pipe connection, so I think it was puking from inside the styrofoam and then coming out of the styofoam from around that pipe (or somewhere else that I cannot see), then ran across the linoleum, under an oak barrier and to the carpet. It simultaneously puked outside, spewing rusty (or red sediment) water out of the relief valve (this was 2 hours ago).
Then the propane guy looked at the heater and thought the high temp switch wasn't working, he said it was getting too hot. That sounded like a plausible theory to me, so I'm wondering:
1) Is he right?
2) If so then do I just replace the high temp switch?
3) The relief valve too?
4) And is there another relief valve that I can't see inside that styofoam that caused it to puke inside? Should I replace/fix it?
5) Or should I be looking at a whole new unit?
I'm trying to put off major expenses till this summer if at all possible, but I can't afford more water damage to the RV. What do you suggest I do?
AnswerHi Tony,
If the water heater is getting too hot, as the propane guy suggested, then there is a back up limit switch that would cut off the heat source. So it is doubtful that the problem is overheating. There is only one outside relief valve. I would pressure test the fresh water plumbing to 85 PSI and recheck for leaks. If the unit is leaking from under the Styrofoam as you suspect. You will have to replace it. Good luck.
