Off grid hot water tank life

[Yankeesouth]

I have a few questions about off grid water and hot water tanks/heaters.  For those of you who don't treat your water through a softener/sand/salt or like process....do you do anything special to prolong the life of your hot water tank ....that is if you have one?  I guess I am looking for something fairly simple and inexpensive......homemade even!

I have a well.....water is good and clear but nonetheless it's iron based well water.  It gets filtered through a sediment filter before entering the tank.  I know straight well water cannot be good for the heating elements in a water tank.  Other than seasonally draining the tank are there any other steps I can take to prolong the life of the hot water tank? 

[OlJarhead]

We went with instant on hot water (propane) so I can't imagine issues with it on our well water.

[MountainDon]

A hot water storage tank should have an anode rod; that offers protection. There are two types of rods. Some water can create rotten egg smell in the hot water tank and that means you need the other type of rod.  We drain off a little water from the bottom of the tank every six months or so. Hardly ever any sediment drain off.

Glass lined tanks here have lasted us 15 years before replacing on a just in case basis. That's a tank with a 12 year warranty period. Just about time to do another. 

[Yankeesouth]

I have, in the past, read a little about the anode rods in hot water tanks.   How difficult is it to remove it?  Is that a bad practice?

[MountainDon]

They thread in like a pipe plug. Easy swap as long as there is sufficient clearance. Mine are on the tank top surface near the flue tube. Ours has two rods.  Length of time between replacements varies with water quality, temperature and the tank itself. Softened water (salt method) can make anodes corrode more quickly. You can get powered anodes that do not corrode; they are great for softened systems but do need electrical power.

[MountainDon]

OJH, on demand, tankless, systems are not immune to issues with water quality. Some manufacturers do not warrant their tankless heaters if the water quality does not fall within their parameters. Hard water can scale inside the burner tubing. Keeping the temperature as low as possible can help, so I've been told.

[OlJarhead]

Interesting MD -- thanks for the note.

Now I wonder, what's the life expectancy?

I've never had our water tested and have no idea of how hard it is but it doesn't seem too bad. 

[MountainDon]

No idea on life or time bewteen service (clean out)


One of these will tell you the ppm of dissolved solids. It won't give any breakdown or tell you anything about waterborne bacteria, but it is a cheap whay to determine TDS (Total Dissolved Solids). 

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002C0A7ZY/ref=oh_details_o09_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1&redirect=true

I use it as a simple method to check on the efficacy of our reverse osmosis membrane. I compare a sample of water from before the RO system to a sample taken after the RO system. Typically we run 450 ppm before filter and with a properly functioning RO membrane the after reading is less than 25 ppm. When that starts to climb it's time to replace the membrane. Better than using a calendar as most people do.

[Rob_O]

A properly installed tankless unit will have isolation valves that allow you to quickly switch from the "house" connections to the "service ports" (garden hose fittings). Use a pump and a bucket to recirculate a few gallons of vinegar through the heater for an hour or so as necessary and it will keep the unit running properly. Frequency of service will depend on water quality

[OlJarhead]

A properly installed tankless unit will have isolation valves that allow you to quickly switch from the "house" connections to the "service ports" (garden hose fittings). Use a pump and a bucket to recirculate a few gallons of vinegar through the heater for an hour or so as necessary and it will keep the unit running properly. Frequency of service will depend on water quality

great thought!