Bradford White Water Heater

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#1

Originally Posted By: jhagarty
This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.


Some background.


Bradford White 50 Gallon Natural Gas water heater / 8 years old.

Water heater is a Hi Efficiency Hydro-Jet model directly vented thru the foundation wall to the exterior of the home.

4 Bedroom, 3.5 Bath Home / 8 years old.

Copper water supply lines throughout the home.

High vibration on the hot water piping reverberating throughout the home.

Vibration occurs for approximately 5 minutes AFTER the water is shutoff and only when the Hot water is used. It also only occurs when the Burner on the water heater is firing when the water is shutoff.

Comments?? Suggestions??

--
Joseph Hagarty

HouseMaster / Main Line, PA
joseph.hagarty@housemaster.com
www.householdinspector.com

Phone: 610-399-9864
Fax : 610-399-9865

HouseMaster. Home inspections. Done right.

#2

Originally Posted By: rmoore
This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.


Joe…


Is it a powered vent model? If so, the fan or motor might be out of balance or the fan hitting something. That might "transmit" to the water piping.

--
Richard Moore
Rest Assured Inspection Services
Seattle, WA
www.rainspect.com

#3

Originally Posted By: jhagarty
This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.


It is a powered vent model. I thought the same that it was the exhaust piping.


The vibration is on the Copper outlet piping after you stop drawing water.

No Vibration with the fan running and water being drawn.

--
Joseph Hagarty

HouseMaster / Main Line, PA
joseph.hagarty@housemaster.com
www.householdinspector.com

Phone: 610-399-9864
Fax : 610-399-9865

HouseMaster. Home inspections. Done right.

#4

Originally Posted By: rmoore
This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.


Joe…


I'd still suspect the fan. Maybe the water flowing damps out the vibration? Nothing else make much sense. I just read about the "Hydro-Jet" part. That's simply a modified dip tube and shouldn't do anything without the water running.

--
Richard Moore
Rest Assured Inspection Services
Seattle, WA
www.rainspect.com

#5

Originally Posted By: jsavino
This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.


Hey Joe,


Could the tank be perkulating when the burner shuts off?
Could be sediment at the bottom of the tank.

--
John Savino
HomeWorks Inspection Services, LLC
St. James, NY
631.379.4241

#6

Originally Posted By: jhagarty
This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.


I was thinking it may be a problem with the dip tube as Bradford White had problems in the past with the Roto Swirl design.


I was also curious about the outlet piping having the vibration. Would an expansion tank installed on the outlet resolve this problem?

--
Joseph Hagarty

HouseMaster / Main Line, PA
joseph.hagarty@housemaster.com
www.householdinspector.com

Phone: 610-399-9864
Fax : 610-399-9865

HouseMaster. Home inspections. Done right.

#7

Originally Posted By: jsavino
This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.


What would come to my mind is maybe the tank is building a small amount of steam pressure. If the tank was not maintained, by draining sediment of the bottom of the tank monthly, it may have a build up if sediment on the bottom of the tank. When the burner fires up it may dry the area between the sediment and the bottom of the tank. And what you may hear is the sediment getting wet again as it cools. I have heard it as a hiss, crackling, thumping sound when the burner shut and lasted about five minutes.


How was the relief valve, maybe the T/P valve is the source of the vibration.

--
John Savino
HomeWorks Inspection Services, LLC
St. James, NY
631.379.4241

#8

Originally Posted By: jsavino
This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.


I don’t think an expansion tank will cure thw problem.


Also the tank is at mid life span.

–
John Savino


HomeWorks Inspection Services, LLC


St. James, NY


631.379.4241

#9

Originally Posted By: jpeck
This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.


jhagarty wrote:
I was also curious about the outlet piping having the vibration. Would an expansion tank installed on the outlet resolve this problem?


Joe,

That would probably be the least expensive 'fix' and would be worth at try (and it if did not solve the problem, I would leave it anyway, as the expansion tank is only good).

--
Jerry Peck
South Florida
#10

Originally Posted By: kmcmahon
This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.




I belong to my state org. forum and one of the guys asked how to decipher the age out of a bradford-white waterheater.


I gave him the info he needed, and then another guy who has a propensity for giving out his resume every other post…been doing this for 23 years…blah, blah blah… comes in and gives this speech.


Tell me your thoughts:

Quote:
WOW!



All this code deciphering just to tell how old a water heater is???? What bunk!



I would much rather report on the condition of a system. I have seen 30 year old water heaters working great and one year olds defecting. Age means nothing and it is a disservice to a client to imply that age somehow should be used as criteria for determining condition.



That is just my humble opinion after 23 years experience.



BTW, my water heater is 19 years old and still like new inside and out. I hope some of you ?AGE? inspectors don?t inspect my house if I ever sell it!



--
Wisconsin Home Inspection, ABC Home Inspection LLC

Search the directory for a Wisconsin Home Inspector
#11

Originally Posted By: jpeck
This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.


kmcmahon wrote:
Tell me your thoughts:

Quote:
BTW, my water heater is 19 years old and still like new inside and out.


Kevin,

My thoughts?

That guy sounded like a jerk. AGE makes a difference because it places a representative estimate on the life, used up and remaining, of the appliance (water heater in this case).

He stated that his water heater is "still like new *inside* and out"? Wonder how he saw the "inside" of it.

Once the anode rod goes, the tank begins to self-sacrifice to the water. Depending on many factors, including the water, the life of the anode rod varies. Manufacturers use several different anode rods, which is what gives the different warranty lengths 1 year, 2 years, 5 years, 10 years. once the anode rod is gone, it is only a matter of time before leakage 'through' the tank happens.

Was this a one-off goof up on his part, or does he say this stuff all the time?

Is he "real estate agent friendly"? I'm guessing he is.

--
Jerry Peck
South Florida
#12

Originally Posted By: rwashington
This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.


maybe i missed it but what was the diagnosis? Seems like the thread is strarting to stray a little.

–
Richard W Washington


www.rwhomeinspections.com

#13

Originally Posted By: kmcmahon
This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.


jpeck wrote:


Is he "real estate agent friendly"? I'm guessing he is.


After I wrote back to him and told him that most don't share his views and that he describes the condition and it's ok as that is the minimum standards set by our state, but most do that and report the age and average life expectancy, and that's going above and beyond for the ir clients, he came back with this gem:



Quote:
I would love to take you with me on an inspection and show you the difference between a "minimalist" and what I do for my clients!

My inspections come to me by reputation, referral and repeat clients, not because of doing the least I possibly can for a client. In fact I am proud to say that very few Realtors recommend me because of how thorough I am. The one's that do are just as honest as I am and equally as concerned about their home buying clients as I am.

In the same way I believe in being honest in reporting on water heaters (or anything else) and for some inspectors dating is simply a deceptive cop-out for not doing a good job.


This guy is actually the one that formed this forum, however thinks it's his own playground to smash others views. He is extremely arrogant.

I just don't get with all his experience that he doesn't think that the age of the furnace matters or should be reported. ![icon_rolleyes.gif](upload://iqxt7ABYC2TEBomNkCmZARIrQr6.gif)
He really ticks off many members.

--
Wisconsin Home Inspection, ABC Home Inspection LLC

Search the directory for a Wisconsin Home Inspector
#14

Originally Posted By: jpeck
This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.


kmcmahon wrote:
This guy is actually the one that formed this forum, however thinks it's his own playground to smash others views. He is extremely arrogant.


Any name I know here?

Certainly sound like a jerk. (But then, so do I sometimes.)

--
Jerry Peck
South Florida