gas hot water tank leak

[MasterPlumbersKeymaster]

I just had a new hot water tank installed. When the whole family takes a shower, one after the other, water drips down into the flame area, causing a hissing sound. Only happens when a lot of hot water is used. I have been told this is condensation. Is there anything that can be done to prevent it?

[SylvanLMPParticipant]

Why Certainly something can be done THIS is a Modern society thus nothing is impossible.

Shucks we put a guy on the moon why not stop this common condition with just a little thought?

Lets keep it simple for starters

Picture a glass full of ice placed in a room where the ambient temperature is higher then this glass.

Now as we watch this glass we notice droplets forming on the outside WOW condensation being formed SAME as your tank which is a vessel getting colder then the ambient area thus it sweats

Now when a professional is faced with this kind of very bad (Mildew and premature tank failures) situation we have a many, many options.

But rather then educate the wanna be P&H folks and scramble their neonatal brains we shall keep it simple.

We can install a flow restrictor (cheapest way to go) at the hot water tank like we do on big systems with a tankless coil thus we can ONLY draw what this tank can make up.

We use a return circulation line to temper the cold water coming in to prevent thermo shock (an old boiler installers trick).

You can of course do what I do in many homes. I specify a hot water heater capable of delivering an out put of 150+ degrees F. instead of the normal 120-125 degree.

Then I run a dedicated line direct from the heater to the dishwasher and use ONLY a Holby tempering valve to reduce the temperature to safe levels.

Then it is a wise idea to install a heat sinks to prevent the stratification of hot water molecule into the cold water supply line. Even if you do not do any of the above its a good idea

By doing the above you are not drawing the maximum out of the heater and thus allowing it to make up as I draw off.

It is also a fantastic idea when doing this kind of set up to have flow restrictors at the shower head and pressure balancing anti scald valves in place.

There are lots of games a qualified plumber Or a well read home owner can play to get the best out of a system.

If a person comes to your home saying P&H be very careful you want to see a Master license or the very least in heating a stationary engineers lic in high pressure steam (most decent licensed plumbers have this kind of certification)

The key to any installation is knowing the person doing the installation and design actually knows their job.

There are a lot more options available instead of these tanks.

The above was just very basic.

At least now you have some idea of options that are available.

Good luck

[Author]

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