Patrick45
Gulf coast of Texas
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Water appears to be seeping from both the IN-FLOW and OUT-FLOW connections on my water heater. We use it only on electricity and it works great.
It is a very slow leak and it showed up for the first time yesterday.
I need suggestions on how to proceed before I hire a pro.
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midnightsadie
ohio
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two leaks at one time?? I.d wipe things off and look for a very small hole in the area. if you got a pin hole in the tank? its time for a new one.
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Jim Cindy
Northcentral, PA
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Please post the age, make & model of water heater. Type of in and out connection, threaded, plastic or metal? It may simply be that you need to remove fittings,, clean up old sealant, apply new sealant and reinstall.
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Patrick45
Gulf coast of Texas
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The water heater is a Suburban SW12DE and I purchased the FW new 2/27/09. And it is leaking at the threaded connections on the top and bottom.
Isn't it suspect that both connections would go at the same time?
Might there be any concern with the relief valve?
I am a rookie in such matters
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Ranger Smith
Wherever the rig is parked
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Sounds like you need to turn off water heater, drain tank, remove fittings and apply Teflon tape and re-tighten the fittings.
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powderman426
ohio
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Ranger Smith wrote:Sounds like you need to turn off water heater, drain tank, remove fittings and apply Teflon tape and re-tighten the fittings.
I would do as above only use plumbing putty instead of teflon tape. A nieghbor at the park had similar problem and was fixed with putty while the teflon just wouldnt seal.
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Old-Biscuit
Across the USA
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Joined: 06/20/2009
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powderman426 wrote:Ranger Smith wrote:Sounds like you need to turn off water heater, drain tank, remove fittings and apply Teflon tape and re-tighten the fittings.
I would do as above only use plumbing putty instead of teflon tape. A nieghbor at the park had similar problem and was fixed with putty while the teflon just wouldnt seal.
I would use a 'pipe thread' SEALANT vs teflon tape OR plumbers putty.
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Jim Cindy
Northcentral, PA
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Patrick45, The same person probably installed both fittings and did not tighten them sufficiently. If your are sure the leak is at the connections, remove and clean both the fitting and the threaded entry into the tank, apply pipe thread sealant on the fitting threads , not plumbers putty, and reinstall. Plumbers putty is what you use to set a sink and is not for threads. That should solve the problem. The factory is an assembly line and items all to frequently get overlooked or just plain missed.
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Kirk
Livingston, Texas.
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It sounds like the fittings my have just vibrated loose and like several others I too would remove them and reseal. Do not use plumber's putty as that is not designed for either high temperatures or for use under pressure. At the recommendation of an RV tech friend, I have gone to using Teflon pipe dope.
Good travelin! ........Kirk
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Dusty R
Charlotte Michigan 48813
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The best, least likely to leak, fitting for plastic to metal I've found, has a gasket in the plastic fitting much like a garden hose gasket. The problem is that plastic and metal have much different expansion rates from cold to hot.
Dusty
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