help with a well/pressure tank

[mrbb]

Ok I am looking for some help
I bought an older mobile home a few yrs back to use as a hunting camp
mobile home was set up on site in the late 60's, early 70's
history I know of or think I do, is the well went dry a few tinmes, and every time they just went deeper, to, NOW I think its at about 800ft
have had the place for about 10 yrs now
and very 4 yrs or so, the water heater would rust out on me, and rupture
I don't be at the place all the time, so a twice it caused damage whe it leaked all over
so I been replacing a water heater every 3 yrs since
I have never had any issue's with rusty water or water quality or pressure or any real issue's I noticed
NOW last 2 yrs I have been getting a blocked screen on my clothes washer, that once a yr I had to clean the screen due to small metal particles
never thought much about it, just blamed it on , lack of use, as it sits for a few weeks at a time

SO< then the past few weeks, when ever the water is used in the tube, I am gettinga ton of metal flakes coiming out ,
which has me wondering what is going on?

SO, my question for folks that know more than me
what and where can these metal flakes be coming from
would it be from my pressure tank, as I have NO idea on how old it is
and if so, any idea on what it costs to have one replaced, if that's the problem

and last
if its not that would /could it be the metal in the well, that is the issue
I tend to think metal in a well would sink to the bottom, but again, I just don't know much about wells or there systems
and I also now fgure this hs been going on for a whiel maybe, and its this rusty metal that is killing my water heaters so fast, as it settled I guess on the bottom and thus causes it to rust out
could this be right, just a guess on my part
and thankls for any help
much appreciate it and sorry on the long post!

[Greg]

I think that I would start by having the water tested. Being a very deep well you may have hard water. Hard water will eat water heaters for breakfast as well as other plumbing parts. That may be the cause of the problems, then you can start repairing the problems it may have caused.

Greg

[mrbb]

thanks, I will have a water test done , I have a place near by that does them, had it tested about 6 yrs ago, and all was fine then
and its just the past yr, I am finding these metal flakes coming out of my tub faucet
, so I just thinking the pressusre tank maybe is old and rusting out, or?? the well again, as both I think are about 40+ yrs old now
was wondering what one is more likely to be my issue

[Greg]

It is very possible that the tank is rusting. you could try adding an inline filter and see if you can trap the rust.

Greg

[mrbb]

Thanks, but if the tank is going bad, I would rather replace the tank, as I guess if its going bad, it will just get worse, and need to be done
I just didn't know if it could be the well itself, over the tank
never heard of a well going bad, but again, don't know much about wells

[Greg]

My thought was that if you add a filter you may be able to tell where the rust is coming from. If the filter is ahead of the tank and you are getting rust it may be from the well. After the tank and it stays clean, possible pipes in the home etc. An inline filter is not that expensive and if it helps find the source could well be worth the hassle. and you could take it out of the system once you find the source.

Greg

[Steve S.]

What type of supply pipes do you have? Sometimes galvanized pipes can corrode internally and produce flakes of metal rust. If your well pump and pressure tank are producing adequate pressure then I wouldn't think the tank is at fault...sometimes the rubber diaphragm inside the tank will perforate and then the tank would rust. If the tank is 40 years old I would replace it...heck, even submersible pumps only last about 20 years. I have issues with hard water and sediment(looks like coffee grounds) in my water supply, so I flush my water heater religiously every year...I am constantly cleaning out the screens in my washing machine and toilet tank fill valve . Some day I will install a main water line filter...

[mrbb]

Thanks guys, right now I am looking for idea's
I have to wait till warmer weather to do anything, as I still have snow an d freezing temps
my reason on the filter is, all lines from well to holding tank are tucked up in the floor more or less insulated and then sealed off, thus, if I can prevent having to tear down to add a in line filter, would orefer that, as there s0isn't muhch room to working under the trailer, less than 3 ft of room, and I have a very bad back
where holding tank is, its a hair more room, and as for water pressure
well I do think its not as strong as it used to be, now I think about it
so, I think I will have the pressure tank replaced, if nothing else, this one is very old, so a new one wouldn't hurt things
as for pipes, all seem to be copper pipes
but there are some pvc ones about the water heater, due to one winter way back, a pipe there froze and broke(before I owned the place)
the water heater is in a room, that way its set up, its bolted closed, and then its compketely insulated and then a second door is bolted closed
so, ooening it up to drain, is a royal pain in the butt, and thus why I have not been draining every summer
but think I will start doing so
plan to replace water heater this summer, due to its coming up on 4 yrs now
so will replace it, after I replace the pressure tank
ands see if that helps one las tlonger

[countrydan]

im starting to get some very minute black speckles of what i think may be metal flakes from the hot water heater or the galvanized nipples on the water heater.. Im in the same boat. does your metal flake on the cold side too? if not its not the pressure tank and you have it narrowed down to the hot side water system.

just a tip on what i do. i have removed the panel permanently that closes in the water heater. my thoughts are if it leaks or has an issue i need to see the issue. often times water heater start to slowly leak and it may not be noticed for quite a while if its closed up.

[mrbb]

Again thanks, but I get the metal flakes on both hot and cold
I am going to replace pressure tank, both cause I think its the problem, and the fact its as old as it is, a new one won't hurt if I am wrong
once I see is the tank is the =ause
I am then going to replace the water heater, as odds are its getting close to failure time based on last 4 of them!
and theni see if maybe I can get more yrs out of one!
I will update once I get it done, stilll another moth or more of cold weather to wait to pass before starting the project
was looking for idea's/opinions here, and againthanks to all that gave me them

[Steve-WA]

Replacing the hwt every 3 or 4 years seems overkill; have you ever tried just flushing it out?

[ponch37300]

just a tip on what i do. i have removed the panel permanently that closes in the water heater. my thoughts are if it leaks or has an issue i need to see the issue. often times water heater start to slowly leak and it may not be noticed for quite a while if its closed up.

My water heater was in the kitchen behind two layers of drywall. It ended up leaking and we had no clue until we felt water on the kitchen floor. Also no way to shut the water off unless you opened it all up which was about 20 screws. I have been redoing the kitchen for the last year plus, taking a lot longer then expected but that's life. I re framed the water heater closet and put an oak face frame on it. Going to build a door for it sometime to match our kitchen cabinets. So we can just open the door and shut the water off or just check on the water heater.

Also water heaters need maintenance. I flush mine about once a year. Just drain it and then run some water thru it. This year I'm going to take the bottom heating element out and try to use some smaller hose and my shop vac to suck any sediment out of the bottom. It's been making sounds like rocks or something in there. Also there is an anode rod in there that is supposed to rust out before the tank. It's the big hex head on top of the water heater. You can try taking that out and see how it looks and if that is rusting out maybe try replacing that every year. The come in magnesium and aluminum and are about 10-20 bucks. A lot cheaper then a new water heater.

[mrbb]

Thanks again guys
and my problem I kno3 is I don't ever drain it or really check on it,its mostly due to how much work/time is needed to open the access up to it
as I don't live at the site, so when I am there I guess I just don't try hard enough to work on it
IF the access area was easier, I would
but due to the design of it, its not really an option
the out side door to get gets bolted close, about a dozen bolts
which isn't so bad
BUT the way its beed closed up, is there is a wall in a closest that gets removed, to insulate the door
meaning every time the door gets opened it tears the insulation
or you have to take closest wall apart, about 20 screws
then remove insulation, then open the outside access door
not a huge deal but it takes several hrs
when the heater last time went, it also did floor and wlall damage
so, I re did the walls in a water proof coating, like that plastic sheeting in a shower wall
and then a big basin with a center drain, so the whole room now is more or less water proof like a shower, with a drain hose
I have an acess window on the drain hose, so I can look to see if its leaking
to let me know the heater has gone bad, with out having to open the door
this is a small trailer, an d room is tight
if there was a better way to have easier access, I would drain and inspect more often
but its not so
due to such cold temps and winds, if I didn't insulate like I do, i would have frozen pipes in that area I fear!
rather replace a heater early maybe in warm weather, than have a pipe bust in winter
been thinking about instant hot water units, but never heard any real good stories of them working well
but do think they might solve my issue's too
as they for sure take up a lot less room too

[countrydan]

just a tip on what i do. i have removed the panel permanently that closes in the water heater. my thoughts are if it leaks or has an issue i need to see the issue. often times water heater start to slowly leak and it may not be noticed for quite a while if its closed up.

My water heater was in the kitchen behind two layers of drywall. It ended up leaking and we had no clue until we felt water on the kitchen floor. Also no way to shut the water off unless you opened it all up which was about 20 screws. I have been redoing the kitchen for the last year plus, taking a lot longer then expected but that's life. I re framed the water heater closet and put an oak face frame on it. Going to build a door for it sometime to match our kitchen cabinets. So we can just open the door and shut the water off or just check on the water heater.

Also water heaters need maintenance. I flush mine about once a year. Just drain it and then run some water thru it. This year I'm going to take the bottom heating element out and try to use some smaller hose and my shop vac to suck any sediment out of the bottom. It's been making sounds like rocks or something in there. Also there is an anode rod in there that is supposed to rust out before the tank. It's the big hex head on top of the water heater. You can try taking that out and see how it looks and if that is rusting out maybe try replacing that every year. The come in magnesium and aluminum and are about 10-20 bucks. A lot cheaper then a new water heater.

I removed my Coleman forced air unit metal slotted door and am going to trim that and use it for my heater door. Less restriction on the furnace and it fits the opening of the heater well.. 2 birds one stone. Your oak frame idea is nice.

Good info on the aluminum/magnesium rod. I didn't know that.. our water heater has that plug on top (must not be a plug after all lol). How do you know the difference between the metals? Color?

[mrbb]

on a side note I thought about replacing the wall on one side of my water heater with a plexi glass sheet, so I could keep tabs on it by seeing thru the wall
but??
just never got around to that when I did the re do on it