Noisy water heater power vent motor

Question

 

Lisa says:

May 11, 2011 at 2:08 pm

 

Hi there,

I have two of these water heaters in my basement. The motor on one made so much noise that I could hear it on the second level of my home. I phoned a water heater repair guy that I found in the phone book, he said that this type of water heater cannot be repaired and that a new one is needed at around $1500.

 

I then phoned a plumbing Contractor and he said the same thing. He recommended that I turn the power off to the one that made the noise. Is this true can this type of water heater not be repaired a new one must bordered? They are both about10 years old.

Answer 1

 

Hi Lisa,

 

I can’t really answer your question, you didn’t provide any information about the brand and the model of your power vent water heater. However, I have two suggestions:

 

1. Check the warranty of the water heater, it sometimes has a number (6, 9, or 12) on the label attached to the side wall, next to the brand name. If there’s no such number displayed, wright down the serial / model (it should be listed on the label), call the water heater’s manufacturer and ask about the warranty period.
    
2. If it’s already over, fixing a 10 year old power vent water heater might be just waste of money. You should be able to purchase the power vent assembly (I did some search and there are many available), but investing into a 10 year old water heater… It could run for another ten years but you shouldn’t be surprised if it starts leaking tomorrow (it’s unpredictable).