So I've been attempting to get an electric water heater for methanol recovery...

I've looked behind plumbers shops and apartment or condo management and maintenance offices...

The VERY FEW electric ones I've found are rusted out and leaky pieces of crap, barely suitable for the scrap metal haulers.

I find more gas ones, but I leave them behind because I have a gas one of my own that I know does not leak... (It's 12 years old, but I didn't want it to leak into my finished basment, so I replaced it ahead of time.)

If I remove the burner and gas valve/thermostat, could I somehow weld a fitting that'll accept an electric element into it at this location? I assume the gas valve has a probe that extends into the water to sense temperature.

 

Can you weld? Braze a 1 inch fitting to a new 55 gallon barrel and get a new 12 dollar electric element and violia ( walla) open top reactor.

 

I have reactor vessels. This is for methanol recovery.

 

I saw a show on This Old House where the plumber said that very few tanks rust from the inside out. Usually the fittings on top leak pick up the rust color as it runs down the side and then appears at the bottom where most people think the tank rusted out and scrape it.

I explored this theory when I found an eighty gallon tank lying out back of my local HVAC/plumbing shop where I have permission to go through their junk pile.<O

<O

I took it home thinking that if it is rusted I could weld patches on the holes. The thermostats and heating elements where completely encrusted with rust. After stripping everything off the tank, insulation and everything, cleaning it inside and out, I pressure tested it and as expected it did not leak. It was actually in very good shape. So now I have a dedicated methanol cooking still. <O