South metro, river bluffs
Water Heater Repair in Burnsville, MN
Burnsville's water has an unusual source. Here is what that does and does not mean for a water heater.
Burnsville has one of the more unusual water supplies in the metro. Along with its wells, the city treats water pumped out of the Kraemer dolomite quarry in northwest Burnsville. The quarry has to be dewatered to operate, and the city built a plant to treat that water instead of drilling more wells.
The state treats quarry water as surface water for treatment purposes, so it goes through filtration and disinfection like river water would. Savage buys some of it too.
None of that should worry a homeowner. It does make Burnsville a good place to learn what is in your own water before deciding how to care for the tank.
Water heater repair in Burnsville, from Heart of the City to Crystal Lake
Burnsville uses ZIP codes 55306 and 55337. Downtown is called Heart of the City, built around Nicollet Avenue and Burnsville Parkway. Houses have stood around Crystal Lake and Orchard Lake since those shores were a resort area.
Ask the plumber to confirm the permit with the City of Burnsville before a replacement. The inspection gives the gas and vent work a second look.
Many Burnsville water heater calls start with color: orange or black staining on the hot side, which a flush may clear or which may mean a rusting tank. Old plastic drain valves that clog or drip come up on first flushes. Past that, Burnsville homeowners call about the same things as their neighbors in Eagan and Apple Valley: pilots, elements, worn out tanks, and leaks into lower level rooms. Most of those are daytime repairs. A tank leaking onto a finished floor, or a gas smell, is not, and the line answers at any hour.
Does the quarry water change anything for a tank?
For most homeowners, not much. Treated water from both sources meets the same standards. What matters to a water heater is hardness, and the best way to know that is to check.
Each year the city puts out a drinking water report. Find the hardness line in it, or dip an inexpensive test strip in a glass from the kitchen tap. If it reads high and you have no softener, plan on yearly flushing. If it reads moderate, every year or two is plenty.
Dolomite is a calcium and magnesium rock, and groundwater in this part of the state tends to be hard. Testing tells you whether that is true at your tap.
Iron, manganese and staining
Burnsville's main plant filters iron and manganese out of well water. Small amounts can still get through, and main work stirs up deposits in the pipes. That can show up as orange or black stains in sinks and tubs.
If the stains appear on both hot and cold water, call the city. If they appear only on the hot side, the water heater is the likely source: a spent anode, a rusting tank, or sediment that has collected iron over the years.
Flushing the tank clears out much of that iron sediment. If the hot water stays rusty after a good flush, the tank may be rusting inside.
Houses on the bluffs and the flats
Burnsville houses range from 1960s and 70s ramblers and split levels to newer homes on the hills above the river. Split levels often put the water heater in a lower level utility room next to finished space.
Whatever the house, the common calls are the same as the rest of the south metro: pilots that will not stay lit, elements that burn out, and tanks that start leaking in their second decade.
Those faults, and what fixing them tends to cost, are listed on the Minneapolis water heater repair page.
Old drain valves and sediment
Many tanks in older Burnsville houses have the original plastic drain valve. After years of sediment, those valves clog easily and often drip after they are opened.
Before a first flush on an older tank, have a cap for the drain valve threads on hand, or ask a plumber to replace the valve with a brass full port one during the visit. It makes every future flush faster.
Flush with the cold supply open in short bursts to stir up the sediment, and watch the water at the floor drain. When it runs clear, close the valve and refill the tank before turning the gas or power back on.
Questions from Burnsville homeowners
Where does Burnsville water come from?
From city wells and from water pumped out of the Kraemer dolomite quarry, which the city treats at its own plant.
Is the quarry water safe?
It is treated like surface water, with filtration and disinfection, and has to meet drinking water standards like any city supply.
How do I find my water hardness?
Check the city's yearly water quality report or use a hardness test strip at the kitchen tap.
Why is only my hot water rusty?
The water heater is likely the source. A flush may clear it. If not, the anode may be spent and the tank rusting inside.