Stainless Steel Water Tank leaking ( 2nd tank in 3 years )

Hi - we have had a leakage in our stainless steel hot water tank - this is the second tank in 3 years - plumber can't provide any explanation. we suspect it is the water chemistry - due to heavy iron in the ground water from a well it is treated with a salt treatment system before entering the house.We have had the water tested and result is as follows
Sodium 205.40 mg/L which we think high.
The water treatment guy ignoring us - dont want to put in a third steel tank if need to replace again in a year or two - anyone any ideas ?

Thanks

Hi Jenny and Welcome to AAM,

Did you get your well water tested by a reputable independent laboratory?

Did you sample the raw water from the well and the water after water treatment?

Did you test for the full list of parameters (biological, chemical and metals)?

Is there a smell from the water when you turn on the tap first thing?

What kind of water treatment do you have? I suspect you have a water softener of some sort, was it designed and installed with your requirements in mind, or was it just "off the shelf"?

Is your water treatment guy well established reputable guy? If not check out some alternatives in the yellow pages and get a second opinion based on a full set of results. Check that he is a member of the WQA or equivalent trade body.

aj

I am dealing with a similar case where 2 stainless steel cylinders in 4 years. Previous installers just installed the new cylinder without testing. It is a must to test before continuing.
The parameters that affect the welds of the cylinder are as follows:
Total dissolved solids: <600mg/l
Total hardness: <200mg/l
Chloride: <300mg/l
Magnesium: <10mg/l
pH: Needs to be between 6.5 & 9.5, ideally neutral
Calcium: <20mg/l
Sodium: <150mg/l
Iron: <1mg/l

You can see already that from the information you have provided that your Sodium levels are too high. This would indicate an issue with your treatment system rather than your well water as it is highly unlikely you have high sodium levels coming in. There could be too many back washes or other issues with your treatment. This is also bad for your health, i.e. high salt.
Have the water tested before and after the treatment system for the above parameters, correct them and only then replace the cylinder.