I'm not sure if this is the right forum for this, but I'm trying to brainstorm ideas for my old water heater. The tank itself was leaking water, so it will no longer serve its original purpose. What else can I do with it. Anyone have any ideas or projects they have created from old water heaters? I know I could just dump it, but it seems like there has to be something useful I can do with it.

Ideas?

Well I can think of two things, a small forge and a melting furnace. I cut the top off and made a small forge out that and the pipe that came up the middle I used for air supply piping. I then used steel angel for legs and fire clay sand mix for refractory and had a nice little forge, I then used the bottom portion of the water heater for a melting furnace for bronze. I lined it with fire brick and fire clay and made a lid out of a ring of the water heater and filled that with fire clay, sand and broken up fire brick (sort of like poured in place concrete). I cut it apart with a sawzall because the glass lining is hard to cut with an O/A rig.

You could probably make a pretty decent side draft hood from it.

Frosty

The domed or curved ends for a forge, the whole tank for a chimney, or cut it to made a side draft hood, the metal for projects, the thin-skin for a chimney or projects, the tank for a gas forge, the tank for a short drainage culvert, etc

Look at it for what it can do, not what it used to be.

Carefully cut around the top around the vent tube to free it up. Carefully cut around the bottom above the weld line to free the bottom where the burner flame heated the water. Remove with vent tube attached. Cut vent tube about 12" down. Cut another piece to weld into the T for the air/ash dump. Go to local farm supply store, buy exhaust stack flapper to fit tube for an ash dump. Assemble, weld a couple pieces of 1/2" across air hole for a grate. Add legs, and fire it up.

Here's a couple pics to give you an idea of the result. I know, mine needs legs and a counter weight for the ash dump, but I never finished this as I have a table forge. For this one's first firing, a pair of vise grips clamped on the dump made a great counterweight.

They are wonderful old things gas fired water heaters but the electric type are better suited for hoods as they are a much thinner gauge of metal. The gas type can be cut down for a large type bell jar substitute. Use 1/2" thick rubber and lay on ground, make sure that it is at least 2" larger then tank. Now use the top portion of tank and put in new nipples and remove anode plug and put in new plug. Next you want to grind the bottom of the tank rim square to the world so that when you set it on the rubber it is level and flush. I add a ball valve at the nipple not used for the vacuum hose to relive break the vacuum when I finish vacuuming a large flask for casting. Attach a 1" hose filled with 3/4"X12" springs, this keeps the hose from collapsing when you are drawing the vacuum. Water heater tanks are pressure rated vessels and are good for lots of things in the shop. I DO NOT recommend this last one wholeheartedly but one fellow I saw cut the bottom off and the flue up the middle and welded plate on the bottom and over the flue opening and made an auxiliary compressed air tank for his air hammer. Always made me nervous though.

Anyone mention slack tub, or tempering swords when the tank is cut lengthwise?

I used the top of a water heater to build my first forge. All the flanges were perfectly spaced for 3/4 inch pipe legs. Air is an Industrial Xerox

a 12 dollar bathroom exhaust fan from lowes has served me well as a blower for 2yrs now,if you dont have a forge u at least have half of it now.you can also boil of some whiskey mash in it.or make a pontoon boat,or a really big bobber for fishing,or a aerator for the yard just add some rr spikes and tonge to attach to lawn mower,extra fuel tank,one of a kind mailbox,feed trough,water trough,small yard wagon,burn barrel for yard waste, wish i had one got all kinds of ideas.wanna sell it?

Makes a great BBQ grill/smoker as well. I used one as a side draft hood for my forge.

Makes a great BBQ grill/smoker as well. I used one as a side draft hood for my forge.

+1 on the BBQ. Best dang chicken I EVER had.....

Here's my last defunct water heater. Great for welding/heat treating due to the size.

for a long time down in texas people loved to make offset smokers out of them

That thing just screams foundry to me, cut that thing in half hinge the top to the bottom line it with some castable refractory and start melting metal, backyardmetalcasting.com has great information of this particular hobby.

I've seen a few "planter" type affairs made from these. Got a few to try for myself.

Cut in half (or whatever) Roll the cut edge, weld on some scrollwork legs, add some decorative metalwork to the outside and your good to go.

Already has hole in the base for a drain, and looks AWESOME painted up with a copper
verdigris effect.

Dad made a hood for our forge from the outer skin of an old water heater.