I have a water heater problem that has me scratching my head. About a month ago, our hot water pressure dropped greatly at all of our outlets. As you are using hot water, it seems to drop off in 5 or so minutes (pressure still low, but temp begins dropping) until you have the handle all the way to hot, but seems to recover to prior point if left off as little as 5 minutes. There has been no issues in the previous 8 or so years. I did drain it on a more or less regular basis for several years, but admit I haven’t in the last couple years.
Since the pressure dropped, it seemed to me that there must be something restricting flow into the tank, but why the short run time? I asked a couple of local plumbers, and all they could come up with are, 1st plumber: broken fill tube dumping cold into top of tank (but that doesn’t seem to me to address the pressure drop) or a restriction such as sediment at the bottom of the tank (which seems to fit the pressure drop, but not run time). And 2nd plumber, something concerning a loop inside the unit on the fill side, but I did not have time to get all of the details.
The unit is a Reliance 501 electric heater. I know its not a “forever” unit, but we have gotten 15 plus years out of most of our heaters in the past. I wasn’t planning on replacing it anytime soon, since I have other plumbing projects coming up and didn’t want to have to shut down the wife and kids more than once.
On the bright side, the two teenagers have gone from 30+ minute showers to 5 minute showers, but flushing the toilet will the wife is showering is now grounds for divorce/homicide. Any ideas out there?
Edited 2/18/2009 12:06 pm ET by bowquack
Replies
Perhaps both plumbers are right.
Deteriorating diptube and a piece of it stuck in the HW pressure line leaving the tank or in the valves and aerating screens at the valves.
Answers both questions.
From personal experience I can tell you that the pieces of the dip tube travel through the entire system and will plug up/restrict every valve in the house.
Years later I am still pulling pieces out of some valves.
Edited 2/18/2009 1:51 pm by dovetail97128
Makes sense, but how likely is a diptube to deteriorate? I will check it out, hope its that simple. Thanks for the tip. Any other ideas out there while I'm at it? Thanks in advance.
Edited 2/18/2009 2:50 pm ET by bowquack
Very likely if the HW heater is of the correct age. there was a run of bad diptubes installed in a number heaters.
They can't get your Goat if you don't tell them where it is hidden.
Bow,Here's a neat website on water heaters.http://www.waterheaterrescue.com/
I would check the inlet side going to the water heater. Might be just enought crud to reduce flow. Maybe a broken washer.
The system is under pressure until you open a faucet and the fill rate is to low to keep up. But the "stored" pressure is enought to keep you going for 5 mins or so.
Drain the system and remove the fill shutoff valve and check for crud.
Where are your priorities, man!!?? It's mid-winter, you live in Nebraska, your bride is annoyed, and you're trouble shooting a "15 plus" year old water heater??
After you've replaced that antique (tomorrow would be good and yesterday would have been better) and restored domestic tranquility to your home, wait for the spring thaw and do a tear-down on the old one and see what the "innards" look like.
OTOH, if you're thinking of replacing your bride.......... - lol
Far more likely that I will be replaced, she's really cute and me, well, not so much! The heater is only about 8 years old, but I'm leaning toward just picking up one and having it on hand and ready before I shut the water off. Really need to anyway to install more shutoffs, big old house and only 3 valves now. Thanks to everyone who read and replied, its nice to have a resource such as this.
Having the replacement on hand is a given. If she was annoyed at the poor performance of the old WH, imagine her rage if you were to rip the old one out and then have to wait a week for a new one to show up at the store. On second thought, try not to imagine that. (Been there, done that, and have the T-shirt..........and scars. - lol)
go buy a new one, have it installed by noon. our power company gives them away free.
Boy, sometimes the sequence of these posts gives a chuckle. Post 6 ended: "OTOH, if you're thinking of replacing your bride.......... - lol"Then Post 7 goes: "go buy a new one, have it installed by noon. our power company gives them away free."
I wrote post #6 and just saw #7. Which power company are you talking about? A good deal is a good deal, right? - lol
"Which power company are you talking about? A good deal is a good deal, right?"Good deal might depend on whether they remove the old one! Otherwise sparks may fly, and you need yet another specialty to come in.
Good point, Dick. I guess I hadn't thought that one all the way through.Would we be talking about some kind of hazardous material abatement company? Some kind of OSHA rule (protective clothing, hearing protection, noise level control, air quality monitiring, steel toe shoes, cast iron or Kelvar cups, etc)?There may be some business opportunities here (and we're all looking for those, aren't we?). How about "POSA (Pizzed Off Spouse Abatement)", Inc. or LLC? - lol
Seriously, what power co. for the heaters not the wives? What's the catch?
Heaters, hell!! I wanna know about the utility that hands out them free wifes............and if they haul away the old one. - lolTemporary tag line:Married 38 years on 4/17............and still counting.
southern company
Actually, at the time I installed the heater, our public power pool in Nebraska and our local city utility had rebates. Since it was the last gas appliance I took out and became all electric, the pretty much rebated the whole thing. That program, alas, has gone away now, but we still enjoy rediculously low power rates.
Are you sure the pressure's dropping, or is it just that the water's colder so you have to mix more hot with the cold?
In any event, your unit is of roughly the right age to have a bad dip tube -- there were some bad ones shipped out in that time frame. Remove the aerators from a couple of faucets and see if there are bits of white plastic plugging them. (You can tell the plastic from hard water deposits because the plastic won't dissolve in vinegar.) If you find bits of white plastic then you almost certainly have a bad dip tube.
Another reason for reduced hot water capacity (but not reduced pressure) in an electric heater is a bad lower element or lower thermostat.
All of the advice is good. Bottom line -- get a new water heater. It isn't worth it to prolong, since it's apparent you haven't been dealing with draining and such up to now. When you do, insist upon a brass ball valve for drainage. Most have plastic valves, which can cause problems when you try to drain it later. Your plumber can add that at very low cost at the time. Some water heaters come with that already, like my own Bradford White, if you use your regular plumber, not someplace like Sears or whatever. Note: I came back to read this message, and found #### between the words have and plastic. I must have written a no-no.
Edited 2/18/2009 10:20 pm ET by BARMIL
do you have a gate valve on the inlet to the h w tank
i have seen the gate come off and lodge partially closed
if crud builds up too high in bottom of tank i have seen it eat the lower heating element ( happened in a 1 year old house )
if your sacraficial anode is eaten off you can also have problems with the elements being eaten away