Water Heater Question

[porkchop88]

I have a gas hot water tank 30 gal. that is about 10 yrs old Well it don't get as hot as it should i have it turn all the way up and it only fills the tub up half way before the water gets cold any way of fixing this ?

[junkcollector]

I would think that the bottom of the tank is built up with sediment. You should try draining the water out and flush out the crap. First, attach a garden hose to the drain valve. Shut off the burner / gas valve. Next, open the drain valve and let the water drain out. Now, turn on the cold water valve again and run water through the heater until the water runs clear without chunks. Close both valves, and begin to fill the water heater back up again. Turn the burner back on, and relight the pilot, if necessary.

One warning:

Once you open the drain valve and attempt to close it when you are finished with the above, the drain valve may not close completely again. They are made extremely cheap, and you may end up replacing it. If this happens, we can walk you through the replacement if needed.

[scuba_dave]

Also make sure something hasn't brushed against the setting, turning down the heat setting

[jeffo]

You could also have a cracked cold water inlet pipe. A hot water heater operates like this: Cold water enters the water heater where the inlet pipe brings the cold water to the bottom of the tank. The heater heats the cold water entering and the hot water at the top of the tank flows out to the taps.

If the pipe going to the bottom of the tank has a crack form, the cold water does not go to the bottom of the tank and force the hot water out the top of the tank - instead the cold water displaces the hot water and after a short time the water at the top of the tank is cold - resulting in cold water going up the hot water pipe.

If your tank is in good condition, you can replace this pipe. However, if it's not in good condition, you should think about replacing the tank. If you rent your tank from the utility company, they probably will replace the tank.

[Fischer]

You could also have a cracked cold water inlet pipe. A hot water heater operates like this: Cold water enters the water heater where the inlet pipe brings the cold water to the bottom of the tank. The heater heats the cold water entering and the hot water at the top of the tank flows out to the taps.

If the pipe going to the bottom of the tank has a crack form, the cold water does not go to the bottom of the tank and force the hot water out the top of the tank - instead the cold water displaces the hot water and after a short time the water at the top of the tank is cold - resulting in cold water going up the hot water pipe.

If your tank is in good condition, you can replace this pipe. However, if it's not in good condition, you should think about replacing the tank. If you rent your tank from the utility company, they probably will replace the tank.



Jeffo is absolutely correct. More often than not the coldwater inlet tube just breaks off and fall to the bottom of the tank. At that point it doesn't matter how high you turn up your thermostat.

These tubes are generally white or blue and look like a bushing in the top of the tank. A pair of needle nose will generally take out the carcass if anything is left on the top of the inlet.

[porkchop88]

Thank you fo the help i will let you now what the outcome is

[porkchop88]

well it was we were turning it temp control the worng way but now i have rusty water comming out of the hot water faucets i did drain the tank and that came out clean any ideas. :argh:

[Fischer]

You have to completely flush the hot water lines. Turn off the hot water tank and let them run till they run clean and then some. You should do this for every hot water line. Do this starting with the closest line to the hot water tank.

[scuba_dave]

I started getting rust in my hot water
I flushed the tank, lines & installed a filter
Ended up being the tank was rusting out
Luckily my wife was home when it broke, she heard water running
She shut the cold water supply off, but not the hot water out
Water was back filling into the tank via the hot water feed
Not too bad of a flood...would have been worse if no-one was home

[Ohm1]

You could also have a cracked cold water inlet pipe. A hot water heater operates like this: Cold water enters the water heater where the inlet pipe brings the cold water to the bottom of the tank. The heater heats the cold water entering and the hot water at the top of the tank flows out to the taps.

If the pipe going to the bottom of the tank has a crack form, the cold water does not go to the bottom of the tank and force the hot water out the top of the tank - instead the cold water displaces the hot water and after a short time the water at the top of the tank is cold - resulting in cold water going up the hot water pipe.

If your tank is in good condition, you can replace this pipe. However, if it's not in good condition, you should think about replacing the tank. If you rent your tank from the utility company, they probably will replace the tank. I tend to agree!

[AllanJ]

Often when the city flushes the water mains, generally by opening hydrants here and there, rusty and sediment filled water will get into home plumbing systems. If you were unlucky enough to be using hot water at the time, some of the mess enters the hot water tank. It may take a couple of tankfuls of usage to clear it out. I should say running/flushing instead of usage since the rusty water is not good to wash clothes in.

Often it is difficult to unscrew the inlet etc fittings from a water heater to get at dip tubes, anode rods, and the like. If you are too rough, the entire heater rotates as you pull on a wrench and you could snap off the gas feed line down below with obviously disastrous consequences.