Need Plumbing Advice

[Nosmo King]

Iron pipe or plastic of some type?
How old is the WH?

I would say the WH is plugged at a quick guess.
If iron pipe though could be a rust plugging issue.
Does water come out of the WH drain when you open it? And at a continued flow?
if so the problem is in the outlet of the WH or the associated plumbing.

I would shut off the gas or electric to the WH before testing/draining to avoid explosions, death that kind of undesireable events.

Also be sure the WH is completely filled before restoring the power/heat source.

Copper, electric don't know how old, we've been here 5 years. I guess I'll have to flush the WH tomorrow, hopefully that will fix the problem. I'm wondering if I can back flush from the washing machine hot water feed to clear any possible blockage at the feed side of the valves.... Older plumbing system, house built in 1972, don't imagine there will be a back flow preventer in the older system.
This might be a good time to replace the old gate valves with ball valves but will have to buy a new "torch", the old one went bad last year.
I've also been considering replacing the WH with a tankless system.

If you flush your water heater, take only 5 gallons out at a time and do it three times a year. The typical water heater has a 40 gallon capacity. the objective is to save money, so if you flush all 40 gallons out, you'll have to pay for 40 gallons to refill it, plus the energy to bring 40 gallons of water up to temperature.

Don't forget to turn the cold water infill valve off first! Otherwise, five gallons of water will pass through your meter, flow through the interior infill pipe and out the drain valve taking none of the sediment with it. also, turn the breaker for the water heater off before you drain. You don't want that top heating element to turn on without being submerged in water first.

Have someone open one of the hot water taps in the house after you shut the infill valve. This will break the vacuum and the drain will flow easier.

I have a tankless water heater (natural gas). It's great as long as only one tap is used at a time. I can't shower, do laundry and wash dishes all at the same time. The flow is just not great enough.

 

[Ringel05]

Thanks everybody for all your advice (and for those who stated the obvious ). The tank flush seems to have worked though I watched and saw nothing come out of the flush hose but water, we have full pressure back.
Now, after not bathing for hours I can finally get clean......

 

[boedicca]

This is not a question for the handyman plumber (like myself, unless you know the answer).

My hot water pressure drops a few seconds after I turn the hot water on in every tap in the house.
Sediment issues? Any ideas?

Yes, don't turn on every tap in the house at once.

 

[boedicca]

This is not a question for the handyman plumber (like myself, unless you know the answer).

My hot water pressure drops a few seconds after I turn the hot water on in every tap in the house.
Sediment issues? Any ideas?

Don't turn the hot water on in every tap in the house.

Oh Snap.

Sammy pre-empted moi.

 

[Ringel05]

This is not a question for the handyman plumber (like myself, unless you know the answer).

My hot water pressure drops a few seconds after I turn the hot water on in every tap in the house.
Sediment issues? Any ideas?

Yes, don't turn on every tap in the house at once.

In my house I normally don't have an issue turning on all the hot taps at the same time and losing pressure, losing hot water rapidly is a totally different story.

 

[boedicca]

When we lost hot water in my house, it's because a certain person take a very long shower, and then uses up the remaining hot water shaving.

 

[Ringel05]

When we lost hot water in my house, it's because a certain person take a very long shower, and then uses up the remaining hot water shaving.

Your legs are that hairy??!!

 

[Paulie]

Just my two cents.

Get a new water heater from a big box (home depot/ lewos) with a warentee. Before the warentee is up take it back and tell them it leaks.

How are you plumed? For pressure i like a 3/4 from the street down to 1/2 to the taps.

I don't normally like to point out spelling and grammar, but my GOD syrenn!

This is damn near illegible!

"warentee"?? Really???

 

[Ernie S.]

The pressure drop off is on the hot side only. Cold side is unaffected.
I did some research this morning on the tankless and discovered a few consumer issues including the cost. I'm definitely not going that route.

Electric tankless is a good deal if your rates are low. At Tennessee's 6-7 cents, it's good. At Florida's 12-13 cents, it's bad. I wouldn't want to be at the mercy of fluctuating energy prices, if I could avoid it.

Yes and no... Here in Florida, the incoming water averages about 70 degrees, so the tankless can heat water high enough so you can mix in a lot of (sort of) cold water. Natural gas is no bargain in Florida either, if it's available at all. Regardless of fuel, a tankless is 30 to 50% more efficient than your typical 40 gallon water heater

 

[Ernie S.]

Tankless could be the way to go. You don't need to re-mortgage the hose to buy one either. See link

The hardest part of installing one is the electrical connection. You will most likely need to run heavy gauge wire and a bigger circuit breaker. Another consideration is incoming water temperature, especially in winter. A typical 60 amp tankless will heat water 60 degrees over incoming temperature at 2 gallons/minute flow.

Back flushing might work, but it requires disconnecting some pipes. Another thing to try is to close the supply valve and drain the tank. Opening the pressure relief valve will allow the tank to drain, baring the boiler drain plugging up with crap. When the tank is near empty, hook a Shop-Vac to the drain fitting, close the relief valve and drop the hot supply line at a convenient sink or your washing machine and let it hang in a bucket of hot water. Turn on the Shop-Vac until you've sucked the water out of the bucket.

I've used this method to undo what one of my service techs did when he hooked up a granulated carbon filter backward and filled up a customer's plumbing with about 2 cubic feet of rice grain sized carbon granules.

Sorry, I know fixing it was a pain in the ass but that's funny. Thanks for the tips.

Funny now that I look back on it, but not funny when I had 3 men there for 8 hours. The labor cost was well worth it, though. The customer had a 2009 Mercedes-Benz McLaren SLR 722 S, a 2010 Rolls Royce Phantom and a 2005 Bentley Continental GTC in the garage so could well afford plumbing fixtures worth more than my house. $800 labor vs 15 grand to replace clogged faucets and shower heads and another couple grand to replace the pump on the spa. We done good, I guess.

 

[Ringel05]

Update. The drain and flush worked for about a month, then the problem reappeared, each consecutive drain and flush (5 in all) the issue reappears faster. This last time the water flow from the tank temporarily stopped for about ten minutes the restarted at the low pressure level when I turned everything back on. I'm thinking I need a new water tank.

 

[Blagger]

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-0hjSaYCRnA&feature=related"]"This last time the water flow from the tank temporarily stopped for about ten minutes the restarted at the low pressure level when I turned everything back on. I'm thinking I need a new water tank."[/ame]

 

[Douger]

Iron pipe or plastic of some type?
How old is the WH?

I would say the WH is plugged at a quick guess.
If iron pipe though could be a rust plugging issue.
Does water come out of the WH drain when you open it? And at a continued flow?
if so the problem is in the outlet of the WH or the associated plumbing.

I would shut off the gas or electric to the WH before testing/draining to avoid explosions, death that kind of undesireable events.

Also be sure the WH is completely filled before restoring the power/heat source.

Copper, electric don't know how old, we've been here 5 years. I guess I'll have to flush the WH tomorrow, hopefully that will fix the problem. I'm wondering if I can back flush from the washing machine hot water feed to clear any possible blockage at the feed side of the valves.... Older plumbing system, house built in 1972, don't imagine there will be a back flow preventer in the older system.
This might be a good time to replace the old gate valves with ball valves but will have to buy a new "torch", the old one went bad last year.
I've also been considering replacing the WH with a tankless system.

Absolutely. WH's are useless, outdated, nonsense.
I don't even think you could buy one down here. Your electric bill will absolutely plummet once you ditch it.

 

[Mr.Fitnah]

Update. The drain and flush worked for about a month, then the problem reappeared, each consecutive drain and flush (5 in all) the issue reappears faster. This last time the water flow from the tank temporarily stopped for about ten minutes the restarted at the low pressure level when I turned everything back on. I'm thinking I need a new water tank.

What is the drop off in gallons per minute on the hot water ?

 

[Nosmo King]

Do you have natural gas service? I would think twice before replacing a water heater with an electric tankless system. The energy needed to operate an electric tankless are huge!

Do you have a pressure reducer in your system?

 

[Ernie S.]

Do me a favor. Turn on a hot water tap and then take a fairly heavy tool, a hammer or crescent wrench and tap on the incoming water valve and the heat trap nipple. you may be able to loosen sediment or a lump of solder that has worked it's way through the pipe to a restriction.

Another thing would be to replace that gate valve with a ball valve. I've seen far too many valve stems break off, allowing the valve to be mostly closed when you think it's fully opened.
With the valve partially opened, pressure builds up in the tank and for a few seconds, you get good flow, but as soon as the pressure drops, the flow through the partially closed valve can't maintain your flow rate.

Replacing the water heater won't fix a flow restriction up stream of the WH.

 

[Ringel05]

Do me a favor. Turn on a hot water tap and then take a fairly heavy tool, a hammer or crescent wrench and tap on the incoming water valve and the heat trap nipple. you may be able to loosen sediment or a lump of solder that has worked it's way through the pipe to a restriction.

Another thing would be to replace that gate valve with a ball valve. I've seen far too many valve stems break off, allowing the valve to be mostly closed when you think it's fully opened.
With the valve partially opened, pressure builds up in the tank and for a few seconds, you get good flow, but as soon as the pressure drops, the flow through the partially closed valve can't maintain your flow rate.

Replacing the water heater won't fix a flow restriction up stream of the WH.

I wasn't sure if the out line was blocked or the inline gate valve. It's a 3/4 inch feed and I think I already have a ball valve for it in my pile somewhere. I'll replace that first. I also need to replace my (double) interior main gate valves (interior meter), one is stuck open but the other still works. I'm not sure i trust myself to tackle that job.

 

[Ringel05]

Do you have natural gas service? I would think twice before replacing a water heater with an electric tankless system. The energy needed to operate an electric tankless are huge!

Do you have a pressure reducer in your system?

All electric, don't like gas, too volatile and no, I'm not going tankless.

 

[Ringel05]

Update. The drain and flush worked for about a month, then the problem reappeared, each consecutive drain and flush (5 in all) the issue reappears faster. This last time the water flow from the tank temporarily stopped for about ten minutes the restarted at the low pressure level when I turned everything back on. I'm thinking I need a new water tank.

What is the drop off in gallons per minute on the hot water ?

About half the pressure.

 

[Intense]

Update. The drain and flush worked for about a month, then the problem reappeared, each consecutive drain and flush (5 in all) the issue reappears faster. This last time the water flow from the tank temporarily stopped for about ten minutes the restarted at the low pressure level when I turned everything back on. I'm thinking I need a new water tank.

Ya think???