For questions generally relating to the hot-water supply system of a typical residential or commercial building, primarily regarding the heating mechanism itself (a traditional hot water heater tank, tankless heaters including "point-of-use", boilers and heat exchangers, etc).
34
votes
7answers
5k views
How can I speed up my slow hot water?
Our water heater (gas) is located in the garage. It is 25 to 30 feet away from the closest faucet, which I'm guessing is the main reason it takes so long -- a minute or longer -- to get hot water ...
15
votes
1answer
280 views
Is flushing a waterheater a good idea?
I've been told that water-heaters build up sediment at the bottom over time, and should be flushed out (ie. drained, then allowed to refill). Is there value in this exercise? Does that value exceed ...
10
votes
4answers
606 views
Which water heater types do you recommend?
I would like to upgrade my current water heater with one that
Is able to produce/store more heated water so I won't run out
Energy efficient
Inexpensive
What are the advantages/disadvantages to ...
10
votes
2answers
865 views
What caused a burn mark near my hot water pipes?
I was doing some household cleanup in the storage room where my heat tank is located when I noticed a burn mark on the wall frame near the pipe that goes from the heat tank to the shower next room.
...
10
votes
3answers
832 views
Are tankless water heaters worth it in cold climates?
I was thinking of switching over to a tankless water heater, but a friend of mine said they are not good in colder climates since the water coming in is colder and takes longer to heat. Is this a ...
9
votes
2answers
257 views
What type/thickness of drywall should be used in water heater closet?
I have a rental house built in the 70's that had severe water damage in the small room (4x5 feet) that houses the hot water heater. The room is off of the garage. I've had the water heater replaced ...
8
votes
3answers
4k views
Why will my pilot light on the gas water heater not stay lit for more than 15 minutes?
The pilot light went out on my gas water heater. I followed the instructions and had it lit three times now for about 15 minutes each time but it wont stay lit. Not sure what to do at this point?
8
votes
3answers
553 views
Are water heater blankets a good idea?
Is it a good idea to wrap a water heater in insulation? Does it lower the heating cost? Does it shorten the life of the water heater?
7
votes
3answers
8k views
Why does my kitchen faucet have low pressure after the water heater was replaced?
I recently replaced my water heater, and since then, the water pressure for my kitchen faucet is really, really, low. None of my other faucets seem to be affected (bathroom, shower, etc.). I can't ...
7
votes
2answers
3k views
How does Thermal Release Device (TRD) work
Rheem hot water heaters have a device in the combustion chamber called Thermal Release Device (TRD). It contains a vial filled with liquid that seems to be mounted in a flex metal plate. It is a ...
6
votes
2answers
901 views
What can I do about high water pressure that is causing a leak?
One of our showers has an intermittent leak, and I've figured out that it happens when the hot water heater is on. There's no expansion tank on the cold supply side for our hot water tank, so I'm ...
6
votes
1answer
102 views
How to evaluate the suitability of an electric tankless water-heater
I'm trying to evaluate if an electric tankless water-heater would be suitable for my home. There are just too many variables to consider, and I wonder if there is a mathematical approach to it.
I'm ...
6
votes
4answers
629 views
Should I install an inline water heater for my bathroom?
It takes 3-4 minutes of the shower running before the hot water reaches my upstairs bathroom. I'd like to not have to waste all that water and time. My initial though was to install an inline water ...
6
votes
2answers
603 views
How to install Water Heater drain pan to sump pit?
I want to replace my electric water heater. The current water heater does not have a drain pan. I'd like to add one with my new water heater. This is all in the basement.
Our basement does not ...
6
votes
1answer
1k views
Why won't my water heater blower shut off?
My water heater has a blower attachment that kicks on when the water heater begins to heat water and shuts off when it is done. I'm no water heater expert, but I believe that these actions are ...
5
votes
3answers
21k views
Why is my hot water running out quickly regardless of other household water usage?
I've noticed that my shower, which used to run hot water for what seemed like forever, now can only produce about 15 minutes of hot water. This doesn't appear to be related to other water usage in the ...
5
votes
4answers
842 views
Why do I have two parallel gas pipes?
I've got a water heater and a hot water radiator furnace sitting next to each other, both on gas. The strange thing is that there are two parallel gas lines feeding each one of these which come from ...
5
votes
3answers
845 views
How do I troubleshoot a water-heater?
Lately our hot water has been running out very quickly, a lot quicker than it used to. I have an Whirlpool electric water heater with 2 elements with the top element has a reset switch.
I followed ...
5
votes
4answers
594 views
Why is the first shower of the day is colder than the second?
Description
Since I've moved into this house, I've noticed that the first shower of the day is colder than the any subsequent shower. More specifically, if no hot water has been used for a while, ...
5
votes
1answer
98 views
Flush a gas powered water heater, not sure if it's ever been done in 15 years. Will it survive a flush?
I'm concerned that there might be seals that are bad, or corrosion keeping things waterproof. It looks great on the outside, But I don't know how efficiently it is working - I've never owned a home ...
5
votes
2answers
844 views
What are the symptoms when 1 of the electric water heater elements goes kaput?
I suspect that something has gone awry with the electric water heater.
We do get water that is plenty hot, but it doesn't seem to last as long as it used to. My suspicions are further aroused because ...
4
votes
3answers
851 views
Rust spots on water heater — time to replace?
So I noticed today there's some rust spots showing up on the outside/bottom on the water heater. No more than a couple specs. Should I be worried?
4
votes
3answers
4k views
Is a gas water heater safe in a bedroom?
My existing water heater is electric and is likely to need replacing soon. The heater is in a converted garage that I use as a guest room.
As the house is piped for gas, I'm considering the purchase ...
4
votes
2answers
290 views
Why does pressure relief valve state 'Not for Use with Water Heaters'?
So I replaced my 6.5 year old electric hot water (installed with house built in 06') heater and used an identical plumbing setup as my previous install. My previous (and now current) install has a ...
4
votes
3answers
371 views
Are hot water returns worth putting in?
Once I saw on an episode of This Old House that they were putting in hot water return lines: pipes that recirculate idle hot water back to the heater so you get hot water right away, instead of ...
4
votes
3answers
408 views
Calculate savings from/cost-effectiveness of installing a tankless hot water heater?
Following up on "Which water heater types do you recommend?" and "Are tankless water heaters worth it in cold climates", is there a way to calculate the point at which installing a tankless water ...
4
votes
2answers
542 views
Do I need to replace my hot water tank's pressure release valve?
Recently we had an extended water outage. When water came back, pressure in the lines was much higher. The hot water heater started leaking from the pressure release valve and after flipping it a ...
4
votes
4answers
1k views
Can I install a hot water recirculation pump if I have a reverse osmosis filter?
I'm considering getting a "comfort pump" which will pump water from the hot line to the cold line under a sink so that there is no waiting for hot water, as well as saving the wasted water.
My ...
4
votes
1answer
1k views
Why won't my water heater stop filling?
I noticed tonight that my water heater appears to be trying to fill with cold water, but it won't stop. I can hear water flowing through the pipe, and the overflow drain pipe (white one just above the ...
4
votes
1answer
2k views
Should water heater thermostats be set to the same temperature?
Should the top and bottom water heater thermostats be set to the same temperature?
I did a quick google search and saw all kinds of differing opinions. for instance, this guy seems like he knows ...
4
votes
2answers
6k views
Why is my new hot water heater making a clicking noise?
I have a relatively new water heater (installed by previous owner). I've only been in the house a few months and did not notice this noise until after being there a few weeks. What happens is after ...
4
votes
1answer
113 views
Is it possible - setting thermostat based on a seperate thermometer
I'm looking into building a solar water heater, but I'm wondering, is it possible (and what products should I be looking for) to turn on a pump when the water in the solar heating device is hotter ...
4
votes
2answers
879 views
Should my water heater drip constantly?
My wife was home today during a follow-up visit from the sump pump replacement we had as a result of my sump pump issue. After solving the problem, the plumber opened a the release valve from the ...
4
votes
1answer
2k views
Can a washer and dryer be next to a water heater?
I have a GE gas dryer (DSXH47GGWW) that is currently next to an exterior basement wall. I'd like to move it to the opposite wall (shared with the crawl space) right next to the water heater next to ...
4
votes
1answer
1k views
Are galvanised steel pipes suitable for supplying hot water?
I am living in an old building where the old galvanized steel pipes are still in use indoors.
Rather than upgrading to copper pipes, can I reuse these galvanized steel pipes for hot water (from a ...
4
votes
1answer
645 views
What is the proper way to clean a hot water heater?
I have heard many times that it is good to clean your hot water heater about once a year by flushing it. I went to look online to find the proper way to do so and found many people recommending ...
4
votes
1answer
376 views
Local “point of use” hot water heater
This question is a follow-up to It takes a minute or more for the water to become hot from any of the faucets in my house -- how can I speed this up?.
I have a tankless water heater, and it takes ...
3
votes
3answers
2k views
Is it time to replace my 20 year old water heater?
My water heater (gas) shows a date of 1991 on it, although the house was built in 1993. There is nothing wrong with it. It is a little slow to heat the water up, sometimes taking almost 5 minutes to ...
3
votes
3answers
122 views
What advantages does bending copper pipes have over joining many parts without brazing?
These questions are in context of a DIY solar water heater I am planning (another separate question). The copper pipes in question, are supposed to carry around hot water using thermo-siphon ...
3
votes
1answer
279 views
Can I reuse cold water copper pipes for hot water?
I have a segment of copper pipe for supplying cold water to my gas heater currently. It runs inside a wall so I don't want to replace it. Now I need to change the piping and want to reuse that ...
3
votes
1answer
257 views
Should I run two gas water heaters if I don't need to?
We purchased a house recently that has two water heaters(configured in series). I just realized that the first one hasn't been running as the thermocouple was defective. For 6 months we had no problem ...
3
votes
2answers
323 views
How can I identify the source of a leak at the hot water heater?
My water heater has a slow leak. From what I can tell so far it is coming from either the cold water inlet or the hot water connection. The cold water inlet seems to be the culprit to me because that ...
3
votes
1answer
964 views
Water heater builds up excessive pressure only when reheating the tank. What's going on?
The pressure release valve on my water heater will trip predictably after a significant amount of hot water has been used (e.g. dishwasher, laundry, long shower) releasing 16 oz or less of water. It ...
3
votes
2answers
157 views
Should a water heater's anode be replaced?
I hear conflicting information on replacing the anode bar on a water heater or not since the water heater will be replaced anyway.
Should the anode bar be periodically replaced? Why? How often?
3
votes
3answers
956 views
Should we turn our oil hot water heater off every night?
My husband and I are considering shutting off our hot water heater from 8pm to 8am every night to save on energy. Is such a time frame long enough to create a noticeable difference in our oil bill? ...
3
votes
1answer
390 views
What could cause a clicking noise in an electric water heater?
I get clicking sound from our electric water heater as well. it lasts for a while, then
stops...then starts again, etc. we recently had technician out who said it needed to be
cut back on the setting ...
3
votes
2answers
184 views
Why is my hot water heater making my water smell like sulfur?
I have an electric hot water heater that gives the water a sulfur smell. It is only from the hot water. I have heard that changing the anode in the unit can help. If this is the case, what material ...
3
votes
2answers
4k views
troubleshooting a hot tub/spa that won't heat up
We have a Hotsprings/Watkins brand hottub/spa that came with the house we bought last September. At the time that we bought it, the hot tub appeared to work and heat up properly. However, now that ...
3
votes
2answers
752 views
How do I improve hot water pressure from a gas combination boiler?
I have a gas combination boiler (no hot water tank). The hot water pressure isn't very good though - the showers and hot taps come out with maybe half the pressure when compared to the cold straight ...
3
votes
1answer
379 views
How can I prevent water from entering through water heater/furnace exhaust vent?
I have an exhaust vent in my basement (Amerivent Type B) which takes the exhaust from my gas furnace and water heater goes out the basement wall, and up my chimney. A little bit water is coming in to ...
