Hot answers tagged water-heater
6
Can I use an old aluminum road sign as a replacement floor for my hot
water heater closet?
I'm sorry, but that made me laugh.
First thing you should do, is find what is causing the floor to rot and fix the leak. What is "spongy"? The floor or the joist? If the joists are rotten, you need to replace them, then put a new floor down.
After you fix ...
6
If you are on a municipal system and have pressure that high, you quite likely already have a pressure reducing valve (PRV) installed near your water meter. The International Plumbing Code requires PRVs on any water supply over 80psi. If this is the case, your PRV may just need adjustment. As they age, the spring regulating the device's operation can soften. ...
6
There is absolutely no difference between the materials used for hot and cold water pipes (at least there isn't in the UK!). The same copper is used for both and if you have a piece of pipe that was previously used for hot water you can use for cold water and vice versa.
As long as the pipes are connected up properly then there'll be no problems.
5
This manual for a State Select gas-fired water heater states "Due to the nature of the typical gas water heater, the
water temperature in certain situations may vary up to
30°F higher or lower at the point of use such as, bathtubs,
showers, sink, etc.
This means that when the temperature adjustment dial is
set at the mark approximating 120°F, the actual ...
5
The numbers you need are flow rates and desired temperatures. For example, Home Depot's guide gives the following flow rates:
Bathroom Faucet: 0.5 – 1.5 gpm
Low Flow Kitchen Faucet: 3.0 – 7.0 gpm
Shower: 1.0 – 2.0 gpm
Dishwasher: 1.0 – 2.5 gpm
Clothes Washer: 1.5 – 3.0 gpm
Tankless heaters are rated for how much heat they provide at a given flow. If ...
5
While I can't provide a definitive answer, since I'm not the manufacturer, nor do I, or have I ever worked for the manufacturer. I can try to provide a logical, fact based answer that may be close to the truth.
Heat Expansion
When water is heated, the pressure in a closed system increases. If the pressure increases beyond the tripping point of the T&P ...
4
The good thing is - the nice man from Scottish Gas fixed it for me. Diagnosis took about 20 seconds - he knew before he had the cover off.
He couldn't hear the impeller fan running. Turns out the motor was over 16 years old and had just died. Because it wasn't drawing any air, the pressure sensor kept the ignition circuit off and the gas valve closed as a ...
4
First step is to assure all valves are open, including the main supply valve. Do you have cold water at faucets?
Second check would be to open the bottom drain on the water heater to see if any water has entered the tank. This will tell us if water is reaching the tank or stopping at the tank.
Do you hear any air passing at the faucets when you turn them ...
4
As for the lead concern: virtually all brass contains lead, even so-called "lead-free brass". As long as it meets federal regulations I don't see a concern. Wouldn't you be more concerned if it didn't meet code?
Besides, if this is on the inlet to a hot water heater, presumably nobody will be drinking the water on a regular basis, so in my mind it's a total ...
4
There are three reasons a T&P valve opens. Temperature, pressure, or a faulty valve.
Temperature
If the water in the heater reaches a temperature of 210 degrees F, the T&P valve will open and release water until the water temperature is reduced. As water is removed through the T&P valve, cold water enters through the inlet and mixes with the ...
4
Fewer points of failure
Bending results in fewer high risk failure points.
A continuously bent pipe has 2 high risk failure points. Whereas a similar length of pipe made with a bunch of fittings, has 2 high risk failure points per fitting.
Quieter
Bending a radius will provide less resistance within the pipe, so water will flow smoother. In a ...
3
You may not be able to hear the gas for the pilot light, it doesn't take much. Get a long match or lighter that can reach the pilot light and try to ignite it while holding down the valve button. That button overrides the thermocouple that will automatically shutoff the gas when it cools down. You need to hold the button long enough to heat the thermocouple ...
3
Either expansion/pop or fusible link melt are the two methods used. Fire sprinkler heads also use these devices.
The melting method is usually two pieces of metal joined by a calibrated alloy similar to solder that has a specific temperature where the pieces of metal debond allowing the safety mechanism to trip.
Expansion usually is a capsule filled with a ...
3
Electric water heaters lose very little heat. Putting a blanket on them or putting them on a timer won't save much money.
NG/propane/oil water heaters, on the other hand, lose significantly more heat, as they not only lose heat through their outside surfaces, but also even more heat via the flue. Putting a blanket around the outside will prevent perhaps ...
3
For starters, I'd suggest you shut down the heater, drain it completely, and replace both electrodes.
The danger with a water heater this old is that in draining it and dislodging sediment within you could expose small leaks.
At 16 years old, I hate to say it, but you'll probably find it more efficient just to replace it.
3
Sorry to hear about your "odor" problem. Maybe there is a local public fountain you can take a dip into!!!
However, the problems you describe are fairly common, but may be tricky to isolate. Let's try some basics:
Relieve the pressure from the bladder completely. Let the well pump fill the tank completely and bleed any air from the system using the ...
3
With a tankless water heater it's all about how many degrees the heater can raise a certain quantity of water. In your situation, you will need a heater to raise the temperature of about 5 gallons per minute (two showers running at once or one shower and another hot water tap running). If you live in the north, and the water out of the tap is be 40 degrees ...
2
If you're seeing it climb to 100psi while the water heater isn't running, then the pressure regulator is broken.
If it's climbing to 100psi while the water heater is running but stays at normal levels all other times, the expansion tank isn't working. Maybe it's defective, or maybe it's not installed properly. It's also possible the tank is undersized for ...
2
There are a number of companies that make very low profile radiators such as this one:
There are several factors such as the type of system - steam, hot water; if steam, whether one pipe or two. You will also have to accomodate certain valves, so placement is an issue - piping through the wall or from the floor, whether you can accomodate valves in the ...
2
I suspect you have a set-up like this?
You are concerned that when the water gets pumped back into the "water heater" it could possibly pollute your main water line?
The only thing I could suggest is putting a check valve on the "cold" water supply so that it can only supply fresh water. That is helpful if the pumps output pressure is higher than your ...
2
It should be a standard threaded valve (NPT, National Pipe Tread), most likely 1/2" in diameter. If you are not sure, you can do one of the following:
Lookup the valve in the manual, search the make and model on line if you don't have a hard copy of it.
Remove the valve and take it to the store with you.
Two would be the simplest.
When draining the ...
2
Your tank is unlikely to explode without a lot of other plumbing issues happening first, but you will have a lot of other plumbing issues without an expansion tank. When all the fixtures are turned off and the hot water heater turns on, the pressure in your plumbing system will start to climb. An expansion tank gives the water somewhere to expand without ...
2
If your water pressure is always high, you need a PRV, as bcworkz suggests (+1).
If your water pressure increases significantly when the water heater is running, then you need an expansion tank. My suspicion is that newer meters being installed by municipalities (often for remote meter reading) include check valves. So people that never had this problem ...
2
The anode rod corrodes over time, and once it does, cold water is not properly delivered to the bottom of the heater which results in luke-warm water. The simple answer is that it should be replaced as-needed.
On some water heaters, this rod is part of the cold water supply, so replacing it requires disconnecting the tank which can be a fair bit of work. ...
2
Relief valves discharge when the temperature or the pressure gets too high in the tank. When the tank heats up water, the water will expand and the pressure will increase.
Pressure: If there is no allowance within the system to absorb the increase in pressure such as an expansion tank or a thermal expansion valve and all the taps are closed, the relieve ...
2
Can it be done?
Probably.
Should it be done?
Maybe.
Are you allowed to do it?
Depends on your location.
Replacing the valve is fairly straight forward, and can be done following the instructions provided with the replacement valve. The bigger problem is determining why the valve is leaking, and fixing that problem.
The purpose of the valve is to ...
2
Bending copper has to be done with annealed copper. Rigid copper is too brittle can be done with either drawn or annealed copper. This table from copper.org does suggest slightly larger minumum radii for drawn pipe. thanks to @UNECS for prompting further research.
You can anneal rigid in the area of the bend by heating with a torch and letting the pipe ...
2
Are there some specific reasons why people recommend bending long copper pipes, instead of cutting them into sections and joining them using U-joints, elbow-joints etc. ?
Pipe fittings add resistance to the flow of the fluid in the pipe. This is usually expressed in terms of an equivalent pipe length for the different fittings (eg, elbows, tees, etc). ...
1
Many new kitchen faucets use a single arm and a cartridge to control how much hot vs. cold water is released through the fixture. Sometimes, the cartridge can go bad as it wears out, causing the mixing process to not work correctly. Shower controls use a similar system. You may be able to get your landlord to replace the cartridge (a simple process for most ...
1
The Anode rod is a sacrificial element that is there to prevent tank and water system corrosion. It's life is dependent on the type of water you are dealing with. Your tank's life is dependent on the rod having enough active material to erode away (cheap stuff like zinc or aluminum) through galvanic corrosion.
If you don't mind the expense of replacing a ...
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