hot water heater blues...

[reed1285]

...I have em. Our hot water doesnt last long now. It still gets hot, just doesnt last as long as it should. After one person takes a shower its pretty much out. I went to lowes and bought a hot water heater "tune up" kit that included two new heating elements and two new thermostats but im still having the problem. I dont believe it could be a power problem either cause I'm getting 240v coming in to the top thermostat, and the thermostats are alternating on/off like they should. By all counts it should be fine, but it's not. Any other ideas? What else COULD it be?

[Ugly]

Could be a build up of calcium in the tank. I have seen it build up all the way to well above the lower element.

This robs the tank of water and also wastes energy heating up the crud.

[reed1285]

Could be a build up of calcium in the tank. I have seen it build up all the way to well above the lower element.

This robs the tank of water and also wastes energy heating up the crud.

My step dad said the same thing. When I replaced the elements and pulled the lower one out, I stuck my finger in the and couldnt feel a buildup of anything.  :shrug:

[bronco302]

You also need to check the dip tube in the cold water inlet. If it is broken or deteriorating it will short circuit and temper the water to fast. HTH

Joe W.

[runco]

Someone (wife) may have pulled out the plastic piece in your shower head that prevents a heavy shower, you know the water conservative thingy.   When I moved here 15 years ago, (my first house), that was the first thing that went.  I hate taking a shower with a trickle of water.  I want a Niagara Falls shower. 

 

I agree above, likely calcium.  My father's hot water heater was in use 20-30 years, and finally died.  The tank had several "feet" of white sandy hard stuff.  Also, when his pipes were replaced a few years later, just a half of the pipes were open due to the stuff.  He has well water.

Edited November 30, 2014 by Runco

[jhc77]

My step dad said the same thing. When I replaced the elements and pulled the lower one out, I stuck my finger in the and couldnt feel a buildup of anything.  :shrug:

I pulled my lower out and scaled the element as it was coming out. Still has about 8" of scuz in the bottom. Biggest thing around here is flushing them every 6 months or more to keep it clear, whoops.

[VERO1]

Recently we had to replace our 12 year old water heater. It had roughly a third of a tank of calcium in the bottom. When I pulled the bottom element out to replace it, only a small trickle of water leaked out. I couldn't even push the new one into the tank!

[No_0ne]

How old is the heater?  If it's close to 10 years, you're money ahead to just replace it rather than repair, as the tanks themselves have a finite lifespan,

[oldmustangjunkie]

I ditched the electric unit for a gas one years ago. I'll never go back.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Edited November 30, 2014 by oldmustangjunkie

[RED333]

You also need to check the dip tube in the cold water inlet. If it is broken or deteriorating it will short circuit and temper the water to fast. HTH

Joe W.

This times a LOT!

[Ray Z]

Could be a build up of calcium in the tank. I have seen it build up all the way to well above the lower element.

This robs the tank of water and also wastes energy heating up the crud.

That's what happened to me. I replaced the elements. They were like huge lime sickles. When I took the bottom element out I could see the lime deposits over 6 inches thick in the bottom. I took a 3' long piece if 1" PVC and duct taped it inside the hose of my wet/ dry vac, blocking any air from going anywhere but through the PVC. liked to fill up the vac with the lime I got out. UntiI get a water softener I'm going to have to clean it out once a year.

[Ugly]

Limesicles suck! I went the water softener route 12 years ago and never looked back. Won't do without one again. Besides saving other appliances from the calcium buildup, it takes a lot of Nast out of the water. I've had em on wells and especially city water, that stuff seems like pure chemicals anymore.

[reed1285]

So I've been researching new hot water heaters and each one has a year in the name i.e. "GE 6 yr hot water heater". Is this the expected lifespan of them?


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[Oh Shoot]

So I've been researching new hot water heaters and each one has a year in the name i.e. "GE 6 yr hot water heater". Is this the expected lifespan of them?

 

Yeah, I'd think of it as MTBF, likely get more but possibly less. Probably comes with a prorated warranty like batteries or tires, where you get less and less as it craps out closer to the 6 years, and of course only if you stay with same manufacturer for the next one.

 

- OS

Edited December 1, 2014 by Oh Shoot

[Ugly]

Not sure bout the #, just do some homework in the web. We replaced our last year and looked up all kinds. I remember finding an issue with the smart (?) type. They had a problem with temp reset. Warranty info and reviews are online, good luck!

[analog_kidd]

A short amount of hot water is a sign of a bad lower element. You said you replaced it? Can you put a multimeter across the two terminals on the element and see if there is resistance? If no resistance, you have a bad element. Are you certain the lower element is getting power? Check for power on the terminal too.

 

Also, have you checked to make sure the thermostat is set correctly?

[Dolomite_supafly]

I had to set my thermostat a bit higher to get the amount of hot water I needed with a 60 gallon tank. I too had a calcium build up as well as a bad element. When I replaced the elements I turned the thermostat up.

 

I will say that after replacing several water heaters in 10 years and a couple of sets of elements, because of calcium, there are signs. One of the biggest signs you have calcium buildup, either in the tank or on the elements, is the water heater makes a lot of noise as it tries to heat up. Almost like a hissing, or bubbling, noise from inside the water heater. It will also sound like it is popping. And one of the biggest signs you have a bad element is if you feel an electrical "tingle" when you hand is in running water and you are grounded. I have had that happen a couple of times as well.

 

The last time we replaced the elements we removed probably 15 pounds of calcium buildup in the bottom of the tank. The element was so thick with calcium we had problems pulling them out of the holes.

 

I would replace the elements and turn the thermostat up a bit. Most come set for around 115-120 which means for a lot of people that requires no mixing of cold water. The mixing of cold water to cool the hot water is what increases the amount of hot you have and the only way to be able to mix in cold water is to increase the hot water. Just be mindful that when you increase the hot water temperature you also increase the chance of scalding if you have kids in the house.

[reed1285]

A short amount of hot water is a sign of a bad lower element. You said you replaced it? Can you put a multimeter across the two terminals on the element and see if there is resistance? If no resistance, you have a bad element. Are you certain the lower element is getting power? Check for power on the terminal too.

Also, have you checked to make sure the thermostat is set correctly?

Yeah everything has been replaced and everything is getting power. They are alternating power like they should.when the top element is on the bottom is off and when the bottom clicks on the top one goes off


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[reed1285]

Like I said by all counts it should be working perfectly, but it is not and I have no clue why


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[enfield]

A short amount of hot water is a sign of a bad lower element. You said you replaced it? Can you put a multimeter across the two terminals on the element and see if there is resistance? If no resistance, you have a bad element. Are you certain the lower element is getting power? Check for power on the terminal too.

 

Also, have you checked to make sure the thermostat is set correctly?

 

Au contraire:  If a multimeter shows infinite resistance, the element is bad  (open circuit).  It has burned through and is no longer heating.

 

If both elements are heating, I suspect the dip tube.  It's a plastic tube that delivers cold inlet water to the bottom of the heater.  If broken, the cold water gets delivered to the top of the heater and straight to your shower.  I don't know if you can get a replacement tube unless direct from the manufacturer.  On an old heater, I don't know that I'd bother.

Edited December 1, 2014 by enfield

[reed1285]

Au contraire:  If a multimeter shows infinite resistance, the element is bad  (open circuit).  It has burned through and is no longer heating.

 

If both elements are heating, I suspect the dip tube.  It's a plastic tube that delivers cold inlet water to the bottom of the heater.  If broken, the cold water gets delivered to the top of the heater and straight to your shower.  I don't know if you can get a replacement tube unless direct from the manufacturer.  On an old heater, I don't know that I'd bother.

thats what im thinking. we plan on selling and moving next summer so a new hot water heater may be a small helpful selling point anyway

[Dolomite_supafly]

You would be surprised what manufacturers will send you. I contacted the maker of our water heater complaining the element went bad and a few days later we had a new element for free.

[1madss]

I'm in the same boat with my gas water heater. Late last week it started running luke warm at best within just a few minutes. My money is on the dip tube at the moment. Guess I will be learning to solder copper pipes this week.

[TripleDigitRide]

This thread made me decide to drain my water heater to remove some of the sediment. I turned off the gas and water to the tank. I connected the garden hose to the drain valve/spigot, and turned on the valve/spigot. No water came out.

I was expecting the water to drain from the tank, but water will only come out of the hose while the water to the tank is turned on. Am I missing something?

Edited December 1, 2014 by TripleDigitRide

[bronco302]

This thread made me decide to drain my hot water tank to remove some of the sediment. I turned off the gas and water to the tank. I connected the garden hose to the drain valve/spigot, and turned on the valve/spigot. No water came out.

I was expecting the water to drain from the tank, but water will only come out of the hose while the water to the tank is turned on. Am I missing something?

Not missing anything, sediment in probably clogging your drain valve. If you haven't leave the drain open and turn on the cold to try to blow out the valve and get the drain going. It may take several tries to get it cleaned out. HTH.

 

Joe W.