Ask Experts Questions for FREE Help !
Ask
    jodyddaniels's Avatar
    jodyddaniels Posts: 8, Reputation: 1
    New Member
    		  
    #1

    Feb 20, 2006, 11:26 AM
    Hot Water Tank
    Our gas bill has been extremely high and the hot water in the sink takes about 2 to 2.5 minutes to get hot. The gas guy came by and said that the hot water tank is clogged up. Is it anything I can do before I put a lot of money. Thanks a lot if someone can help
    Lotta's Avatar
    Lotta Posts: 124, Reputation: 8
    Junior Member
    		  
    #2

    Feb 20, 2006, 04:21 PM
    How old is the hot water tank?
    labman's Avatar
    labman Posts: 10,580, Reputation: 551
    Uber Member
    		  
    #3

    Feb 20, 2006, 07:08 PM
    Hang in there. Now that I got it moved to plumbing, Tom should be answering.
    speedball1's Avatar
    speedball1 Posts: 29,301, Reputation: 1939
    Eternal Plumber
    		  
    #4

    Feb 21, 2006, 05:37 AM
    Quote Originally Posted by jodyddaniels
    Our gas bill has been extremely high and the hot water in the sink takes about 2 to 2.5 minutes to get hot. The gas guy came by and said that the hot water tank is clogged up. Is it anything i can do before i put alot of money. Thanks alot if someone can help
    Good morning Jody, Labman, Glad to see you back on board. You've been missed.

    Now, on to the heater. Mineral build up in the bottom of the heater can act like insulation if the heater's not flushed and maintained properly. Do you hear a popping sound or noise when the flame is on? Let me explain,
    If you do not flush,(not drain) your heater on a regular basis it will build up mineral on the bottom of the tank. When the flame comes on it turns the water trapped under the mineral to steam and the steam escaping is what you hear. Let me show you how to flush your heater. Attach a hose to the boiler drain at the bottom of the tank. With the pressure on, open the boiler drain and let it run until the water runs clear. You will see a spurt of red,(rust) and some white grains,(lime or calcium carbonate). The whole thing shouldn't take more then a few minutes. Don't forget to flush it out every month. Your heater will thank you for it. You might want to consider cleaning the screens on your areators if you have a high mineral buildup. If thev problem still persists after you have flushed, you will have to drain the heater, remove the boiler drain and go up in the bottom of the tank with a wood or plastic rod, (not metal) and try to break up the mineral and flush it out. Good luck and let me know how you made out. Tom
Not your question? Ask your question View similar questions
 

Question Tools Search this Question
Search this Question:

Advanced Search

Add your answer here.


Check out some similar questions!

Water tank height versus water pressure [ 3 Answers ]

I'm not a physicist so I need your help. I live in Mexico. We have a water tank sitting on the roof - there is no pressure pump. The water pressure in the house is very low. Is there a rule of thumb (for the common man) that will tell me how how much pressure increase will result from raising...

Hot water venting into cold water tank [ 7 Answers ]

Hello, I posted my query here a while back but unfortunately it appears to have been left to fester :confused: (query was hot water from cold water tap). After a couple more visits by a plumber, his view is that the hot water tank is overheating, venting hot water into the cold water tank at the...

Can one shut off water main valve but leave gas hot water tank on? [ 4 Answers ]

I would like to know if I go away for two days and shut my main water shutoff valve can I leave my gas hot water tank on. I saw two answers To a similar question and one answer said you can leave it on and the other Said you had to shut it off. I am confused now as to whether I can leave the gas...

Low boy GAS hot water tank [ 5 Answers ]

Hi all: Can any one out there help me ? I need a new GAS lowboy hot water tank. I can't seem to locate one. It has to be 48" or less... Thanks a lot Dave

Hot water tank [ 1 Answers ]

When taking a shower the water get hot and cold every second. Can any tell me the problem.

View more questions Search