Hot water is brown! Help!
Hi,
This past weekend we flushed out our Hot Water Heater (Electric-Rheems). There was all sorts of crud in there, we got a bunch of sand out of it and some other stuff. We followed the directions from the Rheems site for draining the hot water heater.
The problem now is our hot water has a brownish tint to it. We really notice it when filling up the bathtub or against any white surface. We thought maybe we stirred something up and that it would settle out after a few days, but it hasn't. Did we do something wrong??
One thing I notice on other sites (not Rheems), they talked about a power flush where you run the cold water in after the hot water drains out, to flush the system out more. Is that something we should have done? Could that be the problem? We never had brown water before, but now it's all brown and it doesn't seem to be clearing up any, after sitting, or letting it run.
Any suggestions?? If I don't have to drain it again I would rather not, (our water bill is going to be outrageous as it is) but if that's the only option, please let me know.
THANKS!!
April:(
Thanks and some more question...
Quote:
Originally Posted by speedball1
Hi April,
"One thing I notice on other sites (not Rheems), they talked about a power flush where you run the cold water in after the hot water drains out, to flush the system out more. Is that something we should have done? Could that be the problem? We never had brown water before, but now it's all brown and it doesn't seem to be clearing up any, after sitting, or letting it run.
Any suggestions???"
Draining your water heater is just a tad better then doing nothing. Draining the heater does just that. It drains using gravity as a force. In a 40 gallon tank that will give you a head pressure of a little over two pounds.
Flushing your heater will blast out that ugly brown,(iron oxide, rust) that's lurking in the bottom with 45 to 50 pounds. Let me show you how.
For long life and fewer troubles you should keep your heater clear of mineral build-up by flushing on a regular schedule. 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 untill the water runs clear. You will see a spurt of red,(rust) followed by white grains,(lime or calcium carbonate). This shouldn't take more then a few minutes. Do this monthly to keep it clear. Now flush out your hot water lines on ALL fixtures. Now pull each aerator and clean the screens. Be sure you put them back togather the same way you took them out. Don't forget to flush it out every month. Your heater will thank you for it. Hope this helps, Tom
Thanks for answering so quickly, Tom. I am a little confused and need some clarification though...
Should I drain the system first or should I just turn on the cold water and let it run as I let the water drain out the bottom? Now that the water is brown, do I have to drain the entire tank to get rid of that brown stuff??
Thanks again.
April