Ask Me Help Desk - Loss of Pressure

I recently made two changes and am not sure if the two are related. First, I changed both elements in my hot water heater which, unfortunately, didn't give me any additional hot water. Second, I changed my kitchen sink from one with a single handle to one with separate handles for hot and cold. When I changed the elements, the bottom one had a lot of white "chalky" build-up on it. Before I changed sinks, the flow of the water would become jagged so I would remove the filter on the end of the faucet and there would be some small white particles (like crystals or little rocks) and when I removed them the flow of the water would return to normal. With the new sink, I'm having the problem of losing pressure from only the hot water side. I removed the flexible tube that connects to the hot water handle and it had the same build-up of particles. I removed them and everything was fine but the hot water side of the sink again lost pressure within about 3 days.

All of that to get to my question. Would a new water heater help this problem or will the new one do the same thing as the current one (create these white particles)? If not, is there anything I can do to prevent these particles from coming up through the hot water lines?

I had the same thing happen to me and I would say the dip tube in the HWH is broken somewhat or gone all together. You can change the dip tube or if the HWH is older than 8 years-I would just change the HWH itself.
What happens is that the dip tube corrodes and then all these particles from it go through your water lines and like in my case clog so bad that the pressure gets very low.
I ended up changing my bath faucet as well and when I unhooked the lines, I found a clog that in the pipe that made me wonder how any water was even getting through at all.
Anyway, good luck.

Remove the aireator on the sink - the little screen on the spout. My guess is that you've stirred up some sediment. Clean out the little screen and all the bits inside. Be sure you pay attention to how it came apart when you take it out. It is easy to get all those little parts mixed up.

Take off the arieators off several of your faucets, the sink and maybe the lavatories if you can, turn on the hot water on all of them... open the hot water in the tub or if you have two tubs open both of them, let the rum for about five minutes and then shut them all off and see how long it last before it stops up again. You do tis to flush out all of the deposits that you desturbed in the water heater as you changed the elements. This may not solve the problem but it is a good thing to try.

Yeah, after I posted my question, I did some research and figured that there is simply too much sediment to worry with. The HWH is over 10 years old so I think I'll just replace it. I've been wanting to switch from the current 50 gallon tank to an 80 gallon one anyway.

Thanks for the advice!

Good choice, you will be better off plus you won't have to worry for another 8-12 years at least.
HWH is one of them things we take for granted until they go bad. Most people don't even worry about them and then when they start having problems they realize these things.
I have done a lot of research since my HWH problem had started and have learned some preventive maintenance so can maybe avoid this again.

Okay, let me weigh in with my humble opinion.

First of all, I see one vote for a borken dip tube, and two votes for sediment.

And the winner is... the dip tube!

Your problem is definitely caused by a dissolved/broken dip tube. A dip tube is made of white plastic. It mounts under the cold water inlet on the heater and directs the cold water down to the bottom of the tank where it's heated by the elements. When it disintegrates you get hard white particles in the hot water lines. Here's a simple test: roll some of the white particles between your fingers. If it's calcium or sediment it will crumble; if it's white plastic from the dip tube it will not.

Perhaps all is not lost: you should flush your heater at once to get rid of as much crud as you can. Here's what the great master, Tom, has to say (in a similar thread):

Quote:

Originally Posted by speedball1

For long life and fewer troubles you should keep your heater clear of mineral build-up by flushing on a regular schedule. let me show you how. 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,(plastic, lime or calcium carbonate). In your case I suppect a bad dip tube. 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. If you find out that it's white plastic instead of calcium and wish to replace it yourself I can walk you through the process.

Then replace the dip tube (as Tom says, if you need help doing it we can walk you through it), and clean all the aerators. While the aerators are off, run each fixture for a while to clear out the lines before putting the aerators back. MAKE SURE YOU DO THIS AFTER THE HEATER HAS BEEN FLUSHED, or you will just draw more pieces into the line.

If this works, you won't have to replace your water heater (and you'll save a bundle of money in the process). Although water heaters have a so-called life expectancy of 8-10 years, it's not true: the secret to making your heater last longer is to flush it EVERY MONTH (not just every year, like some manufacturers recommend). And MAKE SURE you leave the cold water inlet ON while flushing, to provide the pressure necessary for a good flush.

Labman's heater has been working for about 25 years, thanks to monthly flushing; Tom's heater has been humming merrily for OVER FIFTY YEARS.

The usual rule of thumb applies: if you take good care of it, it will take good care of you.

Cheers,
Moishe
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Quote:

Originally Posted by sbridenstine

Yeah, after I posted my question, I did some research and figured that there is simply too much sediment to worry with. The HWH is over 10 years old so I think I'll just replace it. I've been wanting to switch from the current 50 gallon tank to an 80 gallon one anyway.

Thanks for the advice!

Moshies last post capped everything off neatly. I don't know how large a family you have or the demand on your hot water but at 80 gallons the heater will be twice the normal capacity of the average home water heater.
As Moshie has pointed out you'll save a bundle by repairing your present heater and providing monthly maintenance . Your money, your choice! Excellent post Moishie, Go to the head of the class! Cheers, Tom