[PJB45]

My husband emptied the hot water tank to remove the sediment and then re-filled it. After that, we could no longer get hot water in the bathtub (in the bathroom adjacent to the hot water heater). The cold water runs just fine. However, when you turn the knob to hot, it trickles out and stays cold. Also, in the same bathroom, there is hot water at the sink. We also have hot water in the other bathrooms, the kitchen, and the laundry. We didn't have any problems before he cleaned out the tank, and I can't imagine how that could have specifically affected the pipes to that particular tub. I let the water run for a long time, but that didn't help. Is there anything simple we can do to fix this, or is it going to be a difficult job? This is worrying me to death, so I would greatly appreciate any help. Thanks PJB

[speedball1]

To begin with Hubhy should have flushed , not drained, the heater. Draining a heater will still leave minerals in the bottom. It takes pressure to flush it out. Let me show you.
For long life and fewer troubles you should keep your heater clear of mineral build-up by FLUSHING NOT DRAINING 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 until the water runs clear. You will see a spurt of red,(rust) followed by white or yellow 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 that are affected . 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.

We didn't have any problems before he cleaned out the tank, and I can't imagine how that could have specifically affected the pipes to that particular tu

By not flushing the heater properly Hubby did not get all of the minerals out but he disturbed them enough so they got sucked up into the hot water system where they they got pulled into the first fixture making a full hot water draw. Your tub valve. The solution would be to shut the water off to the valve and open it up. Check and clean the inlet ports in the cartridge. Before you button it up turn the water back on for a few minutes to flush out the supplies and open valve body.Good luck, Tom

[PJB45]

I'm sorry, but we still haven't fixed our problem. My husband agrees that Tom's answer (posted above) is most likely correct (sediment clog), but we don't understand the plumbing terminology, so we still don't know how to fix it. For example, what is the "inlet port in the cartridge". If we ever get our water running again, I'll post the details. Good luck to you! I wish I could have helped. Perhaps Tom will be kind enough to give us some more details about the unit. Paula

[speedball1]

Sorry Paula.
The inlet ports on a cartridge are the hloes the hot and cold water enter.l If they're cloggede you will be able to spot them. To give you more information I'll neeed the brand name and age of every faucet affected and we'll take them one at a time. Cheers, Tom

[PJB45]

The hot water heater has a sticker that says "Bradford White." The only faucet that we're having trouble with is the bathtub faucet in the bathroom adjacent to the hot water heater. It has the name "Moen" on it. The faucet has only one knob in the middle for both the hot and cold water. The knob turns counter clockwise. When you first start turning the knob, the cold water is fine and the pressure is good. When you get to 12 o'clock, the water is cold and pressure is somewhat less. When you get to 10 o'clock, the pressure is very low and the water is cold. After that point, the water only trickles slightly, and it's cold. I let the water trickle for a long, long time, and it doesn't warm up at all. We built the house in 2004, and I'm assuming that the faucet was new then. Thank you again for your help. Paula