[dharrell1203]

I have just replaced my old water heater, and now I don't have hot water and my kitchen pressure is low, but the bath has good pressure. What could be the problem here? It's a brand new water heater so the elements couldn't have gone out could they?

[massplumber2008]

Dharrell;

First, check the aerator at the end of the kitchen sink faucet spout... looks like pic. Below. Remove by grasping and turning clockwise. Then clean of all sediment... run water without aerator, then re-install the aerator. That should fix sink.

Now, hot water.

You have water flow.. but not hot in temperature... right? Let me know and can tell you how to fix!

[dharrell1203]

Ok, that solved that problem. I just sat there for a while and let the water run at each location and it was warm, not hot. So there is a bit of temperature there. The hot water lines are discolored at every location. Including my upstairs bath(runs off different water heater, and its always done that).

[massplumber2008]

OK... now go to heater and check that the thermostats are set at about 120 degrees F.

These thermostats are under an upper and lower panel on the heater itself. SHUT the power at breaker 1st, then remove covers and the insulation around the thermostat, then lift plastic cover at fold and you will see the thermostat and a small screwdriver slotted screw that rotates to set temp.

Set these to 120- 125 F . Then put plastic back down, put insulation back in, set cover panels back in place, turn on electric and you should be good to go. If not, come on back and let me know.

Also, after installing heater you want to purge sediment and air to the LAUNDRY sink first if you have one in basement, then to tub (out spout, not out shower head), then to other fixtures in the house... this reduces the clogging that you experienced.

Let me know how it goes.

If this helped, please RATE THIS ANSWER. Thank you... Mark

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[KISS]

Mp:
Ya know, your smart when it comes to these things and can explain it well. I always did it that way, but never had to say why.

When turning the water back on after a drain, the laundry sink and upstairs bathtub are open. These locations are easy and they won't splash. The water main is turned on slow until the air is bled. The individual locations are then turned off. Main is fully opened and the rest of the air, if any, is bled from these locations. It so happens that the upstairs bathtub is the nearly the first cold location and the last hot location. The laundry is nearly the last cold and the first hot.

And your right, these spouts don't have aerators so large particles can be transported out of the system with ease.

[massplumber2008]

Nice to see you RON:

I would say you get to explaining in some pretty good detail yourself ;)

Now, I'm just wondering how dharrell is doing? Take care... keep in touch when you have a chance... Mark

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[dharrell1203]

Ok, I checked the thermostat on the panels and they are set at 120. Its still the same temperature. The water is still cloudy but it clears up; if you put it in a glass it will clear up. It just doesn't look sanitary. I don't have a basement, the closest faucet is the sink, next the bathroom. As far as my upstairs bath, its run off a completely different water heater and the hot water also is cloudy there.

[massplumber2008]

OK... you have warm water at least... yes? If so, then need you to check your wiring at the junction box of water heater to start.. ok? Here, again, shut off power to water heater at breaker 1st . Then uncap the wires you connected and check connections. If all looks connected well, I would like you to try and take an electrical reading at each wire.

Do you have an electrical tester? If so, want you to turn power onto heater (caps have been removed and wires separated so they do not touch each other OR the metal jacket of heater). Now set voltmeter to 250 volt and touch black lead from tester to one of the wires and the red lead to the metal junction box. What does meter read? Then repeat with the other wire... again, black lead to othe rwire, and then touch other lead to junction box... what does that read?

If no electrical tester.. if you want to figure this, you will need to get one... OK? Start by checking the connections you worked on. Then if it wasn't connections at junction box, and you have tester try the test I mentioned... let me know what you get for readings.

ALWAYS TEST SOMETHING YOU KNOW WORKS WITH AN ELECTRICAL TESTER FIRST BEFORE USING IT TO CONFIRM POWER ON ANYTHING ELSE!!

The hot water is still cloudy... huh? Fill a tub.. that should clear it.. if doesn't let me know... will see from there.

Get back to me with answers you can provide... Mark

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[dharrell1203]

Ok, I don't have a tester so I can't get that done today. I will do the tub test and try and clear out to see if that works. Also I have another thing I just realized today after checking the thermostat. When we hooked up the new heater the blue was on the right and red on the left (the other way on the old heater). So my husband switched the lines, connecting the blue with the blue and red with the red. Is that connected right? I touched the lines also and the red line is cold and the blue line is hot. These are supposed to be the water lines so they should correspond with the colors correct? I'm thinking that the shut off lines are in the wrong place to begin with. When we bought the house the realtor mentioned something about the lines being backwards but she was talking about the kitchen sink lines and the water was cold on the right matching with the blue on the sink and the same with the hot. So we didn't think anything about it because it matched. Could this switch up be a cause of the cloudy water?

[dharrell1203]

Ok filled the tub and the water in the shower was clearer than the bath sink and kitchen sink. With the tub running and the kitchen sink on the water was clearer than before. When I turned off the tub it was back to where it was.

[massplumber2008]

DH.. are you saying the hot and cold water pipes got reversed in hooking up the heater? Have they been swapped back..

And the switching could have caused cloudy issue by fact that sediment in pipes is getting disturbed different flow direction.. maybe? Get back to me with answer

[KISS]

Yes, lines reversed can be a cause of cloudy water.

Blue should be cold inlet and red should be the hot outlet. The length of the tubes extending into the heater are different.

The shutoff needs to be on the cold side.

If code will allow, there might be a reason to have a shutoff on both sides, but if you do take the handle off the hot side. A tank failure combined with a fixture failure would be a reason to use both valves to isolate the tank.

[dharrell1203]

Well when we took the old heater out the cold line(from house) was on the left and the hot line(from house) was on the right, blue on left on the tank, red on right on tank. On the new one the blue is on the right, and red on the left. The lines, blue/red correspond with the water heater's blue/red. No they haven't been switched yet. What I meant with it being switched to begin with, was we thought that the valve(blue/red) were on the wrong pipe. After opening the lines after connecting the heater when felt the blue line is hot/warm and the red line(from the house) is cold. So should I switch them, and see if that is the problem?

[massplumber2008]

DH... you need to be sure that the cold water pipe is going into the blue side (says cold stamped into metal on heater too) of the heater.

Start at the main water pipe and follow that pipe into the heater... if not attached to blue.. need to switch. Period. Can you go check that now..?

[dharrell1203]

Ok I just checked the lines and there is one line with two red valves(which I would think is the hot line) but when I felt it its cold. The other line has one valve and its green and that when felt is warm and that is going into the blue on the heater.

[massplumber2008]

OK.. sounds switched to me! BUT want you to confirm NOT BY colors and valves, but by starting at the water meter and following that pipe or a branch off it into the water heater. In this trace, you should follow the pipe and find that it runs into the cold water inlet of heater (says COLD on heater and is marked blue).

See, can feel warmth on both pipes of a water heater... so just double check.. but certainly sounds reversed to me.

Swap pipes, and this time, purge water to tub spout after doing work.

Make sure electricity is shut off to heater while swapping the pipes.. ok?

Keep us posted on progress! Mark

[dharrell1203]

I followed them from the lines that were coming out of the floor behind the heater is that OK? So if it sounds switched to you then I need to take the red line (from the house, and that's cold) to the blue on the heater, correct?

[massplumber2008]

Dh... correct.

Run water out the cold side of faucets... does it come out warm/hot? Let them run for a few minutes.. be sure.. (cold is on right of all faucets) get back to me?

[dharrell1203]

Started to unloosen the pipes to switch from heater. Have them turned off all the way, should there still be water coming out. There is more water on the hot side(slightly cloudy there) and mostly air on the cold side.

[KISS]

Red handled vales just mean the handles are red. Nothing else. Look for real markings on the water heater inlets and outlets.