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jspaur · May 26, 2008, 05:22 PM

I currently live in a house that is a little over 3 years old. The hot watrer was never the same as the cold water in pressure but over the last few monthss it has gotten worse.It is most noticeable in the bathtub and shower. If both fixtures are running there is very little water pressure. I have searched the internet and found suggestions to flush the Hot Water Heater. I have done so and found no sediment that the suggestions stated that might be causing the issue. It is a Gas Water Heater. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

J

massplumber2008 · May 26, 2008, 06:15 PM

Hey J:

When I hear about this... first thing I do is hook a hose to the end of the drain at the water heater and then I open it full open (leaving cold water ON full pressure now... AS IN A POWER FLUSH!).

If I have significant pressure for a good period then my next step is to check the OUTLET of the water heater (hot water). Some manufacturers use HEAT TRAP nipples and these nipples can cause issues similar to what you have presented. You would cut into the hot water line and check or just remove the nipple and replace with a NEW DIELECTRIC NIPPLE without a heat trap (see pic.).

If you have reduced pressure at the drain when full open I would probably REPLACE the COLD WATER HEAT TRAP NIPPLE into heater. And be sure the DIP TUBE did not get damaged during the original installation (see pic... the dip tube should be under the cold water nipple here at pic... but you get the idea! ).

Please also note that if you have a reduced pressure at the drain... could also be a CLOGGED drain... but that is part of breaking this down into ALL issues and then fixing ALL of them so no more issues. If you suspect drain is clogged, you could shut heater down, then drain heater, then replace with a new 3/4" ball valve with a hose adapter and eliminate this as issue!

Anyway... check drain, check heat trap cold water nipple and dip tube, check hot water nipple and then may need to check any shutoffs inline to the bathrooms you are talking about with reduced pressure!

Let me know what you think... MARK

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