Check out some similar questions!

RRN07 · Jan 18, 2009, 10:01 PM

Ok so I'm new at this whole thing, so I'm not even sure if I'm in the right category. :confused: I have cold water preassure, but no hot water preassure. The water gets hot, but there just isn't any preassure. Can someone please give me step by step on what I need to do to fix my problem... please I really would like to take a shower at my own house for a change :p

stephen19690_2 · Jan 18, 2009, 11:02 PM

Do you live in the country and have hard water could be your hot water tank is full of hard water scales can be cleaned

speedball1 · Jan 19, 2009, 06:16 AM

Originally Posted by RRN07

Ok so I'm new at this whole thing, so I'm not even sure if I'm in the right category. :confused: I have cold water preassure, but no hot water preassure. The water gets hot, but there just isn't any preassure. Can someone please give me step by step on what I need to do to fix my problem ...please I really would like to take a shower at my own house for a change :p

How old's your house? What type of pipes? Copper, Plastic or galvanized? Is the hot water pressure down throughout the house or just one fixture? Did the pressure go down all of a sudden or did it drop gradually? Let me know, Tom

RRN07 · Jan 20, 2009, 08:33 AM

Originally Posted by speedball1

How old's your house? What type of pipes? Copper, Plastic or galvanized? Is the hot water pressure down throughout the house or just one fixture? Did the pressure go down all of a sudden or did it drop gradually? Let me know, Tom

The house is about 10 years +. The pipes are plastic. The water preassure will be fine for a few seconds if you haven't used the water for a while and then it gradually goes down pretty quick, and it is like that throughout the whole house. Please help me... :)

RRN07 · Jan 20, 2009, 08:35 AM

Originally Posted by stephen19690_2

do you live in the country and have hard water could be your hot water tank is full of hard water scales can be cleaned

I live in the country, how do you clean the water tank, it is full of water.

ballengerb1 · Jan 21, 2009, 07:50 PM

That is not how to flush a water heater and your problem my have caused a clog in the mixing valve. First lets discuss the proper flushing procedure. Leave your main on full and attach a hose to the drain spigot of the tank, now open that drain and direct the hose to a safe place like a floor drain or window well. Drain for a few minutes or until the water runs perefectly clear. Some of that junk may be caught in your mixing valve. Can you tell us more about your shower valve, one handle or two.

afaroo · Jan 22, 2009, 09:27 AM

I agree with ballenger and that is how to flush a water heater and I will add the following also

Water heater manufacturers recommend flushing sediment from your storage type water heater periodically. How often your model needs to be flushed depends upon the quality of the water in your area. Areas with high mineral content will have to flush more often.
What is sediment, and why is it a problem? The sediment is sand or other grit from a well, or any other material that has gotten into the municipal water mains. Sediment can also come into your home after the water company flushes out their lines.
Over time, your heater can accumulate this sediment consisting of sand, gravel, grit, and various mineral deposits. This buildup can reduce the amount your water heater holds, create a variety of interesting noises, and reduce the efficiency of your unit. The buildup of sediment at the bottom can harden and sometimes clog the drain valve.
Cleaning this sediment from out of your water heater is not particularly difficult; here is how to do it.
If your water heater is gas, set the gas valve to "Pilot" to prevent the burners from coming on while you are flushing it. If your heater is electric be sure to turn off the circuit breakers. With an electric water heater, if the water level drops below the heating elements and the thermostat turns the elements on, the heating elements will probably burn out quite rapidly.
Connect a garden hose to the drain valve at the bottom of the tank. Make sure the outlet of the hose is in a safe area away from pets and children. It can be very hot and can scald quickly
Close the shut off valve on the cold inlet to the water heater.
Carefully open the temperature/pressure relief valve at the top of the tank by lifting the lever. Leave the valve open.
Open the drain valve at the bottom of the heater allowing the water to flow out through the garden hose. If the sediment is clogging the drain valve then try closing the temperature/pressure relief valve and turn the cold inlet valve back on to "power flush" the sediment out.
In some cases the sediment hardens into large chunks that can block the drain valve. If so, then wait until everything cools down, remove the garden hose from the drain valve, remove the valve if necessary, and use a long screw driver to break up the clog. This is a very messy procedure.
When the garden hose runs clear you are finished.
Close the drain valve at the bottom of the tank and remove the garden hose.
Close the pressure relief valve at the top of the tank if it is still open, and turn the cold inlet valve back on.
Now flush out your hot water lines on ALL fixtures that are affected if any. Now pull each aerator and clean the screens. Be sure you put them back together the same way you took them out. Turn the heater back on; if the pilot is off re-light if necessary.
Don't forget to flush it out every month. Your heater will thank you for it.
Note: The above is manufacturer's recommendation; some expert's recommends to do the power flush (don't close the shut off valve on the cold inlet to the water heater and don't open the T&P valve). I agree with both of them. Good luck.

John

ballengerb1 · Jan 22, 2009, 05:15 PM

So tell us Stephen where you learned to use a shop vac to clean out a water heater. I am totally amazed that I did not give your wrong recommendation a bad rating but you are of the thinking I should get a bad rating for correcting your advice. You were totally off base but I assumed you meant well, apparently not.

ballengerb1 · Jan 23, 2009, 05:04 PM

Stephan, I am still waiting to hear why your gave me that inaccurate score just because I corrected you. By the way, it is you who posted an inaccurate answer.

speedball1 · Jan 23, 2009, 05:19 PM

Do you have "Heat Trap Nipples",(see image) coming out of your water heater? Let me know. Tom

stephen19690_2 · Jan 23, 2009, 11:58 PM

Originally Posted by ballengerb1

So tell us Stephen where you learned to use a shop vac to clean out a water heater. I am totally amazed that I did not give your wrong recommendation a bad rating but you are of the thinking I should get a bad rating for correcting your advice. You were totally off base but I assumed you meant well, apparently not.

Where did I learn that let's see an old plumber told me that and I tried it and worked so once a year I open my tank and do this because living in hard water zone we get a lot of scale in the bottom of the tank by sucking it out we get 3 and some times more 5 gallon pails so if you try to flush it most of the time the valve is pluged any how not to say most country homes around here only have 40lbs of water I could not tell you how many tanks I have cleaned for people just because a plumber told them "YOU NEED A NEW TANK"plus it saves your bottom element taking all that crap out of there tell me do you know why people cut the rod off in the middle of the tank

drumerboy33 · Jan 28, 2009, 07:17 PM

Draining and flushing is a great way to keep sediment build up from happening, but if the heater is older and you have hard water, even after flushing heater, you may still have calcium build up in the hot outlet going out of the heater to the faucets , if that's the case you would need to pull the heat traps out and replace, as well as flush the heater..