Hot Water Heater Help PLEASE!

[chula0206]

Sunday a.m. we noticed we had no hot water...went out to the storage room to check the heater and the expansion tank was visibly rusted around the bottom and had leaked down the front of the heater...replaced the expansion tank...still no hot water, and now the showers only supply water for a short time when the faucet is open and then slack off finally stopping...(30 secs to 1 min. total) sinks in bathrooms and kitchen as well as hose outside supply constant water.....what do we need to do to keep our showers on even if there is no hot water??????

 

[e9999]

well, you could probably easily bypass the water heater if that's the problem, and get cold water to the showers. Just solder a couple of male threaded couplings to the copper pipes if that's what you have and put in a flex connector or even a hose. Easy.

As far as the heater goes, I could see that the leaking water might have messed up the burner or gas control system. But less obvious why you would not have any water at all. Maybe something clogged? But the issue seems to be having to do with the expansion tank replacement. Go back and check that? Put in a pressure gauge to see what happens? Maybe the 30 secs have to do with the exp tank providing pressure and then not enough pressure when it's relaxed?

But if you bypass the water heater for now, you could also remove/bypass the exp tank since it would no longer be needed and it may be part of the problem? If you can't find what it is, I'd do both of those first.

 

[haystax]

Did you shut off a valve in order to change the exp tank? I would be very suspect of an older valve, especially a gate valve. Even a ball valve can corrode enough that the handle strips out instead of operating the valve.

Water heaters serve as settling basins so over time they get full of nasty stuff. A sudden surge of water could have sent something into the suction tube but that is a long shot.

You have cold water everywhere right?

 

[chula0206]

yes we have cold water every where...so here is a small update....i was able to use my shower however to keep it running i had to turn on BOTH knobs in my sink (in the same bathroom)....this is so weird.

 

[45Kevin]

if I recall, hot water heaters draw the hot water from the bottom of the tank via a pipe that extends down from the top. It is not uncommon for that pipe to corrode and break off high inside the tank. That would explain why you run out of hot water so quickly.

I may be wrong though, its been several years since I have done any of this type of work for money. I would suggest going to the google and looking for a dyi plumbing repair site.

At least it's summer and a luke warm shower isn't so bad.

 

[Toyo FJ40]

Sounds like the valve failed closed like haystax said. When you open both sides of the bathroom faucet the water is pressurizing the hot like through the faucet.