When we turn on the hot water taps in our house the water is coming out very brown and dirty but the cold water is fine. Does this mean we need a new hot water system or are there filters or something in them that might need changing.
2007-03-24 12:59:01 · 8 answers · asked by Boo Boo 5 in Home & Garden ➔ Maintenance & Repairs
Depends on the age of the water heater. Water heaters should be drained each year to prevent rust/settling build up in the bottom.
First turn the water heater, if gas, to pilot only. If electric, turn it off at the main panel.
If there are two valves at the top of the tank. One on the cold inlet side and one on the hot outlet side. Turn the cold water valve off. Leave the hot water valve open at this time. Open one hot water faucet in the house. Kitchen preferably. There should be a drain valve at the bottom side of the tank. Connect a water hose to this valve and run outside. Open the valve and let the water in the tank drain. When most of the water is gone, turn the Hot water valve at the top of the tank off and turn on the cold. Let the water to continue to drain. The force of the cold water will agitate the build up on the bottom of the tank. Let the water drain out until it is clear of junk.
When clear, turn off the drain valve. and the hot water valve at the top of the tank. Leave the hot water faucet on until water runs out without spitting. When full, turn off the faucet and reset the gas valve if gas or turn on the breaker if electric.
One note of caution. Do not open the pressure relief valve on the upper side of the tank. In older water heaters, they may not reset without leaking, due to mineral deposits.
Another note: First, Inspect the bottom of the tank, if gas, to see if there is any rust build up on the underside of the tank. If so you will need to replace the water heater soon. You can do this with a small mirror. Remove the cover/ covers over the burner compartment.
Hisemiester
2007-03-24 13:14:25 · answer #1 · answered by hisemiester 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
You didn't mention if you have hard water or not or how old the heater is. The brown can be the iron or manganese sediment in your tank has built up and is coming out when you use the hot water. If the heater is old it could be rust and scale dissolving which means WATCH OUT. If the bottom of the tank rust through your going to a heck of a flood, I know since it happened to me. My wife and I were at work and when we got home my downstairs had 8 inches of water.
If you install a whole house filter, do it before the heater. You can also install a water alarm in case your tank does give out.
2007-03-24 13:23:34 · answer #2 · answered by Magic Cat 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You need to have someone look at it. I don't know how long a warranty the heater came with but most normal water heaters only go up to 9 years. In any case, that's definitely not normal, you should have a continuous supply of hot water without interruption. Another thing to check is does this happen at other faucets like the kitchen sink, if not, then the problem may be that you have an anti-scald shower fixture and it's what is messing up, not the water heater.
2016-03-29 02:40:39 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Sounds like your water heater is full of sediment and rust, it may be time to replace the water heater, but try this first. Hook-up a garden hose to the drain valve near the bottom of the water heater and flush the water heater either outside or down a drain, this should help clear most of the sediment and rust from the heater. Then let the hot water run for a few minutes to clear out your pipes. If the heater is more than 15 years old it may be time for replacement.
2007-03-24 13:10:50 · answer #4 · answered by bluestreak0146 1 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Flushing the water heater as described by some of those above is a good idea. I would like to add that you should consider installing a whole house water filter to remove the dirt before it gets into the water heater and the other appliances.
2007-03-25 08:10:20 · answer #5 · answered by Dave 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Boo Boo....the very best advise I can give you is that there is something wrong with the heater. Do not try any of those things the other people posted unless you are mechanically inclined and have tools available. You will wind up calling a plumber anyway. A local licensed plumber in your area will be familiar with your heater, your type of water, and will reccommend any type of filter you might need or will replace your heater without the complications of buying tools, flooding your house etc, etc.
2007-03-24 15:12:33 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Tankless water heaters use the latest in gas technology to provide an endless supply of hot water. Heating water only when it’s needed provides energy savings not found with conventional water heaters (storage tanks).
2014-10-22 04:58:34 · answer #7 · answered by nighat 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You must have hard water. rust collects at the bottom of the tank, the best way I have found to fix it is to take out the bottom element and stick a coat hanger in their a pull all of the rust out. Unless you want to buy a new hot water heater.
2007-03-24 13:09:20 · answer #8 · answered by Rottonwieller 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋