I just moved a few months ago.I cannot get the hot water line cleared.?

Question

I continues to put out brown water. Does it have to be replaced or can I do something to get the rust out?

Answer 1

I got the same problem when I moved to my house that was abandoned for about a year. The problem is that the water that was left in the water heater corroded the elements inside it. Corrosion always will happen but when the water does not flow, all that corrosion will be floating inside the tank. Mine is an electric water heater. This is a long process but it saved me $$$$ from buying a new water heater. If you are not a handyman (woman) inclined person, I suggest that you hire a professional.
1) The first thing to do is to turn off the breaker and the water supply that feeds the water heater.
2) You need to connect a garden hose at the drain valve at the bottom of the heater to drain it to the outside of the house or a close drain. Remember that the water will be hot so be very careful.
3) Open the drain valve and let it drain completely.
3) Close the drain valve when it drained completely.
4) Open a hot water faucet, like the tub, to let the air escape, and open the supply water until it fills the tank and you don’t hear more air coming out from the opened hot faucet.
5) Shut off the hot faucet and the supply to the water heater.
6) Open the drain valve again and the supply valve and let it run until it comes out of the drain as clear as it can.
7) Close the supply valve.
8) Close the drain valve after the tank is empty.
9) Now this is the hard part. You need to disconnect with a wrench either one of the pipes on top of the water heater or the pressure release valve.
10) Once disconnected, with a funnel, drop 2 cups of bleach in the tank.
11) Reconnect the pipe. Be sure to use pipe tread Teflon tape or compound.
12) Let it stand for an hour or two.
13) Open the supply valve and the drain until it comes out clear.
14) Close the drain.
15) Open all the hot water faucets in the house and let the water run to let the air escape and also flush the hot water pipes.
16) Close the hot water faucets after the air escapes and the water is clear.
17) Disconnect the garden hose.
18) Check for leaks and repair them if any and then turn on the electric supply.

You may notice that the water sometimes will come out dirty when you open a hot water faucet and then it will clear. This will be normal as the water heater completes this flushing process. After two weeks if you don't see a difference then it may be better to replace the water heater. The process is similar with a gas water heater but the advice for this type of heater; I prefer to let it to be done by a professional. Hope that this helps you.

Answer 2

The first thing to do, if you have not done so, is put a hose on the hot water heater drain, run it outside or to a drain and open the valve and look at what comes off - letting it run until clear. It is very likely that the water heater is rusting out, but this cleaning job should have been done every year. A word of warning - often the valve will drip after doing the cleaning - so you have to put a pan under it or a hose cap - from garden center.
The water heater is supposed to have a sacrificial rod to prevent the corrosion failure and that is supposed to be checked and replaced periodically and probably hasn't been.

Answer 3

have you cleaned the hw tank?