I woke up this morning with no hot water. My water heater is only 2 yrs old and worked fine last night. Lately my bathtub faucet has been leaky, maybe for 2 or 3 weeks and it's been only hot water that leaking out, but not much. Could this have shorted out the heater? I did notice that the water pressure in my kitchen was a little low, but just by a little kinda like there was water running elsewhere in the house even if it wasn't.
2007-11-21 01:18:22 · 9 answers · asked by Sandy Sandals 7 in Home & Garden ➔ Maintenance & Repairs
It's not gas and there is electric in all parts of the house so I don't think the breaker was tripped.
2007-11-21 01:23:34 · update #1
Our water heater is on the first floor in a closet, the bathroom is upstairs and the house is on a raised foundation. The pressure is still good, but not the turbo blast that it usually is. We don't use much hot water, 2 person household, no washer, and we don't use our dishwasher, we wash by hand.
2007-11-21 02:35:38 · update #2
BEFORE YOU DO ANYTHING ELSE GO TO YOUR HOT WATER HEATER AND LOOK AT IT . WHERE THE TEMP. DIAL IS THERE WILL BE A RED BUTTON , PUSH IT IN TILL YOU HEAR A CLICK . IT IS A BUILT IN CIRCUIT BREAKER AND WILL TRIP BEFORE YOUR MAIN HOUSE WIRING WILL TRIP
2007-11-21 01:44:10 · answer #1 · answered by D.C. 6 · 2⤊ 0⤋
I assume this is an electric hot water heater and the breaker is on. Have you checked the basement for any flooding or water from the boiler or hot water heater? If you still are hearing water flowing and the loss of pressure I would suspect something is leaking somewhere. How bad is the water leaking in the tub? Do you know wher or how to shut off the water to the tub to isolate it.Where is the wash machine or dish washer? After shutting off the tub water and water is still flowing I would check the hoses to see if one is leaking. After this is checked and you find nothing try taking a screw driver and place the metal tip onto the shower valve and the plastic handle on your ear and listen to see if water is still flowing. You should hear it in the pipes, if so I would guess there is a leak elsewhere and maybe call a plumber. Might want to think about turning the water off to the house at the main. It could be that the hot water leaking in the tub could be the culprit because the heater cant keep up with the constant loss of hot water.
2007-11-21 09:47:22 · answer #2 · answered by Bill 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Let's think about the water heater first. It's electric and it's NOT a breaker. It could be a heater element that is faulty. If it's only 2 years old, it's still under a manufacturer's warranty (usually water heaters are warrantied for 6 years, or more). You'll need to call *the company who installed it*. If you don't know or they don't exist anymore, you'll need to call the manufacturer to get the name and phone number of the company who does *their* warranty work, or else you risk voiding the warranty by using someone else.
So, if it's not the heater, what could be the cause? Not your tub faucet! Is your house on a raised foundation or on a slab? If it's a raised foundation, look underneath to see if you have a water leak. If on a slab foundation (no crawl space), are there any "hot spots" on the floor anywhere? That could be an indication of a slab leak. If you haven't noticed any hot spots, check the water meter at the street. With the water in the house not being used at all, does it move over a 30 minute period? That's a sure sign of a slab leak.
Check those aspects out, and call a licensed plumber...not a handyman.
If it is a slab leak, you may (or may not want to, depending on your deductible!) call your Home Owner's Insurance. It may be something they cover.
2007-11-21 09:42:09 · answer #3 · answered by Susan 4 · 0⤊ 1⤋
The electric water heater will be on a 240V breaker. Check and see if it is tripped. If it is not, then you have an open and not a short. You most likely will have to replace the heating elements. A lot of the time, the bottom heating element will burn out due to sediment in the bottom of the heater.
Either repair the faucet in the bath or call a plumber to do it. I doubt that the small leak had any real affect on the water heater at all.
good luck.
2007-11-21 10:17:29 · answer #4 · answered by Fordman 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Depending on your manufacturer there are a number of tests you can perform to determine if the tank shorted out. GE made me do a couple hours worth of tests before they would do any warranty work.
I have a vintage 70s house with Aluminum wiring. In my case last January, the hot water heater shorted out because the person who installed it did not use the proper bridge between the aluminum wiring of the house, and the copper of the hot water heater.
2007-11-21 11:56:44 · answer #5 · answered by CHARLES R 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
being electric and 2 yrs old You could have a bad thermo disc or more likely either the lower or upper element has burned out due to mineral build up, If you have no tripped 40 amp breakers or larger this is where you need to start If water has dripped in from above you will notice from the ceiling, so i doubt this is your problem
2007-11-21 14:34:44 · answer #6 · answered by georgewarren93 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
We just had to replace our water heater. $$$$$$ But it was 10 years old, call a handy friend plumbers are expensive! You might just need a part, and its very costly to let it leak, maybe its leaking some where else and running down the drain. Good Luck!
2007-11-21 09:23:20 · answer #7 · answered by itsmetrea 6 · 0⤊ 1⤋
If electric, check the breaker. If gas, check pilot light. Pressure fluctuation could be normal, or a leak in the water line.
2007-11-21 09:23:09 · answer #8 · answered by JES 6 · 0⤊ 1⤋
The element is shot.
2007-11-21 11:03:18 · answer #9 · answered by Cheryl P 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋