Posted: 10/20/2014 9:36:48 PM EDT
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My family and I left for Ireland this last summer, end of july into August. I turned the water heater down to "Vacation" on the dial to keep it down. When we came back I turned it back up to where we always keep it. Noticed it wasn't as warm as usual after a few days. Let it go and decide to turn it up again a few weeks ago, gets hot and now seemed to die off again. It still gets hot but doesn't last as long?? turned it up some more and same thing. Was hot then seemed to cool off rather quickly...Thoughts?
Also, It has a connection to fit a hose to drain it. Should I be draining the water out once a year? |
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How old is it? Allowing the water to cool and the lack of moving water (from use) allowed sediment to settle at the bottom more-so than before?
ETA: and it is suggested by some to drain your tank and backflush water into the tank via the drain valve to knock out/stir up sediment. |
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Exercise the control to full hot and cold. If is electric, one of the elements may be burned out. The bottom one is for heavy use heating, the top one is for fast recovery.
They should be drained at least once a year to get as much sediment out as possible. Probably a gas unit. Control could be bad. |
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Gas or electric?
I have an electric water heater. Had the same situation I think you're describing minus the vacation setting bit. Anyway, water would get hot, but cooled off quickly when showering. My lower heating element had gone bad. I put an ohm meter on it and got nothing - think you should get something like 12-14 ohms. Maybe someone else can verify. I turned the power off and showered one morning - just to get the use of the water that was in there - then drained it. A bunch of mineral deposit build up flushed out. Replaced lower element. All is good. |
| Really no need to drain them. Install a ball valve where the shitty plastic drain is now. Then thread in a brass hose bib converter. Then put your hose on it. Using city pressure still, open the ball valve. This flushes is perfectly, and the pressure blows out any chunkies. No draining required. |
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Quoted: This is a gas WH. It was installed new in 2009 when we bought the house. Of course the builders put in the least efficient one in they could....fuckers! |