Water Heater Help - No Pressure

[/pine]

I doubt this the problem...but you might check the strainer screens in each of the sink faucets...
the last time I changed out a WH a lot of calicum particals broke loos and accumulated in the screens...

 

[buckle97]

I doubt this the problem...but you might check the strainer screens in each of the sink faucets...
the last time I changed out a WH a lot of calicum particals broke loos and accumulated in the screens...

Wouldn't this also restrict the cold water coming out of the same faucets?

 

[forgeblast]

could it be one of the plex fittings when connected were crimped to much and its causing a low flow. or did you put in a manifold system, maby the valve is not open all the way and your only getting a little flow.
You could put a bucket in the cold intake on the hot water heater and check the flow, if its coming in fine, its your hot water heater. would moving it around caused some minerals/gunk to clog it up?

 

[Boiler74]

I've replaced the plumbing in two houses with Pex. And I've learned a couple of things, although I don't profess to be an expert. 1/2" pex is not the same as 1/2 copper or cpvc. Because of the way they connect, the restriction comes from the fittings. They go inside the pipe, and then you have the thickness of the metal in the fitting. So it does really restrict flow. I didn't notice it as much with the first house I did because I replaced old galvanized that had restricted flow from rust, etc. But then I redid a house that had copper, and noticed it big time. (The copper pipes had to be redone, I don't just pull it out for the **** of it) Think about it, with cpvc and copper, your 1/2 pipe goes inside the fitting. And 1/2 copper has a thinner wall also. So pex, while great, does reduce flow. For me, next time it will all be 3/4 pex.

Just my experience, and it may not be your problem at all. But if I help one person reading this thread, it was worth the time to write.

Have a good day.

J.

 

[Charlton John]

Same exact thing happened to me a few weeks back. I didnt relocate though but lost all hot water and could only get cold. After removing the pipes that connected into the heater it was discovered it was being blocked by calcium buildup which was like concrete, since I flushed the tank and cleaned the buildup, I am back to normal.

 

[/pine]

Wouldn't this also restrict the cold water coming out of the same faucets

obviously it would on mixer valve applications...but it is always a good idea to clean the screens after opening any lines...

Again, the last time I changed out a WH I had no pressure on the hot side of the washing machine...big clod of minerals in the screen at the solenoid...

with the pex fittings it would not take a very large size piece of material to cause a blockage...if all the service valves are effected then start at the WH and inspect each connection...

 

[Richard]

1/2" pex is not the same as 1/2 copper or cpvc. Because of the way they connect, the restriction comes from the fittings. They go inside the pipe, and then you have the thickness of the metal in the fitting. So it does really restrict flow.

That is what I was thinking as I read through. I had the understanding that if you have 1/2" pipe that you would need something more like 3/4" PEX to "keep up" with the 1/2" pipe because of the inner restrictions.

That said, it's interesting that you have 1/2" going into your heater.

I moved my heater, added a shower in the basement and since I'm on a gusher well (over 100 gallons/minute) I decided to make it a gusher shower. I replaced all the 1/2" pipe and upped it to 3/4" pipe to the shower valve. Bought the 3/4" version of the valve so that everything is 3/4" up until the heads themselves. I then removed the water restrictions in them.

During this process, I had pipes going everywhere. So much so, that before it was said & done, I actually plumbed one of my hot pipes back into a "T" of one of my cold pipes :confused2: I figured that one out pretty quick and fixed it. The other one was more subtle. The stupid plumber crossed yet another pipe and plumbed the toilet into the hot line so anytime you wanted a hiney sauna, all you had to do was flush and you'd get HOT water, fresh from the water heater filling the commode. I even went so far as to tell my father in law I did NOT want to catch him sneaking over to my house so he could steam his buns

This mistake of course, was not caught until after I put the drywall up and taped it and painted it.

Soooooooooooo, one of my weekend projects was the removal of a section of drywall to fix the pipes.

 

[buckle97]

After removing the pipes that connected into the heater it was discovered it was being blocked by calcium buildup which was like concrete, since I flushed the tank and cleaned the buildup, I am back to normal.

I am starting to think, based on numerous replies, that it may be a buildup in the tank restricting the pressure. Can anyone provide the steps I need to flush the tank to get rid of as much of the buildup as possible?

 

[J.Walker]

I just had the problem of low hot water pressure. It was a blockage in the outflow of the tank. I removed the conection to the tank on the outflow side and turned back on the water. The blockage came shooting out with alot of water too! Reconnected the outflow side, problem solved.

 

[CaptPicky]

Try something simple, first, drain the water tank and see if any debris comes out. Keep flushing until the water is clear.