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HEATING SYSTEMS
PLUMBING TOPICS
HOT WATER HEATERS
AGE of WATER HEATERS
ALTERNATIVE HOT WATER SOURCES
  High Efficiency Water Heaters
  Indirect-fired Water Heaters
  Instantaneous Water Heaters
  Multiple water heaters in parallel
  Multiple water heaters in series
  Range Boiler Water Heaters
  Side Arm Coil Water Heaters
  Solar Water Heaters
  Tankless Coil for Hot Water
  Tankless Water Heaters
ANODES & DIP TUBES on WATER HEATERS
ANTI SCALD VALVES
APPLIANCE EFFICIENCY RATINGS
CARBON MONOXIDE/DIOXIDE
CHIMNEY INSPECTION DIAGNOSIS REPAIR
CLOGGED PIPING & Hot Water Flow
DRAIN a WATER HEATER TANK
ELECTRIC WATER HEATERS
  Identify Electric Water Heater Parts
  Electric Water Heater Checklist
  Electric Water Heater Controls List
  Water Heater Anode & Dip Tube Check
  Hot Water Temperature & Pressure Valve
  Electric Water Heater Repair Guide
  Electric Water Heater: No Hot Water
  Electric Water Heater Reset & Temp Set
  Test Electric Water Heater High Temp Cutoff
  Test Electric Water Heater Elements
  Replace Electric Water Heater Element
  WATER HEATERS for HOME HEATING USE?
GAS FIRED WATER HEATERS
  DRAFT HOODS - gas fired
  Gas BTUH & Cubic Feet
  Gas Conversion LP Natural Gas
  GAS PIPING, VALVES, CONTROLS
  SOOT on OIL FIRED HEATING EQUIPMENT
SPILL SWITCHES - Flue Gas Detection
HOT WATER IMPROVEMENTS
HOT WATER DELIVERY SPEED UP
HOT WATER QUANTITY IMPROVEMENT
  Alternative Hot Water Sources & Methods
  Anti-Scald Valves & Hot Water Quantity
  CLOGGED PIPING & Hot Water Flow
  Extra Tanks to Increase Hot Water
  Insulate Hot Water Piping
  Insulate Hot Water Tank?
  Larger Diameter Water Supply Piping
INDIRECT FIRED WATER HEATERS
NO HEAT - NO HOT WATER: HEATER DIAGNOSIS
NOISES COMING FROM WATER HEATER
ODORS IN WATER
OIL FIRED WATER HEATERS
  DRAFT REGULATORS - barometric dampers
  OIL BURNERS
  OIL BURNER NOISE SMOKE ODORS
  OIL PIPING
  OIL TANKS
MIXING VALVES
PLASTIC HEATER VENT
RANGE BOILERS
RELIEF VALVES - TP Valves on Boilers
Relief Valves - Water Heaters
SAFETY DURING HEATING INSPECTION
SEWER GAS ODORS
SEWER LINE REPLACEMENT
SOLAR HOT WATER HEATERS
SOOT on OIL FIRED HEATING EQUIPMENT
SPILL SWITCHES - Flue Gas Detection
TANKLESS COILS
  Clogged Piping / Tankless Coil & Hot Water Flow
  Mixing Valves
  Tankless Coil Leaks
  Tankless Coil Hot Water Increase
TANKLESS WATER HEATERS
Temperature Pressure Relief Valves - Water Heaters
Water Heater Noises
WATER HEATER PROPERTIES
  Electric, Gas, Oil Water Heater Efficiency
  Water Heater Life Expectancy Comparisons
  Water Heater Operating Cost Comparisons
  Water Heater Purchase & Maintenance Costs
  Water Heater Water Quantity Comparisons
  Water Heater Recovery Speed Comparisons
  Water Heater Safety Comparisons
Water Heater Scale - De-Liming Procedures
WATER HEATERS for HOME HEATING USE?
WATER QUALITY TESTS, CONTAMINANTS, TREATMENT
WATER QUANTITY IMPROVEMENT
WATER QUANTITY USAGE GUIDE
WATER SOFTENERS
WATER SOURCE ALTERNATIVES

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Effect of installing larger water supply pipes to the water heater

Guide to Hot Water Heater Selection, Inspection, Diagnosis, & Repair
InspectAPedia®  -    

  • Water heaters: how to inspect, test, adjust, repair, and choose among types of hot water heaters
  • Guide to inspecting gas fired hot water heaters
  • Guide to inspecting oil fired hot water heaters
  • Guide to inspection of electric water heaters
  • Guide to tankless coils, indirect fired water heaters, range boilers
  • No Hot water? how to get more hot water flow, quantity, performance from your water heater
Our site offers impartial, unbiased advice without conflicts of interest. We will block advertisements which we discover or readers inform us are associated with bad business practices, false-advertising, or junk science. Our contact info is at InspectAPedia.com/appointment.htm.

The articles at this website will answer most questions about domestic water heaters as well as many other building plumbing system inspection or defect topics.

This page contains links to in-depth articles on inspecting, testing, and repairing problems residential hot water heaters of all types, including their parts, controls, and alternative sources for hot water as well as tips for improving hot water temperature, hot water pressure, and hot water quantity.

Reproduction of this web page electronically at other websites is prohibited. © Copyright 2010 Daniel Friedman, All Rights Reserved. Information Accuracy & Bias Pledge is at below-left. The sketch at page top is courtesy of Carson Dunlop.

Inspection, Diagnostic, & Repair Guide to Residential Hot Water Heaters

Flue gas spillage at gas fired water heater (C) Daniel FriedmanWhile an electric, gas-fired, or oil-fired water heaters, along with tankless coils on heating boilers are among the most common methods for producing domestic or residential hot water for washing and bathing, there are plenty of other ways that people obtain hot water.

All hot water supply systems use some energy source (electricity, oil, gas, solar energy) to heat either a reservoir of hot water stored in a hot water tank, or to heat water as it is used (such as tankless coils and Thermar type heaters.)

An exception is geo-thermal hot water (such as is readily available in Iceland and in more localized areas in other countries). And the most common hot water complaint we hear is "how can I get more hot water quantity - I keep running out of hot water" or "how can I get better hot water pressure?"

Our photo shows clear evidence of flue gas spillage from a gas fired water heater. In articles linked from this page we discuss this and other water heater diagnosis and repair topics.

The articles listed below describe the inspection, operation, diagnosis, repair, and improvement of each type of water heater, and we include detailed advice about how to improve hot water supply in buildings as well as inspection and correction of leaks, high hot water costs, odors, noises, and safety problems.

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Technical Reviewers & References

Use links just below or at the left of each page to navigate this document or to view other topics at this website. Green links show where you are in our document or website.

HOT WATER HEATERS
AGE of WATER HEATERS
ALTERNATIVE HOT WATER SOURCES
  Electric Shower Heaters
  High Efficiency Water Heaters
  Indirect-fired Water Heaters
  Instantaneous Water Heaters
  Multiple water heaters in parallel
  Multiple water heaters in series
  Range Boiler Water Heaters
  Side Arm Coil Water Heaters
  Solar Water Heaters
  Tankless Coil for Hot Water
  Tankless Water Heaters
ANODES & DIP TUBES on WATER HEATERS
ANTI SCALD VALVES
APPLIANCE EFFICIENCY RATINGS
CARBON MONOXIDE/DIOXIDE
CHIMNEY INSPECTION DIAGNOSIS REPAIR
CLOGGED PIPING & Hot Water Flow
DRAIN a WATER HEATER TANK
ELECTRIC WATER HEATERS
  Identify Electric Water Heater Parts
  Electric Water Heater Checklist
  Electric Water Heater Controls List
  Water Heater Anode & Dip Tube Check
  Hot Water Temperature & Pressure Valve
  Electric Water Heater Repair Guide
  Electric Water Heater: No Hot Water
  Electric Water Heater Reset & Temp Set
  Test Electric Water Heater High Temp Cutoff
  Test Electric Water Heater Elements
  Replace Electric Water Heater Element
GAS FIRED WATER HEATERS
  DRAFT HOODS - gas fired
  Gas BTUH & Cubic Feet
  Gas Conversion LP Natural Gas
  GAS PIPING, VALVES, CONTROLS
  SOOT on OIL FIRED HEATING EQUIPMENT
SPILL SWITCHES - Flue Gas Detection
HOT WATER IMPROVEMENTS
HOT WATER DELIVERY SPEED UP
HOT WATER QUANTITY IMPROVEMENT
  Alternative Hot Water Sources & Methods
  Anti-Scald Valves & Hot Water Quantity
  CLOGGED PIPING & Hot Water Flow
  Extra Tanks to Increase Hot Water
  Insulate Hot Water Piping
  Insulate Hot Water Tank?
  Larger Diameter Water Supply Piping
  Temperature of Hot Water is Too Low
INDIRECT FIRED WATER HEATERS
NO HEAT - NO HOT WATER: HEATER DIAGNOSIS
NOISES COMING FROM WATER HEATER
ODORS IN WATER
OIL FIRED WATER HEATERS
  DRAFT REGULATORS - barometric dampers
  OIL BURNERS
  OIL BURNER NOISE SMOKE ODORS
  OIL PIPING
  OIL TANKS
MIXING VALVES
PLASTIC HEATER VENT
RANGE BOILERS
RELIEF VALVES - TP Valves on Boilers
Relief Valves - Water Heaters
SAFETY DURING HEATING INSPECTION
SEWER GAS ODORS
SEWER LINE REPLACEMENT
SOLAR HOT WATER HEATERS
SOOT on OIL FIRED HEATING EQUIPMENT
SPILL SWITCHES - Flue Gas Detection
TANKLESS COILS
  Clogged Piping / Tankless Coil & Hot Water Flow
  Mixing Valves
  Tankless Coil Leaks
  Tankless Coil Hot Water Increase
  Tankless Coil Conversions
TANKLESS WATER HEATERS
Temperature Pressure Relief Valves - Water Heaters
Water Heater Noises
WATER HEATER PROPERTIES
  Electric, Gas, Oil Water Heater Efficiency
  Water Heater Life Expectancy Comparisons
  Water Heater Operating Cost Comparisons
  Water Heater Purchase & Maintenance Costs
  Water Heater Water Quantity Comparisons
  Water Heater Recovery Speed Comparisons
  Water Heater Safety Comparisons
Water Heater Scale - De-Liming Procedures
WATER SOFTENERS

More Information on Building Diagnostic Inspections and Repairs

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