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Mobile ViewWATER HEATERS AGE of WATER HEATERS AIRBOUND HEAT SYSTEM REPAIRS 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 Define Mixing Valves, Anti Scald Valves Table of Scalding Temperatures & Times Hot Water Anti-Scald Regulations How Anti Scald Valves Work Installing & Setting Anti-Scald Valves Which Way To Turn the Mixing Valve Using a Manual Hot Water Tempering Valve Built-in Fixture Anti-Scald Valves Mix Valve Improves Hot Water Quantity Inspect Anti-Scald Valves ANTI SCALD VALVE PROTECTION, Best Practices Water Pressure-Balancing Valves Thermostatic Mixing Valves Retrofits to Avoid Scalding Burns APPLIANCE EFFICIENCY RATINGS AQUASTAT CONTROL Functions Aquastat control HI LO settings Aquastat control DIFF settings L7224U Universal Aquastat Single Function Limit Switches Strap-On Limit Controls BACKDRAFTING HEATING EQUIPMENT BACKFLOW PREVENTERS BACKUP HEAT for HEAT PUMPS BLEVE EXPLOSIONS BOILERS, HEATING CARBON MONOXIDE - CO CHECK VALVES CHEMICAL CONTAMINANTS in WATER CHIMNEY INSPECTION DIAGNOSIS REPAIR CLOGGED SUPPLY PIPING CROSS CONNECTIONS, PLUMBING DEBRIS in WATER SUPPLY, Water Heater DRAIN a WATER HEATER TANK ELECTRIC WATER HEATERS Electric, Gas, Oil Water Heater Efficiency Electric Shower Heaters Electric Water Heater Checklist Electric Water Heater Controls List Electric Water Heater Element Replacement Electric Water Heater Element Tests Electric Water Heater High Temp Cutoff Test Electric Water Heater Repair Guide Electric Water Heater Reset Switch Electric Water Heater Thermostats Electric Water Heater No Hot Water Electric Water Heater Parts Identification Electric Water Heater Reset & Temp Set Hot Water Temperature & Pressure Valve Timers for Electric Water Heaters Water Heater Anode & Dip Tube Check ENERGY SAVINGS in buildings FLOODED HEATING EQUIPMENT REPAIR FLOODED WATER HEATER REPAIR FREEZE-PROOF A BUILDING FROST HEAVES, FOUNDATION, SLAB GALVANIC SCALE & METAL CORROSION GAS BURNER Flame & Noise Defects 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 GAS PIPING, VALVES, CONTROLS HEAT TAPES, Heat, Insulation prevent Freeze-Up HEATING COST FUEL & BTU Cost Table HEATING COST SAVINGS METHODS HEATING SYSTEMS HOT WATER SUPPLY HOT WATER IMPROVEMENTS HOT WATER DELIVERY SPEED UP HOT WATER PRESSURE EXPANSION RATE HOT WATER PRESSURE LOSS 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 Water pipe clog diagnosis Water pipe clog repair guide HYDROGEN SULFIDE GAS INDIRECT FIRED WATER HEATERS MANUALS & PARTS GUIDES - HVAC MIXING / ANTI-SCALD VALVES NO HEAT - NO HOT WATER: HEATER DIAGNOSIS NOISE / SOUND DIAGNOSIS & CURE NOISE CONTROL for HEATING SYSTEMS NOISE, PLUMBING CHECKLIST NOISES, WATER HEATER ODORS & SMELLS DIAGNOSIS & CURE ODORS GASES SMELLS, DIAGNOSIS & CURE ODORS IN WATER OIL FIRED WATER HEATERS DRAFT MEASUREMENT, CHIMNEYS & FLUES DRAFT REGULATORS, DAMPERS, BOOSTERS OIL BURNERS OIL BURNER NOISE SMOKE ODORS OIL TANK PIPING & PIPING DEFECTS OIL TANKS PIPING IN buildings, Clogs Leaks Types PLASTIC HEATER VENT RADIANT HEAT RANGE BOILERS RELIEF VALVES - TP Valves on Boilers RELIEF VALVES - Water Heaters RELIEF VALVES - Water Tanks SAFETY, HEATING INSPECTION SCALE REMOVAL, WATER HEATERS SEWER GAS ODORS SOLAR ENERGY SYSTEMS SOLAR HOT WATER HEATERS SOOT on OIL FIRED HEATING EQUIPMENT SPILL SWITCHES - Flue Gas Detection TANKLESS COILS AQUASTAT CONTROL Functions Clogged Pipes / Tankless Coil De-Scale MIXING / ANTI-SCALD VALVES Tankless Coil Conversions Tankless Coil Leaks Tankless Coil Hot Water Increase TANKLESS WATER HEATERS Electric Shower Heaters Guide to Tankless Water Heaters Operation & Characteristics Problems & Defects Hot Water Delivery Speedup Installation Requirements & Costs Should I Convert to a Tankless Heater? Calculate Water Heater Requirements Capacities of Tankless Water Heaters Life Expectancy & Applications Temperature Pressure Relief Valves - Water Heaters THERMOSTATS, HEATING / COOLING THERMOSTATS, WATER HEATER AQUASTAT CONTROL Functions Electric Water Heater Thermostats TIMERS for ELECTRIC WATER HEATERS VALVES, PLUMBING WATER CONTAMINANT LEVELS WATER HAMMER NOISE DIAGNOSE & CURE WATER HEATERS WATER HEATER ALTERNATIVES WATER HEATER ANODES, DIP TUBES WATER HEATER AIR INLET WATER HEATER DEBRIS FLUSH WATER HEATER DRAIN PROCEDURE WATER HEATER FLUSH PROCEDURE WATER HEATER NOISES Water Heater Flush Procedure WATER HEATER SCALE - De-Liming Procedure Water Heater Scale Prevention 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 Procedure WATER HEATER SCALE PREVENTION WATER HEATER SAFETY WATER HEATERS for HOME HEATING USE? WATER ODORS, CAUSE CURE WATER PIPES, Clogs Leaks Types WATER PRESSURE & FLOW MEASUREMENT WATER PRESSURE VARIATION CAUSES WATER PRESSURE TOO HIGH: DANGERS Definition of Static Water Pressure Definition of Dynamic Water Pressure Measure Municipal Water Pressure Measure Pump & Well Water Pressure WATER FLOW RATE MEASUREMENT HOT WATER PRESSURE EXPANSION RATE WATER PRESSURE GAUGE ACCURACY WATER PRESSURE LOSS DIAGNOSIS & REPAIR WATER PRESSURE REDUCER / REGULATOR WATER PRESSURE REPAIR GUIDE - WELLS WATER PUMPS, TANKS, TESTS, WELLS, REPAIRS WATER PUMPS & WELLS WATER PURIFIERS WATER QUALITY TESTS, CONTAMINANTS, TREATMENT WATER QUANTITY IMPROVEMENT WATER SOFTENERS & CONDITIONERS WINTERIZE A BUILDING More Information |
How to improve hot water pressure & flow: This article explains how to diagnose the sudden loss of hot water pressure, quantity, or flow in a building. InspectAPedia 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/Contact.htm.Thanks to Carson Dunlop Associates, a Toronto Home Inspection Firm and Home Inspection Educator, for permission to use sketches shown in this article. Contact us to suggest text changes and additions and, if you wish, to receive online listing and credit for that contribution. Hot water problems and diagnosis articles:
© Copyright 2012 InspectAPedia.com, All Rights Reserved. Information Accuracy & Bias Pledge is at below-left. Use page top links to major topics or use links at the left of each page to navigate within topics and documents at this website. Green links show where you are in a document series or at this website. Diagnosing Sudden Loss of Hot Water Pressure & Flow in a BuildingQuestion about diagnosing the cause of sudden loss of hot water pressure:We suddenly lost hot water pressure [only] in the whole house, a week ago (7 years old townhouse: basement, main floor and upper floor). We drained the hot water tank, checked the various valves in the house but still same weak pressure. Do you think it could be mineral deposits in the pipes? Or a clogged pipe? What is the most common cause for it? My plumber doesn’t seem to find out the cause of the sudden lost of Hot Water Pressure in the whole house. Are there specialized plumbers for this situation? I assume not all plumbers have the training. I am kind of confused. - R. S. Answer:We assume you mean that hot water pressure and flow are suddenly badly diminished in a building, not that pressure or flow have stopped entirely. We also note that you refer to a hot water system that uses a tank, not a tankless coil to produce the building's hot water. Tankless coil clogging is discussed separately at Clogged Pipes / Tankless Coil De-Scale. If mineral clogging of the building plumbing system is a problem, usually we notice that hot water pressure is worse than cold water pressure, but also that the hot water pressure declines over time, rather than appearing to suddenly diminish severely. So our diagnosis here is going to look for things that might produce a sudden severe reduction in hot water pressure - some sort of blockage or valve problem in the building water piping. If hot water pressure suddenly stops entirely but cold water flow continues just fine, then a control valve may have been left closed, or a valve may have failed internally (appearing to be turned on but actually "off" internally due to a broken valve stem part), or a valve or pipe elbow may have become partly blocked by a chunk of mineral scale or by other debris. Here are some hot water pressure diagnosis suggestions: Often the problem with loss of both hot and cold water pressure at plumbing fixtures is local clogging at a fixture such as faucet strainer and shower head. But if if you SUDDENLY lost hot water pressure everywhere in the building we have some different ideas: It is unlikely that fixture or strainer or shower head clogging would explain a hot water pressure sudden loss at all plumbing fixtures; usually that clogging builds up over time. Indeed a scrap of mineral crud could break loose and suddenly clog an individual fixture strainer, but the chances of that happening at the same time at all individual fixtures just doesn't seem likely. Possible Point Stoppages or Clogs in Building Hot Water Pipes, Valves, or HeatersBut a similar problem could have occurred right at the water heater, or in water heater piping near the point of hot water origin. For example, a failed, or clogged control valve, pipe section, pipe elbow, or even the outlet at the hot water tank itself could be come blocked. Clogged piping diagnosis is discussed in more general terms (besides a clogged tankless coil) at Water pipe clog diagnosis and repairs at Water pipe clog repair guide. But let's distinguish between clogging of runs of water supply piping in a building, and a specific point clog or blockage. Point clogs or stoppages in water piping can occur anywhere in the water pipe system, but are more common at these points:
Three Types of Plumbing Valves Used on Water Piping: Globe Valve, Gate Valve, Ball Valve ComparedAs Carson Dunlop Associates' illustrations below show, a broken water control valve stem can obstruct or block water flow through the valve. Globe valves (below left) tend to most restrict water flow compared with the gate valve (center) and ball valve (right). But a broken stem on a gate valve can also leave the valve stuck partly or even fully closed (or open), regardless of how you may be able to turn the valve handle.
Draining the Hot Water Heater Tank to Fix Poor Hot Water Pressure?![]() Simply draining the hot water tank might not fix the problem. For example if a chunk of mineral debris has escaped the tank and is clogging a pipe, elbow, or valve. But if during draining you found clots of mineral scale, that adds to the suspicion of a scale problem and blockage. For example, if a chunk of scale happened to flow into the piping leaving the hot water heater tank, or into a valve in the piping system, that could cause a blockage. Watch out: as Carson Dunlop Associates' illustration (left) shows, for safety reasons we normally expect to see a shutoff valve only on the cold water line into the water heater, not on the hot water heater tank outlet side. Clues Pointing to Mineral Debris Clogging in Hot Water Piping
Take a look at the water heater scale discussion at WATER HEATER SCALE - De-Liming Procedure. Also, Water Heater Flush Procedure discusses how to flush scale and debris - which you may have already tried, BUT maybe without recalling the extent of scale you found you may need to take another look at the chance of scale or debris clogging a valve or pipe or pipe elbow at the water heater. Also check cold water supply INTO the water heater. If you open the water heater drain and turn back on the cold water supply to the water heater, and if you do NOT see powerful water flow out of the heater tank drain, then the drain valve could itself be blocked by debris (most common) or alternately you might have poor water flow INTO the water heater. Check all of the plumbing control valves feeding the water heater to be sure no one closed one of them, and if there are shutoff valves on the hot water piping system ahead of most of the building plumbing fixtures, check those for operation and blockage too. Also take a look at the diagnostics at WATER PRESSURE LOSS DIAGNOSIS & REPAIR or at HOT WATER IMPROVEMENTS where we list several articles diagnosing lost hot water pressure where cold water pressure is OK. Questions & Answers regarding this articleQuestions & answers about diagnosing & repairing sudden loss of hot water pressure in buildings Ask a Question or Search InspectAPediaHTML Comment Box is loading comments...
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