My hot water heater keeps letting water in as though there is demand for hot water, but there isn’t. I’ve isolated the problem to bathroom and none of the fixtures are running or leaking. The bathroom fixtures are very old (30years) and the shower doesn’t pass all the water through the shower head, some comes out the spigot for the bath. Is there a way the hot water is seeping into the cold water line? I should add this summer the water line to the house was replaced and the problem seemed to start after that. Does anyone have any thoughts on this?
Thanks
Replies
What do you mean "letting water through"? How do you know water's moving through the water heater?
I can hear a slight sound when I'm near the water heater and when I shut the out flow or inflow valve the noise stops.
Am I missing something here?
Obvious things first: Have you checked for signs of a leak from the tank?
As I stood before the gates I realized that I never want to be as certain about anything as were the people who built this place. --Rabbi Sheila Peltz, on her visit to Auschwitz
Yes, the floor is dry and with the frequency of these additions of water I'd expect to see it all over the floor.
Thanks
"Frequency"? You mean it goes in spurts? Have you checked for a leaky toilet?
As I stood before the gates I realized that I never want to be as certain about anything as were the people who built this place. --Rabbi Sheila Peltz, on her visit to Auschwitz
My hunch is that you have a leaky flapper valve in a toilet tank. That means water has to constantly flow into the tank to keep it topped up. Coupled with this... you have a hot water/cold water mixing valve feeding this toilet (possibly, those toilets).
When I isolated it to the hotwater side of the bathroom I had checked the toilet by shutting the cold water valve to the bathroom in the basement, I was still getting the sound at the hot water heater. Additionally, when the toilet has had a problem in the past I was able to hear it at the toilet loud and clear and that is not the case now.
Thanks
I may be missing something here but even if you have hot water crossing over to the cold water side of some fixture I would think that the flow would be minimal. After all the inlet to the water heater is the cold side of the system... unless you have some type of device in the system that circulates hot water. Assuming that you have none of these devices and you have water flowing through the water heater my guess is that you have a leak. Sounds transfer pretty good through pipes, could it be that the sound you are hearing is coming from somewhere else? You said that you noticed the noise after the main water line was replaced. Did they install/replace a backflow preventer and pressure reducing valve? What type of pipe did they use for the new main water line?Steve
I don't have any circulating device and I agree with you that the pressure on both the hot and cold side should be the same, therefore no flow. I'm not sure there is a check valve in our water meter, although I would assume there is one. If it isn't in the water meter it sure isn't on the house side of the water meter.
Did you check the meter to see if the little flow indicator was spinning?
I haven't been home yet to try, but I plan on checking that.
Thanks
Where does the pipe from the T&P (over-temperature/over-pressure) valve lead? Have you checked to see if any water is coming out of that? My guess is that with the work that occurred in the street they added a pressure regulator or backflow valve (it would be near where the water enters the house), and the expanding water in the water heater is causing the T&P valve to "burp".
As I stood before the gates I realized that I never want to be as certain about anything as were the people who built this place. --Rabbi Sheila Peltz, on her visit to Auschwitz
I had that issue as well the new backflow valve created a closed system. I added an
expansion tank which stopped the T&P "burp" Good Luck.
i'm also curious how you know it is taking on water without giving it off.
Two thoughts come to mind though. One is that you have air disolved in the incoming supply that is driven out by heat and time.
The other more likely, is that your pressure relief valve is due for change from X years of corrosion
Welcome to the
Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime.
where ...
Excellence is its own reward!
Step 1 - Turn all fixtures off, open cover to water meter and watch the little dial or triangle to see if it is spinning, even slowly. If, after several minutes, the dial or triangle does not move, you most likely do not have a leak. What you describe as "letting water through" may just be the sound of the water heater doing its job - heating water.
Is your water heater gas or electric? Water leaks in underslab pipes on the hot water side usually result in a noticeable uptick in your utility bill, especially electric.
How did you isolate the problem to the bathroom?
Another possibility:
Single-lever valves are subject to cross-mixing over time.
Check for this by shutting off the cold service stop under the sink and then turning the faucet lever to run cold water. If you get a trickle of hot water, you're getting some cross mixing.
You can check all the faucets in the house by shutting of the supply to the water heater and then opening the hot side only on each faucet. If cold water trickles, you're getting cross-mixing on that faucet.
The summer's work on the water line could have caused crud in the lines to collapse into the pipe and the crud could mess with the o-rings and seals that are supposed to keep the hot and cold separated in a single-lever valve.
I've seen quite a few broken water lines in slabs. You can hear water running, you know you're losing water, but you don't know where it's going. Are you on a slab or a crawl space ?
Greg
It seems there are a few other details I should add.
1. There are no lines buried in concrete, all water lines are visable in the basement. There is no in floor heating.
2. The hot water heater is gas and I know what it sounds like when it comes on. I also know water the sound is when water is entering the tank. The sound I hear is as though a small amout of water is being drawn into the hot water tank.
3. The house is 100+ years old and its a Philidelphia two family.
I'm going to try turning off the cold water at the bathroom sink and see if I still get a trickle when I turn the cold water on.
Thanks for all the suggestions.
I'll let you know how it turns out.
"3. The house is 100+ years old and its a Philidelphia two family."Is the water separate for the other unit? This would not be the first building that has had part of one unity service connected to another unit.I hear that this even happens on new construction.And who know what happens over 100 years.
.
William the Geezer, the sequel to Billy the Kid - Shoe