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Bob F

wrote:
On Fri, 6 Jul 2012 09:54:38 -0700 (PDT), DerbyDad03
wrote:

On Jul 6, 12:19 pm, DA wrote:
responding
tohttp://www.homeownershub.com/maintenance/hot-water-flow-blocked-70349...DA
wrote:

7 LAMPSTICKS 7 FEASTS 7 AGES O wrote:

Is there a way to back flush or blow the pipes out.
Or, do I need to repipe? I now live in a cold water flat

You should be able to flush it out by reversing the flow. There's a
good
chance it will work since the blockage is very recent. The debris
will go
back into your brand new heater but there shouldn't be much of it -
you'll
get rid of it next time you flush the heater in a few years.

* Shut down the heater, especially if it's electric
* Close the heater's cold water inlet valve
* Do *not* open the pressure relief valve
* Connect a garden hose to the drain valve at the bottom of the
tank and
put the other end of the hose into a toilet or outside where noone
can
come in contact with the hot water that will come out.
* Open the drain valve
* Go to the faucet that does not work and block it. If it has an
aerator,
you can unscrew it, put a dime coin and screw it back. Else just
wet a rug
and hold is against the faucet's outlet really tight.
* Open hot water, then cold water at the faucet, both all the way.
* It will probably take a just couple seconds of cold water
entering the
hot water lines through the mixer in the faucet to push any
debris/sediment in the lines out. You should hear water rushing
through
the faucet, hopefully not much of it fountaining all over the
kitchen
SNIP
Another way to reverse the flow might be to do this, assuming you
have the proper set up.

If you have an exterior cold water spigot that is at street pressure
and a laundry sink with a hose adaptor, you can run a hose from the
spigot to the sink, then turn on the spigot and the hot water side of
the sink.

The street pressure should over-power the hot water house pressure
(of which you probably have none at this point, anyway) and push cold
water into the hot water pipes.

I know this because I have a street pressure cold water spigot and a
house pressure hot water spigot outside my garage. I have a Y hose
that connects them to a garden hose. If both exterior spigots are on
and the hose is off, opening any faucet in the house will reverse the
flow in the house. I'll get warm water from the cold faucets and cold
water from the hot faucets.

It really, really confused me the first few times it happened, but
once I figured it out, it all made perfect sense.
Wouldn't work around here. Street pressure IS hous pressure. However,
shutting off the service valve to the water heater and opening the
drain, THEN connecting from the hot to cold will do it. Just cap the
laundry tub faucet, open the hot water tap, then open the cold, and
the cold water fill force it's way back into the heater, forcing water
out the drain of the heater (which you should have a hose on, running
to the laundry drain).

Actually, doing it at each faucet may be necessary.

Could this be the old "Dip tube failure" problem? See little white bits in the
aerators when you clean them. You have cleaned them, right OP?