Problem...

I went to turn off the cold water and as I turned the valve it kept
turning. It does not seem to be tightening or loosening at all as I
turned the valve either way. I think it is broken for some reason.
However this did not stop me from draining the tank since the worst can
happen is the tank will not be completely drain since cold water will
keep coming in as I drain from the bottom.

So I turned off all power to the house, opened the temp relief valve,
connect a hose to the drain, and open the drain. Hot water came out and
I can feel the tank draining fast. However I do not seem to hear or
feel any cold water re-entering the tank. I let it drained for about 30
minutes and then I closed the drain. Now I know the tank is quite empty
- I can push it a little and it tipped a bit.

Only no water is entering the tank!

I opened the hot water faucet in one of the bathrooms, nothing.

I waited 30 minutes, nothing.

I think the tank is dead. Somehow cold water has stopped entering that
tank.

I cannot turn the power back on, the heating element will burn out. I
don't know which switch the heater is on - this was why I turned off all
power to start with.

I am not sure what to do now. What I am seeing makes no sense. The
cold water valve should be opened.

Is it possible that this 50 gallon heater refills super quietly and it
takes a few hours? This seems to be the only logical explanation but my
gut feeling tells me it is not refilling now.

Any idea? I am getting desperate.

Thanks,

Cuse

George E. Cawthon wrote:

I concur. You don't need to turn the power off with this
procedure, which probably all one needs to do. If after
this procedure one is not satisfied, then turn the power
off, turn the inlet valve off, open the drain valve (hose
attached), and pull the lever to open the relief valve. It
could take as long as an hour for the tank to completely
drain. Open the inlet valve and let flush for a minute or
two, close the relief valve, close the drain valve, and
after the tank is full, turn on the power.

Michael Baugh wrote:


"I know it is" "just connecting a garden hose to the
spout and turn it on and let the water drain".
Sounds like you've got it now.
Cold water comes in the top, hot water goes out the top.
If there's sediment, it stays behind.
The cold water goes by way of a dip tube towards the bottom.
So you connect the hose, open the valve, and let the cold water
coming in provide the turbulance to help clear the sediment.
Run it for about 15 seconds, close the valve, let it all rest for an
hour or so, do it again. Repeat as necessary, and on Christmas
and 4th of July, repeat before seeing it being necessary.

Cuse wrote in message
...


I have a Bradford White 50 gallon hot water heater and it has been in
service for about 4 years and never been cleaned. Recently I noticed
the water coming out from the hot water faucet is yellow/brown (cold
water faucet has clear water). It is either corroded pipes or sediment
build up from the hot water tank. I tried different hot water faucet
around the house and they are all coming out with stained water so my
bet is the water heater needs to be flushed or cleaned.

Looking through the user manual I do not see a step by step procedure
for doing this but I know it is not just connecting a garden hose to the
spout and turn it on and let the water drain. There are heating
elements at the top and middle of the tank and I don't think I can just
drain the tank like that. Do I need to disconnect the power to the tank
first? Do I need to turn off the water supply into the tank? What can
I do to "stir" up the sediment while I drain it to get the most junk out
of it? Really would appreciate if someone can provide a step by step
guideline or if there is any resource online I can learn from.

Thanks in advance,

Cuse