So Speedy Jim,
How does one know when a water heater has reached end of life,
other than a complete failure????

And, other then rust, what does the red water mean?
Should I change the burner first?
Should I turn the heat selector all the way up and see what the temp
at the faucet is?

Thanks
BM




On Sun, 01 May 2005 09:20:15 -0400, Speedy Jim wrote:

Brett Miller wrote:
The hot water in my recently purchased home seems to be slow in
comming and does not get very hot.
The water heater is gas and is about 15 years old.
When I lit the pilot light, I saw a lot of debris on the burner.
I brushed this off but it made no difference in the problem.

Should I replace the burner or the entire heater.

I did drain the heater, first with the water main turned off and
then flushed it with the water main on. I got a lot of redish
water out of the unit.

How does one know when a water heater has reached end of life,
other than a complete failure?

B

Red water...not good.

Gas heater *avg* life...10 years (Yes, some last longer).

Water temp is controlled by thermostat (round knob on gas control).
Turn it to higher setting.

How *long* it takes for the hot water to reach a fixture
is determined by the length of piping from the heater.

If only certain fixtures experience "tepid" water temp,
it is possible that there is a "cross-connection" between
Hot and Cold lines (could be a single-handle faucet or
a washing machine valve, for example). Don't focus
on this scenario; it is rare.

Jim