We bought our 5 yr. old home about 3 months ago. Recently, my dh wanted to
caulk the area where the tubs meet the tile. I learned on this ng that we
should fill the tubs before caulking.
We have 3 tubs and 2 hot water heaters. One of the tubs runs off of one hot
water heater and the other two off of the other. The problem is that when we
drained the water (he used hot water to fill the tubs) there was a very fine
brown powder in the entire bottom of two bathtubs (on the same water
heater). At first we thought it could be something in the water until we
realized that the third tub did not have the powder.

The water heaters are 5 yrs. old and are located in the attic. What is this
powder and what should we do about it? We lived in our other house for 13
yrs. and have never had this happen.

Thanks!

Sloan

iradi8 wrote:
We bought our 5 yr. old home about 3 months ago. Recently, my dh
wanted to caulk the area where the tubs meet the tile. I learned on
this ng that we should fill the tubs before caulking.
We have 3 tubs and 2 hot water heaters. One of the tubs runs off of
one hot water heater and the other two off of the other. The problem
is that when we drained the water (he used hot water to fill the
tubs) there was a very fine brown powder in the entire bottom of two
bathtubs (on the same water heater). At first we thought it could be
something in the water until we realized that the third tub did not
have the powder.
The water heaters are 5 yrs. old and are located in the attic. What
is this powder and what should we do about it? We lived in our other
house for 13 yrs. and have never had this happen.

Thanks!

Sloan

Chances are it is just the build up from years of use (it came from the
water) and you have succeeded in partly cleaning one hot water heater. I
suggest you try and clean both. That means draining water from the bottom
of the heater. This should be done from time to time, depending on the
local water conditions. Some people do it and others don't. The build up
can reduce the efficiency of the heater and shorten its life. It can cause
it to make noise when it is heating water. Some people chose not to because
the drain valve at the bottom of the tank is usually poor quality and if it
has not been used for a number of years, you may find that it opens but does
not close again.

Draining them could be interesting as you will need to connect a hose to
move the water away from the attic. Depending on the access, I might vote
to leave sleeping dogs lie.

Good Luck

--
Joseph Meehan

26 + 6 = 1 It's Irish Math

Draining them could be interesting as you will need to connect a hose
to move the water away from the attic. Depending on the access, I might
vote to leave sleeping dogs lie.

Yes, I think it would be best to not flood the attic So, do you think if
I just run all of the hot water out of it into the bathtubs it would clean
them out? Or is this something that is only done by connecting a hose to it?

Sloan

iradi8 wrote:
Draining them could be interesting as you will need to connect a
hose to move the water away from the attic. Depending on the
access, I might vote to leave sleeping dogs lie.

Yes, I think it would be best to not flood the attic So, do you
think if I just run all of the hot water out of it into the bathtubs
it would clean them out? Or is this something that is only done by
connecting a hose to it?
Sloan

You don't need to run it all out. Just try to run enough to get things
moving inside. Generally I believe the recommendation is "a few gallons."

--
Joseph Meehan

26 + 6 = 1 It's Irish Math

"iradi8" wrote in message

The problem is that when we drained the water (he used hot water to fill
the tubs) there was a very fine brown powder in the entire bottom of two
bathtubs (on the same water heater). At first we thought it could be
something in the water until we realized that the third tub did not have
the powder.

The water heaters are 5 yrs. old and are located in the attic. What is
this powder and what should we do about it? We lived in our other house
for 13 yrs. and have never had this happen.

You probably did everything that is necessary just now. Twice a year give
them a good flush out to keep sediment from building up.

It could be rust that is carried in from the water mains, plus minerals in
the water that has settled over time. At 5 years, it is doubtful that the
tank is rusting but it can happen.

Irad,

The crud is near the bottom of the tank. Opening the valve at the bottom
of the tank will help to flush the crud out. Running the hot water will not
help to clean the tank. But, as Joe pointed out, be ready to replace the
drain valve since it may not close fully after you flush the tank. Commonly
you hook up a garden hose, open the valve, watch the run off, and when no
longer full of crud close the valve. Be careful with the hot water. Check
the valve for drips after you have closed it. If it is dripping they are
usually cheap and easy to replace.

Dave M.

Thanks, everyone, for your help!