On Thursday, April 28, 2011 11:18:50 AM UTC-7, Pete Snell wrote:
On 4/28/2011 1:19 AM, Tom Gardner wrote:


...and why do I only get the sediment on the hot side?

Most of the minerals dissolved in water are LESS soluble in hot
water, so they precipitate out.

Possible if there's a chemical reaction, but thermodynamically
unlikely (mostly, dissolution of a solid increases entropy
and is thus preferred at high temperature).

More likely, there is a cathode in your hot water tank,
for cathodic protection of the steel tank against rust,
that is disintegrating. The cathode is a replaceable part,
from the outside it looks like a plug on the top of the hot-water tank.

On Apr 29, 2:22*pm, whit3rd wrote:
On Thursday, April 28, 2011 11:18:50 AM UTC-7, Pete Snell wrote:
On 4/28/2011 1:19 AM, Tom Gardner wrote:

...and why do I only get the sediment on the hot side?

* * Most of the minerals dissolved in water are LESS soluble in hot
water, so they precipitate out.

Possible if there's a chemical reaction, but thermodynamically
unlikely (mostly, dissolution of a solid increases entropy
and is thus preferred at high temperature).

More likely, there is a cathode in your hot water tank,
for cathodic protection of the steel tank against rust,
that is disintegrating. *The cathode is a replaceable part,
from the outside it looks like a plug on the top of the hot-water tank.

And usually by the time that happens, the works is thoroughly limed
up, and the seam on the tank is about to go. If the heater is ten
years or more old, it's time to replace the works before there's a
flood.

Stan(who knows a few things about floods)