Spitting Hot Water Faucet

[Roger Hooker]

Looking for ideas on what the problem might be.....

Last week when I turned on the hot water in my bathroom sink, I get occasional "spitting" -- a small amount of air is apparently in the line. I've looked for leaks and have not found any..... The house is about 10 years old - original hot water heater....

Any ideas?

Regards, Roger

[Joseph Meehan]

Don't bother looking for leaks. Leaks would just let water out, as it is under pressure. I suggest that it is a matter of dissolved gases in the cold water coming into you home and when the water heats up it can't keep all those gases dissolved so some come out. That is what you are getting. I'll bet if you fill a glass with hot water will cloud up and then slowly clear from the bottom up as the dissolved gases that came out of solution as the pressure decreased rise to the top.

You may try lowering the temperature of your hot water heater, it may be too hot. If not, then I guess you just have to live with it.

[PJx]

Your hot water heater is probably full of sediment. The result of that could be that water is boiling in one part of the heater while the thermocouple is still calling for heat.

I keep my themostat set for hot water that is just barely above the human threshhold for pain.

PJ

[dgk]

Isn't the life of a water heater about 10 years?

[Marilyn and Bob]

«Isn't the life of a water heater about 10 years?» No the AVERAGE life of a 10 year water heater is about 10-12 years. Some last a lot longer and some a lot less. A 10 year old water heater may have five minutes or 10 years of life left in it.

[Roger Hooker]

Thanks for all the responses....

PJ may have hit the nail on the head... In my area the water is very hard and sediment is a very good possibility. I'll try to drain out as much as I can this weekend.

--Roger