HOT WATER FLOW BLOCKED

House is 62 yrs old... Water heater went out. Replaced it.

Now, the hot water won't flow to the kitchen, bathroom sink, or bathtub. Cold water runs fine.

The debris in the pipes has blocked the flow (water heater is running perfectly).

Is there a way to back flush or blow the pipes out.

Or, do I need to repipe? I now live in a cold water flat :)

Reply to
7 LAMPSTICKS 7 FEASTS 7 AGES O
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You should be able to flush it out by reversing the flow. There's a good chance it will work since the blockage is very recent. The debris will go back into your brand new heater but there shouldn't be much of it - you'll get rid of it next time you flush the heater in a few years.

  • Shut down the heater, especially if it's electric * Close the heater's cold water inlet valve * Do *not* open the pressure relief valve * Connect a garden hose to the drain valve at the bottom of the tank and put the other end of the hose into a toilet or outside where noone can come in contact with the hot water that will come out. * Open the drain valve * Go to the faucet that does not work and block it. If it has an aerator, you can unscrew it, put a dime coin and screw it back. Else just wet a rug and hold is against the faucet's outlet really tight. * Open hot water, then cold water at the faucet, both all the way. * It will probably take a just couple seconds of cold water entering the hot water lines through the mixer in the faucet to push any debris/sediment in the lines out. You should hear water rushing through the faucet, hopefully not much of it fountaining all over the kitchen :)
Reply to
DA

Another way to reverse the flow might be to do this, assuming you have the proper set up.

If you have an exterior cold water spigot that is at street pressure and a laundry sink with a hose adaptor, you can run a hose from the spigot to the sink, then turn on the spigot and the hot water side of the sink.

The street pressure should over-power the hot water house pressure (of which you probably have none at this point, anyway) and push cold water into the hot water pipes.

I know this because I have a street pressure cold water spigot and a house pressure hot water spigot outside my garage. I have a Y hose that connects them to a garden hose. If both exterior spigots are on and the hose is off, opening any faucet in the house will reverse the flow in the house. I'll get warm water from the cold faucets and cold water from the hot faucets.

It really, really confused me the first few times it happened, but once I figured it out, it all made perfect sense.

Reply to
DerbyDad03

I've seen some success in using compressed air to do it. However the other factor is, if it's that bad, what condition are those pipes really in and is a flood in the future? First question, are the pipes galvanized? If they are then I'd say it's time for a re-plumbing. Another factor is if the water flow is good or is it noticeably weak. Those pipes decay inside, with the passage getting smaller over time.

Reply to
trader4

Yep..thought of that too! You know that pesky red shut-off right above the WH to stop water from draining down when the pipe is removed from the heater? I wonder if that has been turned back on.

I trusted the OP when he said "The debris in the pipes has blocked the flow (water heater is running perfectly)."

I also wondered what that meant and how he knew.

Reply to
DerbyDad03

I think anytime you disrupt the normal flow of water whatever obstructions there are can then dislodge, travel down the pipe to a place where it's almost blocked, and lodge there. Kind of like what happens to us with coronary artery disease.

I've seen houses where similar happened, like draining the water for winterization. In this case, the pipes were partially drained, air introduced, probably restarted with a surge instead of slowly, etc. producing turbulence, which then can dislodge all the debris inside.

Hide quoted text -

Not a bad idea. Very likely the aerators will need to be cleaned anyway, so taking them off to check now would be a good idea.

Reply to
trader4

Wouldn't work around here. Street pressure IS hous pressure. However, shutting off the service valve to the water heater and opening the drain, THEN connecting from the hot to cold will do it. Just cap the laundry tub faucet, open the hot water tap, then open the cold, and the cold water fill force it's way back into the heater, forcing water out the drain of the heater (which you should have a hose on, running to the laundry drain).

Reply to
clare

I'd like to hear from the OP to verify that that he is not in the US.

The term "cold water flat" may just be a blast from the past as that was a common term for low-end apartments here in the US.

I could quote Wiki, but I avoid that at all costs, so I'll point you here instead:

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Cold water flats were common in the tenements of NYC, Chicago, Detroit, etc. in the early-to-mid 20th century. They were referred to as such.

Reply to
DerbyDad03

You probably have to go to each faucet and clean out the aerator and cartridge, or washer depending on the type of faucet. Back flushing won't catch that stuff. Try one at a time, easiest first and see how it works out.

Once the facet is apart, open the shut-off valve and flush a bit of water before assembly to clean anything else in the pipe leading to it.

Reply to
Ed Pawlowski

galvaniezed pipe is well know to rust worse in the hot water line......

before it begins leaking the inside diameter will be near nothing......

Reply to
bob haller

And if it's blocked galvanized, it should be REPLACED.

Reply to
clare

I'm not sure what you mean by "local".

If you Google around, you'll find mention of them existing NYC, Detroit, Chicago, Boston, New Jersey, San Francisco, London, Paris, Amsterdam, etc.

I guess you could consider it a local term same as you might consider "tenement" a local term. You'll only find them in cities, so I guess the term would be local to a number of cities.

Reply to
DerbyDad03

Cold-water flat just meant that the flat/apartment did not have a water heater and that you had to use the stove to heat hot water.

Reply to
hrhofmann

replumb with pex.

Reply to
Steve Barker

ummm...OK.

Was there a reason you posted that?

Reply to
DerbyDad03

MIGHT HAVE TO REPLACE THE PIPE

Christopher A. Young Learn more about Jesus

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Reply to
Stormin Mormon

You did clean out the aerators on those faucets, right? Those clog right away. If you dont know what they are, they're the screens on the ends of the faucets. They unscrew. Unscrew them and clean them. Let the water flow for a few minutes before you put them back on.

If it's actually the pipes, shut off the cold water valve at the water heater. Unscrew the union for the hot water pipe above the tank. Hook your garden hose to an outdoor spigot, or laundry tub in your house. Hold the hose tight against the faucets, with the aerator removed, and faucet HOT turned ON, or use a hose with clanmps to get a tight seal. Have a helper turn the water on and off at the spigot (water source). Do this at all the faucets that are clogged.

Besides the aerator, the other thing that regularly clogs are the shutoff valves under the sinks, and the supply tubes. Sometimes just removing them will solve it. Replace these shutoff valves and supply tubes if needed, or just unclog them.

Reply to
fred.flintstone

There IS a nifty little item, readily available, that screws on in place of an aerator ant allows you to attach a garden hose.

Reply to
clare

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