Re: Hot Water Heater

Posted by dick on July 06, 19100 at 10:40:35:
In response to Re: Hot Water Heater
: I need to replace a Hot water heater the Bottom element is burnt out and I can not drain the Tank, Hooking a hose up to it does not work it must be rusted closed. Is thier any way to clear opening to drain the Tank? A 52 Gal Tank is real heavy to move filled with water 1. did you disconnect the inlet and outlet lines when you tried to drain it? Water won't drain out unless you disconnect the lines to let air in the top. 2. Plug or shut off the inlet and outlet connections on top. open the drain valve and shove a coathanger wire in to open up a hole. Water will only trickle out as long as the top connections are plugged. 3. connect your garden hose to the "cold" water inlet and apply a few psi of compressed air to the hot water outlet. (this assumes that the dip tube is intact.) 3 or 4 psi should be enough pressure. 4.connect your hose to the drain and reconnect cold inlet line and plug hot outlet line. Turn on the water and see if it blows out the obstruction. 5. connect one hose from your outside faucet to the drain. connect a second hose from the hot outlet to outside. plug the cold inlet. turn on the outside faucet and see if this will blow the obstruction back into the tank. if you get flow this way, then drain in the normal way (see #1). 6. buy a length of 3/8" soft vinyl tube. cut a hole in the housing and insulation about 2 ft down from the top. Drill a 5/16 dia hole into the tank. to keep water from squirting into your electric drill. cut a 3" square piece off a kitchen sponge and shove it over the drill bit. Have a helper ready to shove the vinyl tube into the hole as soon as you pull the drill out. You do this 2' down from the top so that the pressure and flow rate is easier to handle. repeat this process 2' lower down until you get to the bottom. 7. buy a length of 3/8" clear vinyl tube. mark off a length on one end about a foot less than the height of the tank. drop this end into the cold water inlet up to the mark. Suck on the end of the tuber till it starts to syphon (please note the absence of Monica Jokes, ). put the end of the tube on the ground and go get a beer. 8. use your imagination. You have a big tin can full of water. and you want to get both outside. You are not particularly concerned about saving either the water or the tin can.

Posted by dick on July 06, 19100 at 10:40:35:

In response to Re: Hot Water Heater

: I need to replace a Hot water heater the Bottom element is burnt out and I can not drain the Tank, Hooking a hose up to it does not work it must be rusted closed. Is thier any way to clear opening to drain the Tank? A 52 Gal Tank is real heavy to move filled with water

1. did you disconnect the inlet and outlet lines when you tried to drain it? Water won't drain out unless you disconnect the lines to let air in the top.

2. Plug or shut off the inlet and outlet connections on top. open the drain valve and shove a coathanger wire in to open up a hole. Water will only trickle out as long as the top connections are plugged.

3. connect your garden hose to the "cold" water inlet and apply a few psi of compressed air to the hot water outlet. (this assumes that the dip tube is intact.) 3 or 4 psi should be enough pressure.

4.connect your hose to the drain and reconnect cold inlet line and plug hot outlet line. Turn on the water and see if it blows out the obstruction.

5. connect one hose from your outside faucet to the drain. connect a second hose from the hot outlet to outside. plug the cold inlet. turn on the outside faucet and see if this will blow the obstruction back into the tank. if you get flow this way, then drain in the normal way (see #1).

6. buy a length of 3/8" soft vinyl tube. cut a hole in the housing and insulation about 2 ft down from the top. Drill a 5/16 dia hole into the tank. to keep water from squirting into your electric drill. cut a 3" square piece off a kitchen sponge and shove it over the drill bit.
Have a helper ready to shove the vinyl tube into the hole as soon as you pull the drill out.
You do this 2' down from the top so that the pressure and flow rate is easier to handle.

repeat this process 2' lower down until you get to the bottom.

7. buy a length of 3/8" clear vinyl tube. mark off a length on one end about a foot less than the height of the tank. drop this end into the cold water inlet up to the mark. Suck on the end of the tuber till it starts to syphon (please note the absence of Monica Jokes, ). put the end of the tube on the ground and go get a beer.

8. use your imagination. You have a big tin can full of water. and you want to get both outside. You are not particularly concerned about saving either the water or the tin can.

Replies to this post

Re: Hot Water Heater murphyplumbing.com 17:58:39 7/06/100(0)