Help!! with sediment only in 1 shower head

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Jon5

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Hi everyone,
Really need your help to fix the issue. Driving me crazy.
I am living in a 4-plex down stair unit with a closed loop hot water circulation system. This hot water system in placed in utility room (near garage) away from the living area. The water is shared among 4 units. The water is from the city.
Out of all the hot water fixtures of the 4 units, only this particular hot shower have sediment/fixture has issue.

For sometimes now, I have been getting clogged shower head with mineral deposit/sediments as shown in picture #1 & #2. When running cold water, there's no issue. However, when I run hot water, it will quickly get clogged up. About 4-5 month ago, I have asked someone to flush out the hot water heater and it got better for about 1-2months. Then it gets clogged up again very quickly. Today, I've flush up the hot water from the shower head out by letting it run for 10min. Then I've use a tshirt to see how much it can catch up. Within a few minutes, the stuff are there again as shown in picture #3 & 4.

One thing is that I notice that the return pump is into the drain valve of the water heater. For this particular water heater model, the drain valve is at the hot side of the water. Can the hot water return cause agitation and cause more sediment from water heater (if they are from water heater) to circulate back to the line? But it still doesn't explain to me why only this particular shower head has issue. Help!

Just wondering if someone who's an expect here can help see what kind of issue I have?

Does it have anything to do with this shower head is at some physical location of the line?

Is issue with the city water?

Is it water heater issue?

Thank you for your time.
 

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WorthFlorida

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Since it helped after getting the WH flushed, it probably is sediment from the bottom of the tank being kicked up as the circulator pump runs. Why just this head could be where the tee is for this run. If it tees off the main hot water pipe and the tee faces down, gravity made be causing the sediment to drop down that pipe. It's only a wild ass guess. Hot water is drawn off the top of the tank so it points to the circulator that it is really pushing the water to keep the sediment from staying at the bottom. Gas WH are more prone to sediment build up than electric. If you hear a gurgling sound as the flame is heating the water, it's cause buy a build up of sediment. How old is the water heater?

If this circulator is used for? Domestic heat or a recirculator? Either way keep it off for a while and see if the sediments drops off. SOmeone might know why it is green?

The picture of the three pipes, do these go the the shower with the problem? If yes on the hot water pipe you can add a sediment filter or a spin down type filter.
 

Jeff H Young

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just sediment pretty normal. any work you do disturbs it just a side effect plugging the shower head . opening walls and a big investigation not likely a good idea. you asked about the water heater 8 to 12 years is a average length of time to last. So its possible your water heater could be good for many more years , you can find out the date of manufacture , or installation . if it works good isn't leaking, full of sediment that wont clear, isn't rumbling popping , and making commotion .
Personally I'd try some flushing and just deal with it. if you have to clean shower head once a month or year
 

Jon5

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Thanks WorthFlorida and JeffHYoung.
The heater mfg date was 9/2017 so I assume it was install around that time. So less than 4 years old. However, the issue existed in 2020 or even earlier and I keep cleaning the shower head.

The picture of 3 pipes is are going out and down to ground to connect to the house from the utility room. Top one is cold, then hot, and bottom one is return line.

Currently, after cleaning the shower head, it will clog again in less than a week or so. It will slowly reduce the water pressure and then stop all together.

Someone mentioned to me that I might need to install a check valve to prevent stuff from tank pushing back into the return line. Any thought about this?

Thanks.
 

Jeff H Young

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some installers use drain to pump in some install at top cold side I've done it both way without problem. the check valve I always install, but not for sediment.
So Tank is 4 years pretty new, I'd try flushing several more times . A check would be a good idea regardless the shark bites and plastic pipe at bottom of heater I don't like much. if a shutoff was at bottom of tank you could close that valve and open the existing drain and and flush the return line. these ideas do take some time but suggestions to solve problem.
 
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