cold water intake on water heater

[jodil]

Is it common for the cold water line to the gas hot water heater to be hot to the touch up to two feet before it enters the tank? I havent seen this before and am curious. Water heater was a year old and only on a medium heat setting.

Thanks

[Chris Bernhardt]

Yes.

You can also replumb or configure the lines to the tank to form a heat trap to minimize this.

Chris, Oregon

[fqp25]

Hot to the touch - is very uncommon. Sounds like a dip tube problem. Did you notice if the hot water dropped in temperature at the fixtures, after short use?

Frank

[fqp25]

Originally posted by Chris Bernhardt

Yes.

You can also replumb or configure the lines to the tank to form a heat trap to minimize this.

Chris, Oregon

Chris,

Do you see this a lot where it's hot to the touch? 2 feet above the tank? I've always been able to grab the supply right above the tank and it would be warm, but never hot to the touch.

I agree with re-plumbing the configuration or even adding a heat trap with a baffle mechanism that will minimize convection heat loss, but I still think in Joil's case it's a dip tube problem.

Jodil - Did you take a temp reading on the pipes?

Frank

[Les]

It is unusual and I agree with Frank. Chris is not wrong abt the heat trap. You could proof Frank's idea by feeling or measuring both pipes and see if they are equally hot. If they are equal, then the dip tube is gone or off.

Of course all this science would have to be done when the unit is not heating and at rest.

Bet ya that it is installed wrong, too.

[Brian G]

Originally posted by jodil

.....to the gas hot water heater........

Jodi, that's a common term in my region as well, but as professional HI I suggest re-training yourself to say it without the redundant "hot" part. I did (after a while). [:-taped]

Brian G.

It's the Little Things Too []

[jodil]

I did not take a temp reading. The hot line was hotter to the touch than the cold, but not by much. I didnt notice a drop in temp at the faucets, it was consistant.

I will note to have to plumber check the for dip tube issue. He has to come for 9 leaks anyways.

Can you explain in laymens terms about this baffle deal mentioned above?

thanks

Jodi

[Jim Katen]

Originally posted by jodil

Is it common for the cold water line to the gas hot water heater to be hot to the touch up to two feet before it enters the tank? I havent seen this before and am curious. Water heater was a year old and only on a medium heat setting.

Thanks

Hot water rises.

If the inlet doesn't have a heat-saving nipple, the hot water will rise up until it encounters a bend.

The old-fashioned way to deal with this is to create an S-bend in both the inlet and outlet connectors to prevent the water from convecting all over the place.

Sometimes the heat-saving nipples rattle.

- Jim Katen, Oregon

[Richard Moore]

"Sometimes the heat-saving nipples rattle."

Yeah, I've had that ever since I changed out my water heater a few years back. Even rattles when I'm just using the cold. I understand there's a marble in these things? On the bright side, I just went and felt my connectors directly above the water heater and even the hot side is barely warm to the touch...so they do work.

[Les]

Jodi,

These guys are being way too nice to you, so I'll add my two-cents worth. It is not a baffle they are talking about. Typically a baffle is a non-moving component that re-directs something. When talking about gas water heaters the baffle may be on the burner or above the burner deflecting flue gasses and distributing heat against the inner part of the tank. google up gas water heater and look at the parts.

I don't think it is really important what we call things, if it is understood by our client. On the other hand, when I speak with Brian G. I always try to use the proper terms. What do you call the air ducts that arereturning air to a furnace to be conditioned again? When I talk to my client I always call them cold air returns because they understand that. In court that would impeach me immediately!

[Chris Bernhardt]

Do you see this a lot where it's hot to the touch? 2 feet above the tank? I've always been able to grab the supply right above the tank and it would be warm, but never hot to the touch.

Hmm, I have always attributed it to what Jim K. said. Les says it's unusual. I have never run into a complaint about it yet.

I guess if you run hot water long enough, the inlet supply piping should cool down and at the same time if there was a missing or damaged dip tube then we should see a significant drop in temp at the outlet.

Chris, Oregon

[Les]

Chris,

Think about the configuration of the heater. Dip tube extends into water, cold water introduced into bottom of tank (close to heat source),water hotter in top of tank, cold water weighs more, heat rises in the more direct route: hot supply pipe, cold supply has shut-off valve (discharge line likely does not), etc. A passive "instant hot water" system would loop from hot supply to tank drain cock.

My considered opinion is: If both water lines are equally warm/hot, then something is not kosher. Not a major concern, but not right.

[Jim Katen]

Originally posted by Les

Chris,

Think about the configuration of the heater. Dip tube extends into water, cold water introduced into bottom of tank (close to heat source),water hotter in top of tank, cold water weighs more, heat rises in the more direct route: hot supply pipe, cold supply has shut-off valve (discharge line likely does not), etc. A passive "instant hot water" system would loop from hot supply to tank drain cock.

My considered opinion is: If both water lines are equally warm/hot, then something is not kosher. Not a major concern, but not right.

Oh yes. I agree. If the two lines are equally hot, something is wrong. Probably a broken dip tube as Frank said.

-Jim Katen, Oregon

[Chris Bernhardt]

If both water lines are equally warm/hot, then something is not kosher. Not a major concern, but not right.

Yes, I will pay more attention next time.

Chris, Oregon

[randynavarro]

Originally posted by Brian G

Originally posted by jodil

.....to the gas hot water heater........

Jodi, that's a common term in my region as well, but as professional HI I suggest re-training yourself to say it without the redundant "hot" part. I did (after a while). [:-taped]

Brian G.

It's the Little Things Too []

Well, because of our archaic way of heating and storing water, we could probably call it a hot water heater.

IOW, we continue to heat the same "hot" water day after day 24/7.