Hot water heater doesnt seem to work well

Install this:

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The best among the brass ones.

Be sure to remove when your heater dies and reinstall on new one. No new WH valve can compare.

That plus a new anode rod will extend the life and performance.

The OP's may be too old for this however.
 
55hambone said:
Check the thermostats. You may only be heating water in the top half of the tank. When the tank is full of cold water, the upper thermostat will take priority and heat up the top portion of the water to the setting of the thermostat. Once that temperature has been reached, the upper thermostat will then flip power down to the lower thermostat. The lower thermostat switch will close and heat up the bottom portion of the tank until the water is heated to the setting of that thermostat. At this point the tank will be full of hot water. The upper thermostat needs to send power to the lower thermostat and the lower thermostat needs to send power to the lower heating element. If the thermostats don't do their job, the lower element won't heat. And only the water in the top half will be hot.
Click to expand...
I had the same problem. The bottom/lower thermostat was bad. It was under $10 at Home Depot. FYI it does NOT need to be an OEM part.
 
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So i flushed the unit today. A bit of rock like chunks came out but it only took less than a minute to run clean. I cant seem to find where the thermostats are located. My access covers to the heating elements are fairly small and everything ive seen online shows large access covers with the thermostat above the heating element.
C5FFF563-1EBA-41A3-B4CF-66671737D105.jpeg
 
The thermostat will be above the element, you need to move the insulation to see it. Be sure the power is off before reaching in there.
 
Question about the anode rod. I have a Reem 40 gallon gas hot water tank... It is about 3 years old. I know how to change the rod...have not done it yet on this...My question is my unit is in the laundry room and you dont have the clearance to remove the rod because of the ceiling. I have seen replacement ones that are flexible so you can install them without making a hole in the ceiling to install it...Has anyone used this type anode rod???
 
hrv said:
Question about the anode rod. I have a Reem 40 gallon gas hot water tank... It is about 3 years old. I know how to change the rod...have not done it yet on this...My question is my unit is in the laundry room and you dont have the clearance to remove the rod because of the ceiling. I have seen replacement ones that are flexible so you can install them without making a hole in the ceiling to install it...Has anyone used this type anode rod???
Click to expand...
I have. They work fine.
 
joegreen said:
So i flushed the unit today. A bit of rock like chunks came out but it only took less than a minute to run clean. I cant seem to find where the thermostats are located. My access covers to the heating elements are fairly small and everything ive seen online shows large access covers with the thermostat above the heating element. View attachment 142632
Click to expand...
Did you repeatedly turn the feed water on/off in order to dislodge grime?
Did the amount drained seem to match the capacity of the heater?
 
hrv said:
Question about the anode rod. I have a Reem 40 gallon gas hot water tank... It is about 3 years old. I know how to change the rod...have not done it yet on this...My question is my unit is in the laundry room and you dont have the clearance to remove the rod because of the ceiling. I have seen replacement ones that are flexible so you can install them without making a hole in the ceiling to install it...Has anyone used this type anode rod???
Click to expand...
The segmented types work fine, like four 10" sections. I replaced mine at 5 years and it was totally corroded, had the same height restriction. Be sure to get the right type for your water characteristics, aluminum, zinc , or magnesium. Call your water company for advice.
 
Pablo said:
No water company. Well.

I'm thinking of dropping in a segmented type.

I have a water softener and run KCl. What type and where?

TIA
Click to expand...
On a well you are better-off using a zinc or aluminum-zinc alloy anode rod. This will reduce or eliminate the rotten egg smell, it did for me.

A Guide to Sacrificial Anode Rods and Smelly Water | Bonney

Is your home’s water smelling like rotten eggs? You might have a problem with your sacrificial anode rod. Learn more about how to fix it today.
www.bonney.com www.bonney.com

For those of you that are on a municipal water system, the best anode rod to use is magnesium.
 
Last edited:
wag123 said:
On a well you are better-off using a zinc or aluminum-zinc alloy anode rod. This will reduce or eliminate the rotten egg smell, it did for me.

A Guide to Sacrificial Anode Rods and Smelly Water | Bonney

Is your home’s water smelling like rotten eggs? You might have a problem with your sacrificial anode rod. Learn more about how to fix it today.
www.bonney.com www.bonney.com

For those of you that are on a municipal water system, the best anode rod to use is magnesium.
Click to expand...
Oh boy.

Seems simple. Isn't.

I have a BradfordWhite 50 gal LPG unit. I love the unit. Really efficient with LP.





I don't see a multipiece one - do you?

THANKS!
 
BMWTurboDzl said:
Did you repeatedly turn the feed water on/off in order to dislodge grime?
Did the amount drained seem to match the capacity of the heater?
Click to expand...
Yes i turned the water on and off a few times but since my heater is in the basement and i have to run the hose outside which is higher than the heater in the basement it will only flush/drain under pressure.
 
mk378 said:
The thermostat will be above the element, you need to move the insulation to see it. Be sure the power is off before reaching in there.
Click to expand...
Turns out it doesn’t have the traditional thermostat’s. It has temperature probes that go back to the main circuit board that control when and which heating element turns on.
 
I ended up taking out both heater elements. They were surprisingly decent looking for being 19 years old. I looked in the tank with a flashlight and saw a bunch of sediment on the bottom. I ended up taking the train valve out and flushing all the sediment out. I then took my wire wheel to the heater elements and cleaned them up. I reinstalled everything and its quite a bit different. Before i ran out of hot water after a 20 minute shower. Now it runs out after a 45 minute shower. I assume cleaning the heater elements had the greatest effect. The dip tube looked fine and was intact when i looked inside.
904E6AB9-F129-46E1-9211-C8DEA308CD97.jpeg
 
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