How Long Should A 75 Gallon Hot Water Heater Old Hot Water?
I have a large home but only 2 people. after 10 minutes the hot water is not gone but I can no longer make it hotter. I flushed the system recently and it seems as though that was not the issue. I would think that I could take a shower for an hour and not have a problem as I am having. It is 10 years old.
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December 20, 2009 @ 5:10 pm
Considering that you do have hot water for a while you can rule out having bad elements. Since the unit is 10 years old it is more likely that you have a defective dip tube. The dip tube forces the incoming cold water to the bottom of the tank so it does not mix with the hot water near the top. If the dip tube fails the cold and hot water mixes and you get lots of luke warm water.
Many many dip tubes were recalled years ago because they were made from a plastic that dissolves in hot water. The recall is no longer going on so if that is your problem you will not get a free replacement.
For about $10 you can get a new dip tube. If you are handy you can install it yourself or pay a plumber for an hour of work. Of course since the water heater is 10 years old you might be better off replacing it.
If you have real hard water you should consider replacing it. I have seed 20 year old water heaters still going fine and 10 year old units fail. It is your choice.
Here is a good article on dip tubes.http://www.thehomeinspector.com/Clients/…
December 20, 2009 @ 5:21 pm
A whole lot longer than that.
It is probably full of lime and needs to be replaced. Don’t buy a used one….same problem, buy new.
It should last about a week.
December 20, 2009 @ 7:06 pm
If its electric, its probably the elements that are bad. Consumer reports recommends buying new heater. It cheaper to replace the elements but with a new heater you can get substantial energy savings that you will not get with just new elements. The tanks do not last that much longer and a leaky heater can do a lot of damage. Make sure if you get a new heater that it has a proper drain pan and outlet to sit on.
December 20, 2009 @ 10:12 pm
Hot water heaters are usually good for 5-7 years. It is not a terribly expensive fix to replace it. I live in a doublewide too, you sure don’t want that think starting to leak. It’ll cost way more to fix the floor than to replace the hot water heater. Chances are one of the elements in your hot water heater has died making it much harder for it to heat new water.
December 21, 2009 @ 3:55 am
REPLACE THE ELEMENTS–BOTH OF THEM -THEY ARE COVERD WITH MINERAL DEPOSITS–MAYBE–NEW ,–75GAL?–ELEC?–30 MIN—GAS—LONGER–OIL FIRED–NEVER RUN IT OUT
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