Bradford White 50 gal question

[larrys2006]

my shower has the 3 valves 1 hot 1 cold 1 diverter the diverts up to the shower head and down to the tub and it starts out fully hot so I have to blend the cold water in then after about 10 to 15 min of showering the water starts getting warm to cool and I totally shut of the cold water valve and the hot is barley warm. It is about 10 years old what sounds like the problem?

 

[Jeff Handy]

Your water heater might need flushing out, it might have sediment or mineral build up that is blocking the burner from properly heating the water.

How old is the water heater?

If you don’t know, you can post some clear pics of the manufacturer and model number and serial number, we can look it up.

Post some pics of the shower valve and shower head.

 

[larrys2006]

ok

 

[larrys2006]

should I try to unscrew the drain valve to try to flush it better or could it break the brass valve off?

 

[Jeff Handy]

Your water heater was built in 2001, so it is really getting pretty old.
If you have not been flushing it all these years, there could be a hard layer of minerals coating the bottom.

You should be able to just screw a garden hose onto the drain valve, and then open the valve handle and dump about thirty or forty gallons down into a floor drain, sump pump, or laundry sink.

Or you can dump into a bucket and pour it out somewhere.

If you are confused by the drain valve, post a picture of it.

 

[Jeff Handy]

Why is that escutcheon on the cold valve pulled out like that?
It looks like a replacement, it does not match the others.

 

[larrys2006]

I replaced the seat washer and forgot to put it on then just said screw it when I saw what I did. I did a drain flus 5 years ago with a anode rod change.

 

[Jeff Handy]

The shower valve setup should not be causing your hot water to run out.

Maybe the cold inlet dip tube in the water heater is rotted away.

That is a fairly common problem on old heaters.

You can find your manual online, to find where the dip tube is accessed for replacement.

I think it is probably attached to or just hanging under the cold inlet nipple.

If the dip tube is broken up or getting shorter, then too much cold inlet water is mixing with the hot water at the top of the tank, so the hot water runs out very quickly.

 

[havasu]

In my opinion, I wouldn't touch that old water heater. The more you play with it, the better chance you will cause it to break. If you are running out of water, it is time to bite the bullet and replace that old tank. Yeah, they are a bit more money, but just think of the years of service you will get, with no worry for the next decade.

 

[larrys2006]

In my opinion, I wouldn't touch that old water heater. The more you play with it, the better chance you will cause it to break. If you are running out of water, it is time to bite the bullet and replace that old tank. Yeah, they are a bit more money, but just think of the years of service you will get, with no worry for the next decade.

If I had your money I would burn mine.

 

[bartleyhs]

I had a similar situation and it was fixed by replacing the heating element. Only one was working.

 

[havasu]

Heating elements apply only to electric water heaters. The original poster took a picture of his water heater and it is a natural gas type, so the heating elements do not apply.

 

[bartleyhs]

Heating elements apply only to electric water heaters. The original poster took a picture of his water heater and it is a natural gas type, so the heating elements do not apply.

oh, sorry, i didn‘t realize it was a gas heater.