Hot Water

Joewho

Hi,

I moved into a small place built by an individual for his mother in law who died.

There is a Kitchen and bath on one wall and the plumbing that I can see looks fine. No crossed hot/cold water lines. Of course, I can't see behind the wall. Problem is that hot water comes out of all faucets and even the lav has hot water in it. On the cold water faucets, it isn't as hot as the hotwater side, but still is hot. To take a shower, I turn on the hot water in the sink to get the shower cool enough for a shower.

The lines from the hot water heater and the cold water pipes look ok too. So that leaves something in the wall. Another thing is that the hot water heater was free from a construction site because something was wrong with it. I'm just a painter, but it seems that there is no way the hot water heater could be causing this. Cold water goes in one end and out the other, and it appears to be hooked up fine.

any insight appreciated.

Thanks

tzzzz216

Sounds like a cross connection somewheres could be in the wall .

Ron The Plumber

Turn the vavle off at water heater, then try and see if there is still water flow through the hot water taps, if so and it's cold water, there is a crossed line somewhere.

Joewho

no shut off valve. The HWH is located outside, mounted on the back of the main house. Cold water pipe is running out the main house to the HWH, no valve. Hot water is running out of the heater to my unit, no shut off either. The nearest shut off is under the sink and is not a main valve.

Cold water is coming out of the ground, straight to my place, probably extended and buried from the main house.

It might be a stupid question, but can I safelty eliminate the HWH?

It has to be inside the walls. Doesn't it?

Ron The Plumber

What do you mean eliminate the HWH?

In the wall, you mean where the problem is at?

1st you need to know for sure there is a crossed line, anyway you can install a shutoff at the heater for testing?

Joewho

Sorry. Yeah, I meant eliminate the hwh as the problem. There is a cold water line going in one side, and hot water coming out the other. Nothing more to it, is there?

I'll get to putting a valve in, or finding a way to turn it off from the main house. I'm just renting, so I don't want to put a lot into this. If it's in the wall, uncrossing the lines is the least amount of work. Tearing out walls to find it and then fixing the walls is going to take some thinking about.

When I get to that point, I'll post the results.

Thanks for your time plumbers.

Leo G

If there is a tempering vlave in the line somewhere, the check valve may be bad. It would let the hot water backflow into the cold line.

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Joewho

This was all installed by the HO. I did find a valve yesterday, but it's a round red valve like you find on a gas line. It wouldn't turn. Is that a tempering valve? Or is it something the HO just threw in there?

I'm in Las Vegas, this property does not have any type of water conditioning and I imagine the red valve wouldn't turn because of all the calcium here.

tracy handl

If your renting, why is this your problem? Call your landloard and have him/her take care of it for you.

Ron The Plumber

That red valve could be the shut off valve, and probably is.

Joewho

The landlord is on the property, but he's 86 yrs. old. He did offer to get a new HWH at first, but I told him not to worry about it.

This is a senior citizen neighborhood, only way to live here is to rent from a senior citizen. I get a pretty good deal on the place and I'm here to help out.

If it comes down to taking out walls, it will come off the rent. I'd like to avoid costing this old gentleman any money if I don't have to.

I love it in this neighborhood, compared to the crazieness of being a local in las vegas......

PIPES

Joe, is this water heater for your place a second water heater to the building? If so , this could be part of the problem. I had a landlord try to lower his gas bill by tapping of his tenants hot water line causing an intermittent siphon from one hotwater tank to the cold water side. Had me stumped for a while because of the way he tied it together it was somewhat hiden. I finally found it but not until the wax ring had failed due to hot water being flushed several times a day. By no means am I saying your landlord is trying to get you, he probably just doesn't understand the quirks of multiple tanks in one plumbing system.

Joewho

I don't pay any utilities, so that's not the issue.

Yes, it's for my place only, and is a second hot water heater. It's mounted on his house and the line runs a short distance to mine. It's situated outside, in a closet. The supply line runs through the wall of his house to the tank.

I'm sorry to bother you guys with this. It started when someone told me it could actually be the hwh, and the fact that it was given to him made me suspicious. It's not an emergency, just once in a while when I turn on the cold water and very hot water comes out, I get a little frustrated.

The red valve is completely stuck. It won't turn at all. I'll either have to get another valve installed or open up the walls to find out any more.
But at least I know that it could be siphoning or something in the walls.

So the "downhill" rule holds true.

plumber jay

like they said you have to install a valve(ball valve) for the hot water tank as a starter. to test. Also instal a check valve on the inlet (cold) side of the hw tank. Don't open the walls up yet.

Maybe some pictures?