Water Heater Giving You Nothing But Cold Water? What You Should Do
If your water heater is not providing you with hot water as it typically does, you could have an issue with the thermostat having been turned down, or you're using much more water than you used to. If neither of these things is true, you may have an issue with the hot water heater itself and feel like it's time to buy a replacement. If your hot water heater needs to be replaced, you may be able to do this job yourself if you're handy. If not, you should leave it to a professional. Read on for what you should do if you think you can tackle this project yourself.
What You'll Need:
- New hot water heater
- Solder
- Garden hose
- Wrench
- Crescent wrench
- Tubing cutter
- Dielectric unions
Instructions:
1. To start, you need to drain the water from the old water heater. The water inside may still be very hot, even though you aren't getting a lot of hot water out of it, the water inside could still be warm enough to harm you. Turn the gas off to the unit, and shut off the water as well. Then attach the garden hose to the drain. Open the drain and drain the water from the tank into a drain in your home, or safely out of your house.
2. Next, disconnect the gas connection and the water connection to the unit. You may have to use your wrenches for this task, or you may need your tubing cutters.
3. Remove the old unit and take it out of your home. Some water may still be inside and it could be heavy, so lift it safely, or use a dolly to remove it from your house.
4. Set the new unit in place, then check to see if the new unit is smaller or larger than the old unit. You may need to cut piping or install more piping to reach your new water heater.
5. Install the piping as needed and connect it to the new unit. Turn on the gas valve and the water valve. Check for water leaks or gas leaks after you have connected them both.
6. After you have determined that you do not have any leaks, it is going to take a few hours to fill up the water tank, then test your handy work to see if you have hot water.
If your hot water heater is no longer giving you hot water, you may need a new unit. If you need a new one installed, follow these instructions or hire plumbing services to help you.