BRADFORD/WHITE ELECTRIC WTR HTR

[bbyron]

I AM GETTING AIR OUT OF MY HOT WATER WHEN IT IS FIRST TURNED ON. I HAVE WELL WATER. THE THERMOSTAT IS SWITCHING ON AND OFF CORRECTLY AND I REPLACED THE ELEMENTS BUT NO LUCK. I CAN’T FIND ANYWHERE THAT AIR COULD BE GETTING SYPHONED FROM. THE HEATER IS 5 YRS OLD BUT ONLY HAS BEEN USED FOR A YEAR. BAD ANODE?

[Bruce TParticipant]

Wow, thats a strange one.
I live off well water, and I frequently get pockets of air in my cold water if my girlfriend runs too much laundry.
I keep a pocket of air in the storage tank for back pressure…(old system..) and if the well pump cant keep up with the demand I lose some of my air pocket into the system.
You can get air from the well too if your riser is rusting out and has pinholes in it.
You may be only experiencing the problem on the hot side only because of a leaking ballcok or something else that bleeds out the air pocket on the cold system where you dont notice it, but the heater tank will build up with air and make it more noticable.
I doubt it has anything to do with your heater!
the anode shouldnt cause any air pockets at all in its deterioration, but I guess there COULD be some kind of chemical reaction in its breakdown that would cause the formation of gasses inside the tank…but i’ve never heard of gasses getting built up enough to create such a noticable pocket.
you can shut off the toilets overnight and see if you have a little air in the cold system in the morning…this would tell you that you have a passing ballcock and that the air is from the well.
I would check for leaks first. put a guage on your cold water system right before bed and make note of the pressure. Shut off the main valve coming into your house. Check the pressure again in the morning BEFORE you run any water and see if the pressure has dropped off . If it did, then you have a leak somewhere.

If you do get it figured out, post the sollution.
I’m curious.

» This message has been edited by Bruce T on 06 June 2002

[bungieParticipant]

In a hot water system “here” you have a black anode (magnesium) for area’s with less than 600 parts per million of suspended solids (not sure of the correct expression , but the count is correct)any higher than that and the anode bubbles. Hence above that count you use a blue anode (aluminum). Its possible under those circumstances that given the unit with a black anode in an area with the count greater than 600ppm WILL create bubbling in the tank.

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DISCLAIMER

All advice is given with-out seeing the job, and hence all advice MUST be taken as advice with limited knowledge on the exact situation. NO responsibility can or will be taken. And yes, I am a licensed Plumber and Drainer with my own business in Brisbane Australia.
Try visiting ….
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[Bruce TParticipant]

WOW! Thanks for the info BUNGIE!
I didnt know that this would cause bubbling!
Where do you go to test the suspended solids content?
Or do they make a self test kit?
Learning, Bruce.

[GBS7673Participant]

I HAVE CHECKED FOR AIR GOING INTO MY WATER HEATER AND FOUND NOTHING. I MADE UP AN AIR TRAP IN THE COLD WATER LINE GOING INTO THE HEATER AND FOUND NO AIR. I ALSO PRESSURE TESTED THE SYSTEM OVERNIGHT AND HAD NO DROP.

I ALSO JUST NOTICED THAT I COULD HERE A BOILING SOUND FROM THE HEATER BUT ONLY FOR A SHORT TIME. I NEVER HEARD IT BEFORE. HAVE TO RECHECK THE THERMOSTAT. MAY STILL BE THE ANODE?

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