Cold water comes out HOT ?

[codyX1]

Hi,
While at my moms house I went to get a drink of water and noticed that the cold water was hot. After a few minutes of running it finally cooled off.
Any idea what this could be caused from?
Water heater? I at first thought her pipes (hot & cold) might be to close together BUT they have not changed for 30 years so that would not be the problem…
Any ideas would be helpful so I know where to begin to help her…
And is this dangerous in any way?

Thanks a lot ~ Patti

[Retired plbg1Participant]

The hot is crossing over some where. Start at each fix. and shut off HW stop and check the cold water and see if it still comes out hot. If so leave HW off at that fix and go to next and do the same thing till you find out where it is , sometmes it crosses in a single handle faucet.

[PattiRParticipant]

Dear Retired:
Thanks for the quick reply…
Can this happen though on a home that has always had the same pipes? They have not been re-routed or anything…. Nothing is new at all.
What would cause a cross over ? Does this mean the actual pipe has to cross over and touch another pipe or somehow the water is crossing over???
I kind of thought it might be just a new water heater is needed but I think maybe I better hire a plumber for mom.

~Patti

[Retired plbg1Participant]

I forgot that the refill tube on CW side of Water heater might be broke off that could cause it to. So if everything is the same for all those yrs. it could be the tube. Should have said that before because it changes the problem, if you dont give all the facts well sometme the answer is wrong. It means that the hot is mixing with cw .

[racefanoneParticipant]

I always thought that if the dip tube in the water heater broke that the incoming cold water would mix with the hot water in the tank and the cause would be less hot water .The purpose of the dip tube is to direct the incoming cold water down to the thermostat and cause the burner to activate when the water in the tank is below the set point of the thermostat.I must be wrong. Never heard of it causing a cross connection.Somebody straighten me out.

[Robert Stephen MortonParticipant]

PattiR. has your mother got a tempering valve in the system?
Has there been any body playing with the plumbing?
I have seen people capping off the centre outlet of a tapset because it wouldnt stop running – cross connection, people connecting a bib cock to the centre outlet – cross connection.
even saw a tempering valve being removed & then a breaching peice put in to fill the gap.
Call a plumber.
Bob

[steve_gParticipant]

If there is a hot water recirculating system, and the check valve is bad, you’ll get hot water out of the cold side, just like you said.

-Steve G

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