Nothing coming out of hot water taps upstairs bath & sink

[davidos]

There is no water (from the hot side) coming out of the upstairs tub/shower and sink... the cold works fine.

The hot water downstairs works fine. We have an electric water heater (which provides enough hot water for 1 10-15min shower before it runs out - even though it is 80gallon tank)

Is the water heater the problem or is something wrong with the line...? It seems like there is no pressure from the hot side sucking the water upstairs - if that makes sense. the handle on the faucet just feels limp where yesterday i could feel the pressure when turning the hot water on...

We have copper pipes to upstairs...

Please help!

[Mike Swearingen]

Sounds like you have a problem with your water heater (perhaps a bad lower element not giving you enough hot water), and with the faucets or line upstairs.
What type of supply pipes do you have? Galvanized?
Please describe your supply sytem a little more, and we'll try to help you get it all straight.
Mike

[majakdragon]

davidos,
Wecome to the DIY Forums.
I am not sure where you live but it almost sounds like the hot water line froze. Normally the hot and cold run in the same space but not always.
You could have a bad element in the heater. They can be tested. Another thing that could be wrong is the diptube. Not sure of the age of your heater. The way a water heater works is this. Cold water goes into the top of the tank and is taken to the bottom of the tank by the diptube. This in turn pushes the already hot water out the top of the heater through the hot pipe. If the diptube fails or falls into the heater, the cold water "short circuits" and goes right out the top and causes the water to be warm or cold. That means that unless there is a blockage in a hot line, the pressure is going to be the same as the cold water pressure. The diptube merely sits in the opening of the cold water inlet on the heater. It is a plastic tube and is replaceable and inexpensive. Good luck and reply back with any other questions.

[davidos]

thanks guys...

there is galvanized coming into the house but it changes to copper at the meter... the heater is a GE electric unit (GE80T6A) theat is between 2 and 5 years old...

i live in NY and the temps are 13 degrees right now... at first i though the pipes were frozen but i traced the lines upstairs and found them to be mostly inside the house (in laundry room then upstairs to under bathroom floor and sink is not by the window) as they go upstairs... also would the hot line freeze before the cold line? Both hot and cold work downstairs though...

Is there a way to unfreeze the pipe if i can't see it (under the bathroom floor)? and wouldn't the cold be frozen also?

[majakdragon]

I would think so. Thats why I mentioned that they are normally in the same place. Sometimes (for whatever reason) a cold line is diverted to another location and then rejoins the hot. If they run together it is not likely just one froze. Try shutting off the hot water supply line under the sink and disconnecting the supply tube that runs up to the sink faucet. Hold a rag over the valve and turn the valve on. This should tell you if it is clogged. You may be able to see if the water in the line is frozen.

[davidos]

which valve do i hold the rag over and turn on?

shut off the hot water feed under the sink - then unscrew the plastic pipe to the faucet or the chrome flexible pipe to the handle?

[majakdragon]

Right at the valve. Pipe should either come out of the floor or wall and then a valve with a smaller tube. It should go up to the faucet. This should be a compression fitting and easily disconnected.

[davidos]

the problem solved itself... thankfully. must have been partially frozen.

now i have a bigger problem... it seems that my lower element is toast... i got no reading when doing the volt meter test... hopefully homedepot has the part i am looking for and the job won't be too tough...

my main concern is draining the tank... it is in the basement but i would have to snake the hose out of the basement window to the outside... any suggestions? will the water drian if the hose is going up about 6 feet?

[majakdragon]

If you don't have a floor drain in the basement you will have to do it by the bucket method. Water seeks its own level so it will only drain down as far as the end of the hose is high. Sorry.

[davidos]

thanks! once it is drained and i have replaced the element(s)... do i flush the tank to get rid of the sediment? or is that something i should do after i drain the tank and before i remove the bad element?

[majakdragon]

The tank SHOULD be flushed several times before the primary heating usage after replacing the elements. Wether you flush before you change the elements or after is up to you.

Here is the link to the instructions for proper flushing methods.

http://forum.doityourself.com/showthread.php?t=134483

Good Luck

[davidos]

thanks!

One last question... the drain valve on my GE Electric water heater is plastic... it is one piece and has a plastic nut with a threaded plastic spout... and it is screwed onto the metal threaded spout from the tank...

Is this a normal spout or is it a 'dummy' spout that came with the tank... It just looks like if i start turning the plastic nut/spout to the left that it will unscrew from the main tank's metal spout.... or is this just a conventional spout for a tank? Thanks!

[davidos]

anyone have an answer to my post above?

[majakdragon]

It should be the actual drain. I can't imagine anything else. They are making them cheaper all the time.

[davidos]

replaced bad lower element and all seems well now. The plastic drain valve (also slightly cracked) is another project for another time... The drain valve did drip (not significantly) for a week but now has stopped... THANK YOU ALL!!!