Hot water for only 5-10 min.

[OneAfterAnother]

I'll give all the information I have. Water heater is a 50gal Richmond(?) that is about 5-6 yrs old. There are no leaks anywhere around the unit. I replaced my shower head last weekend and I have a lot more water pressure (hot and cold) but my hot water stays HOT for 5-10 and then gets warm down to cold. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

[KField]

Possibly a bad lower element. Or a bad lower thermostat. The upper thermostat could also be bad but it would be third on my list of suspects.

Ken

[Trob]

I had a problem like this, and I believe the dip tube was bad, due to white sediment in all my faucets, dishwasher, and washing machine hose. It was a well known problem for several manufacturers in the mid to late '90's. They all bought their dip tubes from a supplier that used a material that would disintegrate. Went ahead and changed mine out, it lasted about 5 years. Had to replace a dishwasher, and had to clean faucet and washing machine hose strainers several times. You will know you have a problem if the sediment in the strainer is white. I found an article on it in an old Popular Mechanics or Handyman magazine.

The dip tube brings cold water to the bottom of the heater. If it has broken off or disintegrated, cold water will be up close to the top of the heater where it exits, so the water won't stay hot long.

[majakdragon]

Trob and KField both make good points. Try removing the aerator on your bathroom sink and see if there are white deposits trapped in the strainers in it. If so, you can turn off the cold water supply line to the water heater and disconnect the pipe from the heater. The dip tube just sits in the opening to the tank. It can be pulled out and checked (stick your finger in it and lift). Any damage would be apparent. These are inexpensive and can be bought at home centers and hardware stores. Good luck.

[Ed Imeduc]

With Ken First step ring out the bottom element if good go for both the tstatand check them. if bottom element is bad make sure the bottom of the tank inside is clean of all lime and calcium built up.Some times you have to spoon it out of the element hole if bad.

ED ;)