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Plumbing (non-gun) Question ???

allamericangunshop
OK ,,,
Heres a strange one ?
At any given time ( on a semi regular basis ) ,
When you turn on the 'hot water' faucet , it spits , sputters , blows air and sounds terrible , but it only happens at times (not always) ???
Any ideas ???
Thanks !!!
d.a.stearns .................. a.k.a. ......... SKEEZIX ...............
Gunsmith / LEO
Athens , Tn















... www.allamericangunshop.com
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Comments

8 comments

Date Votes
  • pulsarnc
    First I need to know are you on a municipal water system or on a private well ? Many private wells are what well-drillers call "gassy" that is the water has a high amount of naturally occurring gas in it .Under heat /pressure this liberates giving you air space in the water tank . Another most likely explanation is the well is pumping air .By this I mean that when running it actually pumps air along with water . This can be traced to either a very small intermediate air leak[not enough to cause the pump to loose prime ] to the water level being too low in the well thus again causing the pump to pump air . Very common on shallow wells especially in the summertime when things get very dry.Check for tightness at all fittings. If no loose joints you may need a new well or set the pump deeper. For the record I used to drill for a living
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  • tsr1965
    It happens mostly after an extended period, of lets say, and hour or so, not every 15 minutes? Perhaps a little longer than an hour? I take it you are on a pump/pressure tank system?

    If the above is correct, you have a leak in your system some where, most likely either the hot water heater, or pressure tank.

    Best

    EDIT 1

    Then just not your hot water is doing this. If it is, then it is happening after the line splits to go to your hot water tank.

    At any rate, there has to be air getting into the line somewhere. Perhaps a check valve, or a pressure reducing valve.

    Best
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  • allamericangunshop
    OK ,
    I should have explained a lil better ?
    We are apx. five (5) miles from "town" and on City Water , at this point we are at a higher altitude than the 'water tower' in town ?
    the water out here is "off" on a regular basis ???
    They seem to have more than their fair share of problems ?
    Just trying to figure this one out ???
    Thanks !
    d.a.
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  • babun
    Your Hot water tank is "storing" air bubbles.
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  • BGHillbilly
    If your higher than the water tower in town there is a booster pump somewhere and everything previously said could still apply. If the water is off frequently that is a bad sign given your higher than the surrounding area.
    Could be when water is off and your neighbor 'down' the road opens his fawcet it's draining the line to him and pulling air in at a highpoint, quite likely your house(possible at or near your water heater),creating a backflow situation and introducing air,which is better than some things it could pull in such as a hose in the duck pond.
    Water heater tanks seem to accumulate the air for some reason.
    Also if the air is disolved in the water coming to your house when it is heated it will undisolve, thats why your hot water at the tap is cloudy in stead of clear. If there is lots of disolved air it could build up in the tank when heated creating enough air to spit and sputter instead of the normal fine bubbles. If your cold water is cloudy when first drawn and then clears after it sits a while that is a good indication your source water has a lot of air in it.

    Edit for solution: As much as I hate to say it you probably will need a knowledgable person(maybe a plumber) to look at your existing plumbing and decide on the best solution. I would say post pictures(since that's what folks want on GB) but doubt you could every get all the bases covered. The air release valve would work but current plumbing would need to be evaluated to locate it properly. Really too many variables, sort of like saying a gun is safe to fire based on pictures and what the owner can tell you.
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  • allamericangunshop
    OK,
    Thanks guys , great answers !
    Now ,,,
    What (if anything) can I do about this ???
    Thanks !
    d.a.
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  • pulsarnc
    There is an air eliminators that can be plumbed into the system to handle the problem. i had one on the water system to our commercial chicken houses years back due to a "gassy " water It worked well .Check with one of the larger plumbing suppliers should be fairly easy to find and is dead simple to install
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  • jeffb1911
    What do do FIRST!!!!!!! If you have an ELECTRIC water heater, TURN OFF THE POWER NOW!

    Get an electrical meter, and make ABSOLUTELY SURE THAT YOUR ELEMENTS HAVE CONTINUITY!!!!!!!!!!

    What you MAY have, is a broken element. If there is electricity going to the element underwater, you might have electrolysis happening. Basically this is the separation of the water (H2O) into the Hydrogen and Oxygen. If this continues, and it is a very rare occurrence, you may wind up with a tank full of Hydrogen and Oxygen, and a spark when the water level gets low enough. Basically you will have your water heater tank turn into a bomb in that case.

    Remember, the water is under pressure at all times. Air will NOT just "enter" the water lines. It may be something where air is getting in through a pump or something. Is this only happening with the HOT water and not the cold? Then it may be the water heater doing something. Even if it were turning the water to steam, when it falls below 212 degrees it goes back to water. The only thing that i can think of is the elements of the water heater doing the electrolysis thing.

    If it is gas, you have nothing to worry about. See other instructions above.
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