Why won't water heater drain out of hose?

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farmerjohn1324

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This is the second time I've experienced this. With 2 different heaters. Water won't drain even when valve is turned, so I have to drain it by removing element.

That's okay because I was trying to change the element anyway. But why?

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You need to have a hot water faucet turned on somewhere in the house to allow air into the system. or do what I've had to in the past barely open the pop off valve.plus it looks like you have your hose going up it has to be lower than the water heater.
 
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Air lock. You need to let air in for the water to come out. Either open a hot water tap somewhere or flip the TPR valve lever and leave it open as the water drains. Don't forget to close it before the water gets turn back on.
 
I think I know what it is. Maybe it’s a air lock and you need to open a hot water faucet up stairs.
 
If it isn't an airlock, it could be clogged up with sediment, especially if you have hard water.
 
If it is sediment take the valve apart very carefully until you can run a stiff wire up there and clean it out I had to do this once.
 
First thing I do when installing a new water heater is remove that cheap plastic drain valve and replace with A 2" bronze nipple, 3/4" ball valve and a garden hose adaptor.
Is this a mobile home?
Just guessing because it looks like old Quest plumbing and access from an outside door.
What's those line hooked up the bottom of the tank?
Quest had a class action suite long ago because of all the falures.
No way would I have used all those Galvanized and PVC fittings!
Far cheaper to do it that way, but also far more likely to leak.
Draining it out the element like that is now going to cause the floor to rot out.
 
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Joe makes a valid point about all those galvanized fittings not only do they leak and rust and build up crud on the inside. your plug could be in those.
 
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After changing the element, tenant said water stays hot a bit longer, but still gets cold quickly.

This water heater was installed brand new about 27 months ago. It says it has a 6 year life. I also had to change the element about 9 months ago, and it took care of the problem back then.

Any idea why it might be getting cold fast?
 
How many gallons is the tank? How many and how long are the showers or baths? A standard tub will pretty much use up the hot water from a 40 gal tank. The recovery time may be longer for electric as opposed to gas? A hot water leak will cause a little or no hot water issue as well as a large utility bill. How often does it cycle on? I’ve seen ‘plumbers’ install the supply lines backwards, an easy thing to check.
 
How many gallons is the tank? How many and how long are the showers or baths? A standard tub will pretty much use up the hot water from a 40 gal tank. The recovery time may be longer for electric as opposed to gas? A hot water leak will cause a little or no hot water issue as well as a large utility bill. How often does it cycle on? I’ve seen ‘plumbers’ install the supply lines backwards, an easy thing to check.

12 gallon tank. There's only a shower in the unit.

I don't really know his showering habits, just what he tells me.
 
Haha, agreed. That is not nearly enough. I recently had a job where the customer was waiting for his gas meter to be installed and had been waiting for 4 mo.! He purchased a temporary 20 gal electric tank for A shower. He and his wife and 2 small toddlers. He said it was enough for 1 shower and had to wait after his wife took hers. You need at a minimum, 30 gallons!!
 
Haha, agreed. That is not nearly enough. I recently had a job where the customer was waiting for his gas meter to be installed and had been waiting for 4 mo.! He purchased a temporary 20 gal electric tank for A shower. He and his wife and 2 small toddlers. He said it was enough for 1 shower and had to wait after his wife took hers. You need at a minimum, 30 gallons!!

But I have 3 other similar sized trailers on that property that have 12 gallon tanks with no problem. And this one worked fine with 12 gallons for 3 years.
 
Some things are best to see in person...all I’m saying is that 12 gallons wouldn’t last long at all in a small residential home. It’s fine if your washing hands but showers would be short and you could forget about a bath!
 

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