Water heater water not cold

Hi -

If your water heater is working (ie: making hot water) then most likely your heater isn't leaking. Rather, the leak is coming from the cold water supply and running down the tank where you see it at the bottom of the tank. A working tank that is leaking would produce a leak of hot water - not cold. You should carefully check the cold water piping for a leak, drip or stream of water and make the required repairs.

Did you put hot to hot side? And cold to cold side?
Cold water pipe usually has shut-off valve.
http://waterheatertimer.org/How-to-troubleshoot-electric-problems-with-water-heater.html#new

Add comment and say brand and type of water heater for possible follow-up

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1) Copy following link:
http://waterheatertimer.org/Crossover.html

2) Add comment with clear description of water heater, fuel type, and pump?
Is this a pump problem or water heater problem?
Is this a water well pump?
Are you getting good stream of cold water at tap?
Which water heater do you have?
Is the heater new?
Or older heater that stopped working.

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Cold inlet and hot outlet are marked on top of water heater.
Usually there is a letter or word embossed into the metal top.

If tank is connected, then turn on hot water tap for a few moment and feel which pipe is hot.

Cold water enters bottom of tank through dip tube located on cold side. If hot and cold are reversed, the water heater will not perform as expected.
http://waterheatertimer.org/Water-heater-dip-tube.html

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There is a strainer on the cold water inlet to the heater this could be blocked
Turn the cold water off at the heater, open a hot top to releve the pressure
Remove the strainer at the cold water inlet to the heater and clean

1) Look at the top of the old tank.
There will be markings on the tank, probably embossed in the steel cover that show cold - hot.

2) Many tanks have red and blue plastic pieces surrounding the inlet pipes

3) If there is a shut off valve located above tank, it should be on cold water line assuming house was plumbed to code.

4) When we install water heaters in old houses where water heater is removed, we look for shut off valve above tank that tells us which line is cold. If tank is missing and pipes have no shut off valve, we turn on outdoor water supply and see which of the two water heater pipes starts running water first ... because that is cold side.

5) For do-it-yourself water heater information about electric water heaters:
http://waterheatertimer.org/DIY.html

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Also take advantage of fixya phone service.
For a price, expert speaks with you over phone while you work on water heater or any do-it-yourself project.
Fixya is always less expensive than a service call.

3 minutes?? does the water run cold then? or just warm?
Is this what the tank you replaced was doing? If so, then you may have: 1 a recirculating pump instant hot water system thats faulty and allowing cold water backflow into hot water piping. 2 A tempering valve that has stuck, allowing cold water into your hot water system.
Or maybe a broken or missing dip tube in your new heater.
If after 3 minutes the water is coming cold out leave that faucet running and go to heater and feel the hot water outlet pipe from the heater. if that pipe is hot then the heater is not the problem. If the hot pipe from the heater is cold the heater is the problem. (Make sure the cold pipe coming into the heater is connected to the Right side marked "cold" !) If there is a tempering valve by the heater: feel the output from the tempering valve, if it is cold and the pipe from the heater to the tempering valve is hot, then the tempering valve is the problem. If all these are OK somewhere in your plumbing system hot and cold may be connected possibly a faucet or showerhead that is shut off at the spout/head, but hot/cold handles are left turned on then cold water can backflow thru hot pipe.

In city water or well water system ... the cold water flows from the tank (or meter) toward the hot water heater. The cold water splits in two (so to speak) at the heater with one part going on to the house to supply all cold water needs while the other part goes into the water heater to be heated. On the other side of the hot water heater, there is a system that paralles the cold water system to supply the hot water needs of your home.

I hope this answers your question.

I wonder if you have this problem below caused by a drop in water pressure from someone flushing a toilet or a washing machine. I would call the company to remedy this issue.

17. What is a cold water sandwich effect? The term “cold water sandwich effect” is a term that is used to describe the introduction of cold water into the hot water supply line during frequent on/off operation of an instantaneous water heater. The cold water sandwich effect, when present, appears as a momentary drop in hot water temperature as it is discharged from a hot water supply outlet (i.e. shower, tub, or faucet). This phenomenon is present in the operation of all instantaneous, tankless style, water heaters, but is minimized with the high tech design of Rinnai water heaters.
The technology built into the Rinnai water heaters is designed to minimize the cold water sandwich effect. Rinnai water heaters are microprocessor controlled and when water flow through them ceases, they remain in a “ready to fire state” for approximately 1 minute. If water flow through a Rinnai water heater begins within the first minute following water flow stoppage, the water heater will fire back up within 1 to 2 seconds. This minimizes the cold water sandwich effect that would otherwise be experienced with a low tech tankless water heater. It should be noted that the cold water sandwich effect cannot be removed completely from tankless style water heaters. The safety standards developed to insure the safe operation of water heaters require a delay in the ignition sequence of all gas water heaters.
While the cold water sandwich effect cannot be completely eliminated from standard plumbing systems, it can be eliminated from plumbing systems that have a supply and return hot water circulating system. Rinnai has developed 2 methods to eliminate the cold water sandwich effect in residential hot water circulating systems.
The first (and preferred) method to remove the cold water sandwich from circulating systems utilizes a small electric tank water heater (powered up) that is used with a dual purpose. The small water heater acts as a mixing tank to eliminate the cold water sandwich effect from the Rinnai water heater and it uses its electric heating element to offset the heat losses from the hot water circulating system.
The second method to remove the cold water sandwich from circulating systems utilizes a small 2 to 6 gallon storage tank installed on the hot water outlet of the Rinnai water heater. This tank acts as a mixing tank to blend the cold water sandwich with hot water and eliminating its effect at fixtures.