I have a Reliance hot water tank..great cold water pressure but a dribble of hot in the shower.

when he soldered the connections on these pipes.. he may have partially blocked the flow with solder inside..if its restricted up to 50% then its a hell of a pressure loss..hot water is always lower in pressure anyway..also take the shower head and dunk in a clr solution it may have calcium deposits inside the small plastic orafices in it..

This should run two showers at once with no problem. If you have a shut off valve on the cold side of the heater, try closing about halfway. This will slow the water flow and the water will have more time to heat up as it pases through the tank. If you dont have a shut off valve, just cut back the hot water valve on your shower and do not use any cold water. If it gets too hot then turn on a little cold water. The object is to slow the speed of the water going through the tank. Tankless heater take a little getting use to but they work great when you know how to treat them. On my shower I turn the hot all the way on until it gets hot and then add a little cold water to bring the temp down. You may have too much water going through too fast to be able to heat it up to what you need. Try this and see how it works.

Question: Do Low boy heaters, have a heater at the bottom, AND at the top?--- and are BOTH of the heaters working, on the 'either/or thermostat?
(By 'either/or'-- I mean, that it first turns the top element on, and when it is satisfied, THEN it turns the bottom on, until the whole tank is heated..) -- I would say this is an advantage of the taller tanks...

The taller tanks stratify VERY WELL--- (And the incoming cold water stays right at the bottom, and you take the HOT water off the top-- until suddnely it all goes to COLD.

I am wondering if the Low boy heaters might MIX more thatn the tall ones,-- thus going to WARM water sooner--- due to poor stratification.
Could you test that out, and try to folow the cold water line up the tank, as the Hot water is drawn off?

Another thought:
The Cold Fill tube, does go all the way DOWN to the bottom of the tank, right?--
And does it gently let the cold water flow across the bottom, and not 'rotatee the waer in the tank, as it replaces the hot water being used?
Otherwise the cold water will mix very early-- and give this same problem...
(I have heard of those center tubes falling off in shipment...
Did you by any chance check that, when you installed it?)

A final thought: What if the water draw was extremely fast?-- (Like if the water pressure is exceptionally HIGH--) might that upset the stratification, and cause the same problem, too?

If the hot water is drawn more slowly, can the customer get 30 or 4 gallons of HOT water, before it all goes cold?

Mack B

I wrote a page on leaking water heaters.
With a checklist.
It sounds like you've done quite a bit already.
The element can leak around the gasket.
The TP valve can leak where it screws into side of tank.
Otherwise a leak on side of tank sounds like the tank is rusted through and needs to be replaced.
http://waterheatertimer.org/Water-heater-leaking.html

You should turn off electricity and water to the tank, and open tub valve on hot side to relieve pressure so the tank will not rupture.
Then you can limp along with a failed water heater by turning the water and electricity on only when hot water is needed.
This will buy you time until a new heater is installed.
A typical electric water heater produces 21 gallons of hot water per hour.
A shower uses 6-9 gallon of hot water, so heater only needs to be turned on 20-30 minutes for a shower, more if the incoming water is very cold.

To economize with your next heater, you might read the following two pages:
http://waterheatertimer.org/9-ways-to-save-with-water-heater.html
http://waterheatertimer.org/Replace-anode-rod.html

Hello,You need a domestic EXPANSION tank(extrol) installed in the cold water pipe.When the cold water heats up it becomes larger(expands) and needs a place to go.Right now it is pushing against the relief valve.

Hi,

If your electric hot water heater is not working...check out this tip about electric hot water heater problems

Electric Water Heater not Working

heatman101

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The thermostatic mixing spool cartridge may be worn out. The low water pressure may indicate sediment in the cartridge as well. This can be easily removed by hand tools

i believe you may need an expansion tank. this would be installed anywhere on the cold water line between the water meter and the hot water tank. the tank would take up the excess pressure in the system

Not sure but check the inlet water at the heater, the filter may be clog up a little that restrict the flow. Did u use the heater at all during the winter? If not, the heat exchanger may be clogged with built up in there. U need to descale it. Good luck. Chinhcu