No hot water , no heater - Water Water Heaters

one of the elements has burnt out and needs replaced . call a local plumber to save you the headache of diy

When water feels cold at tap, check water heater TP valve and drain valve to see if water is hot at top and bottom of heater
Maybe you have bad single-handle faucet cartridge
http://waterheatertimer.org/Crossover.html

Another possible cause is bad dip tube
http://waterheatertimer.org/Water-heater-dip-tube.html

Gene

Water Heater Timers Save Money

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It is not always the water heater...
Here is a link that breaks it down step by step.
I hope this helps you.
http://homeguides.sfgate.com/discoloration-hot-water-mean-water-heater-going-bad-74972.html

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

If you need further help, I’m available over the phone at https://www.6ya.com/expert/gene_9f0ef4df2f9897e7

tank water heater? if so its because the water is much colder this time of year. water heater has to work harder to heat 40deg. water than 70deg. water in the summer. That also means as you use the hot water from the tank its replaced with very cold water. Causing you to have less hot water. Either get a larger water heater. Or even better go tankless and have never ending hot water and save money at the same time.

Sounds like you have cold water entering the hot pipe, or crossover.

(A) Put bucket under water heater overflow pipe, and stand back from scalding water. Gently open and close the TP relief valve on water heater. Check temperature of water to see if heater genuinely has hot water.
It could be the water heater has sediment build-up and is no longer able to heat the water, or the gas thermostat is bad.
http://waterheatertimer.org/Clean-sediment-out-of-water-heater.html
http://waterheatertimer.org/How-to-install-gas-water-heater.html

(B) If water heater has hot water, and hot is not getting to faucet, then you have a crossover problem somewhere.
1) This problem can be located at crossover point of a recirculation system, if re-circ check valve has failed.
http://waterheatertimer.org/Water-heater-recirculation-system.html

2) Failure of a single handle faucet cartridge can cause crossover.
Read how to test for crossover:
http://waterheatertimer.org/pdf/Crossover-on-single-handled-faucet.pdf

3) Other causes for crossover are a failed check valve elsewhere in the plumbing system, for example on the pool equipment. Also a failed mixing valve which is usually installed on top of the water heater so that some areas of the house like laundry room receive very hot water, while the kids bathroom receives lower temperature water.

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check the fill tube

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

,./,.

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.

Tankless water heaters normally take a little longer than a regular heater to provide hot water because they have to start and get warmed up. I'm guessing the heater uses a pilot light and that the short amount of hot water when you turn on the tap is hot because when the water is sitting still in the heater the heat from the pilot light is enough to get it hot. The tub faucet will get hot a lot faster than the shower because it lets a lot more water through and empties out the pipes faster than the shower. You could probably speed things up by letting the tub faucet run on completely hot for like 10-15 seconds and then turning on the shower.