Water Heater Rumbling When Running Cold Water In Faucet

Bypass valve is to bypass the water heater. No bypass valve and always water in tank. Put a bypass valve and shut it up it is like no bypass valve.Open the bypass and shut up the input (cold water) and output hot water) no running water in heater tank but still have cold water in the rest of the house even in the hot side of the faucet.

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.

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

Which type Richmond water heater?
Is this a tankless water heater or tank-type?

Tankless are notorious for 'cold water sandwich' under exact conditions you describe. You might need tankless with larger BTU burner.
Don't install a tankless.
http://waterheatertimer.org/Troubleshoot-Rheem-Tankless-water-heater.html

If you have tank-type water heater, then I suspect a clog in the hot water line, or single-handle faucet cartridge in show is going bad.
Same problems can contribute to tankless problems.
http://waterheatertimer.org/Low-hot-water-pressure.html

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

1) Guesses: Sounds like a bad single-handled faucet cartridge, or low water flow at faucet, or clogged water filter.
Replace faucet cartridge, clean the aerator, and/or clean sediment out of pipes below sink, and clean water filter at tankless unit each month.

2) For exact measure of problem:
Typical faucet can have 2 gallon per minute flow rate.
2 gpm flow rate means faucet fills 1 gallon container in 30 seconds. Test faucet using 1 gallon container and a cooking timer to get flow rate.
Clean aerator to improve flow rate. Compare kitchen flow rate with other faucets in home.
http://waterheatertimer.org/Low-hot-water-pressure.html

Most homes have 1/2" diameter pipe running to kitchen faucet.
100 feet of 1/2" diameter pipe holds 1.2 gallons of water. This assumes no sediment build-up inside pipes.
http://waterheatertimer.org/Water-heater-recirculation-system.html

Assuming only hot is turned on: If faucet is 100 feet away from water heater, and pipe diameter is unobstructed 1/2" diameter, and faucet has 2 gallon per minute water flow, then hot water should arrive in 36 seconds.
50 feet away, and hot water should arrive in 18 seconds.

If kitchen has single handled faucet, and the handle is raised in the middle, then equal amounts of hot and cold water are drawn at same time. This doubles amount of time for hot water to arrive.

If single handle faucet has a bad cartridge, then faucet can have crossover.
Crossover means that cold water can enter the faucet even if faucet is turned to hot.
Bad single-handled faucet cartridge can delay or stop the arrival of hot water.
http://waterheatertimer.org/Crossover.html

Tankless require maintenance including cleaning combustion parts yearly, de-lime heat exchanger frequently, and clean water filter each month.
http://waterheatertimer.org/pdf/Tankless-maintenance.pdf
http://waterheatertimer.org/pdf/Bosch_Overcoming_fluctuating_temps.pdf
http://waterheatertimer.org/Troubleshoot-Rheem-Tankless-water-heater.html

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If no hot water at any faucet, and your sure water in water heater is hot, check by-pass at back of tank for wrong positioning.

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.

check diaphrapm valve or micro/switch best of luck

There is 2 ways to do this.
The first way is to turn off the power. Turn off the incoming water (cold) to the heater. Go to a faucet close to the location. Turn off the cold water supply under the sink. Open the hot water side of the faucet. Allow any water to drain from the faucet. Make sure that the water coming out is not under pressure. You should be able to tell by how it come out. Easy, or forceful. Now go to the heater and open the bottom drain valve. The reason it does not drain very easy is because you have a vacuum. Similar to having a soda bottle full of water and turning it upside down. It will drain but it will "Glug" and drain slow. Opening the hot side of the faucet relieves the vacuum and it should drain o.k. When you are done with your repair, leave the hot side of the faucet open and turn on the incoming water to the heater on. Let it fill till you get a steady stream of water from the faucet. This "Burbs" all air out and ensures the tank is full prior to turning on the power. When you get the steady stream, turn off the faucet and restore power. In some cases, the heater may sweat because you are heating very cold water. This is normal and will only happen this one time.
Now if you want to know the second way, let me know. I've done it dozens of times with plenty of success and minimal mess.
Good Luck

I found a way to get warm water in the shower, but I'm not sure it qualifies as a solution. After trying everything else I thought that maybe when I was feathering the faucet in the shower toward the cold side so I would get warm water that at a certain point it blocked the flow on the hot water side enough so that the sensor in the hot water heater sensed there was no demand in the line and it shut the water heater off. To test this, I went to the kitchen and turned the kitchen sink faucet all the way to the hot side and then turned it on so that I got a small flow of water. I waited for the water to get hot to be sure the hot water heater was working. Once it was hot, I left it running to keep demand in the line and then I went to the shower and turned the faucet on. When the water got hot I started feathering the control towards the cold side and soon I had warm water. So I think I'm right in that the sensor in the hot water heater was shutting the water heater off when the demand in the shower was lowered to a certain point when I was trying to adjust the water temp in the shower.

So now I can get warm water, but it means I have to leave the hot water running at another fixture in the house to create a false demand in the system so the hot water heater doesn't shut down. Is there a way to adjust the senor in the hot water heater so that it will stay on when I'm using the shower only, so I don't have to waste water by running another faucet when I want to take a shower?