February 2nd, 2010

Why is the supply line to my hot water heater hot?

john d asked:


I just bought this house and I am doing alot of small repairs when i noticed that the supply line going to the hot water heater is hot. When i turn on the tap it immediately goes cold. The hot water heater is from 1996 and is gas. If anyone has any idea i would really appreciate it. I am going to replace it this weekend anyway because of the age.

Thanks
The vent pipe is very hot to touch. and I do have alot of single handed faucets. Is that normal for the vent pipe to be that hot?

Johnna

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This entry was posted on Tuesday, February 2nd, 2010 at 7:16 am and is filed under Water Heaters. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

6 Responses to “Why is the supply line to my hot water heater hot?”

  1. Ed Says:
    February 3rd, 2010 at 5:53 am

    Tyree

    The copper cold water pipe is a good conductor of heat. It is conducting heat from the how water inside the heater.

    This is a source of energy loss, so I wrapped mine with insulation.

  2. just wonderin Says:
    February 4th, 2010 at 4:04 pm

    Evan

    this is normal, the heat from the water heater is being absorbed by the lines, both the incoming and out going lines should be warm in the area of the heater …this is normal. i guess the word is conduction

  3. Big Deal Maker Says:
    February 5th, 2010 at 2:32 am

    Jackelyn

    Do you have single handled faucets?
    If you do. you may have a bleed over from one of your faucets.Also you may want to check that you are vented well with the proper hoods.

  4. rey a Says:
    February 6th, 2010 at 11:34 pm

    Teodora

    YEAH THERES A TUBE ON THE SUPPLY SIDE OF YOUR HOTWATER TANK THAT FORCES THE COLD WATER TO THE BOTTOM OF THE TANK SOMETIMES ON A OLDER TANK THE TUBE WHICH IS INSIDE THE TANK FALLS IN AND NOW THE WATER ISNT SEPERATED FROM THE NEW INCOMING WATER AND THE ALREADY HEATED WATER GET A NEW HOT WATER TANK GOOD LUCK

  5. oldman49_2000 Says:
    February 7th, 2010 at 4:36 pm

    Leisa

    Yes the vent pipe will be hot to the touch, and may cause burns if touched while the burner is in operation. NOTE: don’t touch it !!!

    It would be normal for the cold water inlet line to be warm to the touch. This is called thermal-siphoning. This can lower the efficiency of the unit depending on how long the tank sits idle.There are simple devices to eliminate the problem called “heat traps”. They come in different forms ,,loop type or in-line threaded types readily available in plumbing dept of your favorite hardware store. More information is available on the web. For reference please link to :http://www.eere.energy.gov/consumer/your_home/water_heating/index.cfm/mytopic=13100

  6. Hopeles Says:
    February 8th, 2010 at 5:45 am

    Joyce

    You may have thermal siphon in your hot and cold pipes. This is caused by the hot water working it’s way up both the hot and cold pipes. If you are replacing the water heater, you can either install thermal siphon breaks or install loops in the piping coming out of the water heater. The flexible copper tubing normally used can be twisted into a loop to stop the siphon affect. I would also insulate the piping from the water heater to either the wall or the first bend in the pipe going down.