any one know anything about electric water heaters?
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monchito
Boomus Fidelis
tony i am glad to hear from you again my suggestion on the waterheater is that you will need one soon what happens is there is a buildup inside the pipes which restricts the flow of water and there is corrosion going on on the inside to so dont be surprized if you see that sucker come apart ,, ours did after wow about 12years of service 
Hey Tony, if you're talking about a loss of water pressure, it could be that the pressure has been regulated at the local water plant. Just another idea... 
But yeah, like mon chi chi said, it could also be caused by a buildup of corrosion. A 14-year-old water heater really does need to be replaced. The newer ones are so much more efficient. We had to replace a 12 year old gas water heater earlier this year and actually noticed our gas usage dropped noticeably, which translates to a lower bill! 
But yeah, like mon chi chi said, it could also be caused by a buildup of corrosion. A 14-year-old water heater really does need to be replaced. The newer ones are so much more efficient. We had to replace a 12 year old gas water heater earlier this year and actually noticed our gas usage dropped noticeably, which translates to a lower bill! 
Yeah, after that many years, it's time for a new one. The one thing that most people notice first (besides leakage) is a drop in the recovery capacity. That is the ability of the water heater to refresh the hot water back up to usable temperature. The reason it's hot at first is because the thermostat keeps the elements working until the water reaches the desired temp. However, once you begin drawing the water, it is unable to keep up with the use and you'll notice progressively less hot water.
Like Ramon said, one element is possibly bad which will make it take much longer to heat up. The other possibility is that calcium builds up on the elements and insulates it from the water making it less efficient. Still another possiblity is that the water heater has build up A LOT of crud on the bottom which takes up space making the effective size of the water heater much smaller. This can be cleared up somewhat by backflushing the water heater, which will flush the debris out of the water heater. It's simple: hook up a garden hose (good ones only) and drain all the crud out into the garden.
The last possibility is that the water heater was never hooked up correctly. There is an inlet and outlet for the water. Believe it or not, you CAN hook them up backwards and it will still work. Normally, the inlet drains into the bottom of the tank and the outlet draws from the top of the tank. As you know, the forces of convection causes cool water to settle on the bottom where it gets heated by the elements and the hottest water floats at the surface where it is drawn for use. That way, even as cool water enters to replenish the water consumed, only the hottest water exits. If it's hooked up incorrectly, you will draw hot water immediately but soon afterwards, you'll be drawing the cooler water from the bottom of the tank, even though the water heater still contains plenty of hot water.
Ok, capische?
Like Ramon said, one element is possibly bad which will make it take much longer to heat up. The other possibility is that calcium builds up on the elements and insulates it from the water making it less efficient. Still another possiblity is that the water heater has build up A LOT of crud on the bottom which takes up space making the effective size of the water heater much smaller. This can be cleared up somewhat by backflushing the water heater, which will flush the debris out of the water heater. It's simple: hook up a garden hose (good ones only) and drain all the crud out into the garden.
The last possibility is that the water heater was never hooked up correctly. There is an inlet and outlet for the water. Believe it or not, you CAN hook them up backwards and it will still work. Normally, the inlet drains into the bottom of the tank and the outlet draws from the top of the tank. As you know, the forces of convection causes cool water to settle on the bottom where it gets heated by the elements and the hottest water floats at the surface where it is drawn for use. That way, even as cool water enters to replenish the water consumed, only the hottest water exits. If it's hooked up incorrectly, you will draw hot water immediately but soon afterwards, you'll be drawing the cooler water from the bottom of the tank, even though the water heater still contains plenty of hot water.
Ok, capische?
devol-toni
Member (SA)
What a prolixity explanation 
From my experience, in my living area, the most frequent cause for less amount of hot water is calcium builds.
This is especially most common case in the area which is supplied with a heavy water, as is the case with my city.
I clean my old water heater every 5 to 6 years
Superduper said:
From my experience, in my living area, the most frequent cause for less amount of hot water is calcium builds.
This is especially most common case in the area which is supplied with a heavy water, as is the case with my city.
I clean my old water heater every 5 to 6 years
MasterBlaster84
Boomus Fidelis
monchito said:tony i am glad to hear from you again my suggestion on the waterheater is that you will need one soon what happens is there is a buildup inside the pipes which restricts the flow of water and there is corrosion going on on the inside to so dont be surprized if you see that sucker come apart ,, ours did after wow about 12years of service
Replacement is best, 14 years is a nice long life for a water heater.Water heaters lose capacity over time due to the crud that builds up.
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