Hot water - ran brown and then loss of pressure!

ginvzt

Ok, I might not be able to do anything about this myself, but before we call our landlord with yet another problem in the house, I though I'll ask clever people here if there is anything we can do ourselves.

Basically, this morning I came downstairs to the kitchen and waned to wash a bowl. I opened hot water and it was running dark brown for a few moments before clearing up. However, after clearing up it is running at very low pressure/flow. So low, that I can't really wash dishes anymore. The cold water pressure is fine. It is a mixer tap.

I checked all the taps in the house.

Upstairs
The bathroom sink tap (mixer) had week hot water flow before (well, since we moved a year ago), so that is the same. The ensuite sink tap was changed recently (ensuite refurb), and that had week flow ever since change, but we just assumed it was because of the tap change from two (hot+cold) to mixer. Bath tap ran at good pressure as before, brownish for a moment.

Downstairs
Cloakroom tap (hot only, not mixer), had a decent pressure as before.

I tried opening all the hot water taps at the same time and left them running for a few minutes. No change. The water is hot (that is once it arrives at the kitchen tap at that flow it takes quite a while!)

Since ensuite refurb we were not able to use the ensuite shower as the water pressure rubbish (waiting to talk to landlord what can be done about that). But I guess it might be connected...

So, any suggestion what could it be?...

macman

What system do you have for the heating of your hot water?

ginvzt

It is hot water tank upstairs. The heating/hot water is done by an old boiler (20+ years) - Ideal Elan 2. The heating is fine, and water is hot. Just no pressure (at most taps).

We had gas certificate renewed last month. Were told all is fine.

DirectDebacle

The variable flow rates between hot and cold indicate that you have a gravity fed indirect h/w system. That is a cold water tank in the loft (usually) feeds a h/w/ cylinder that stores the hot water. The brown water may indicate a problem with the cold water tank in the loft. It is possible that the ball valve is faulty or set to shut off too quickly. This will result in the c/w/ tank not filling sufficiently and reduced pressure in the h/w/ cylinder.

The water being initially brown is that over time sediment will settle in the bottom of the c/w tank. As the water from the ball valve fills the tank this will disturb the sediment and stain the water at the bottom of the tank causing stained water to enter into the h/w cylinder and pipes. This generally won't happen if the water level in the tank is not allowed to go too low. Brown water is more common with old style galvanised tanks. Modern ones tend to be of plastic or glass fibre and brown water is less of a problem

There could be other reasons. Taps with spout fitted with filters/aerators could be choked with debris for example.

ginvzt

Sorry, yes, there is a tank in the loft. The cold water didn't run brown - it is only issue with hot water.

There would have not been time for sediment - we used tap late last night and again 6am this morning! I had it brown once before (over the weekend), but never again. Always oly hot water.

The taps being choked with debris - wouldn't cold water run at low pressure then as well? With batrooms' mixer taps it is only when I turn for the hot water it is low pressure, cold water is fine (it is one of those taps with one lever). The kitchen tap has two 'knobs' - one for hot water and one for cold water. Cold water has good/usual pressure.

1984ReturnsForReal_2

Possible hole in the heat exchanger in the hot water cylinder...

ginvzt

1984ReturnsForReal wrote: »

Hole in the heat exchanger in the hot water cylinder...

We better call landlord for this then!

1984ReturnsForReal_2

ginvzt wrote: »

We better call landlord for this then!

Yep, don't go near the hot water. If the above is the problem it is likely to be toxic........


I did edit the above to include "possible"

DirectDebacle

ginvzt wrote: »

Sorry, yes, there is a tank in the loft. The cold water didn't run brown - it is only issue with hot water.

There would have not been time for sediment - we used tap late last night and again 6am this morning! I had it brown once before (over the weekend), but never again. Always oly hot water.

The taps being choked with debris - wouldn't cold water run at low pressure then as well? With batrooms' mixer taps it is only when I turn for the hot water it is low pressure, cold water is fine (it is one of those taps with one lever). The kitchen tap has two 'knobs' - one for hot water and one for cold water. Cold water has good/usual pressure.

It is probable that all your cold taps or the cold feeds to mixer taps are at mains pressure and will overcome some of the resistance in a choked mixer tap. Hot water will be at low pressure.

Water regs certainly require that cold feed to a kitchen tap and all drinking water taps are mains fed and not from a tank. It is probable all your cold feeds are at mains pressure, even the w.c.

The sediment at the bottom of the tank is there all the time. Even when a cold water tank is empty, it isn't. The outlet will be an inch or two above the bottom of the tank and water will be permanently in the tank in these bottom two inches. That is where debris/sediment/rust collects. If this water is disturbed by the water falling into it from the ball valve it will be disturbed and mix with the clean water, staining it. As this water is fed into the hot water cylinder and heated, this is now stained hot water that comes out of the hot tap.

DirectDebacle

1984ReturnsForReal wrote: »

Yep, don't go near the hot water. If the above is the problem it is likely to be toxic........

Seconded....

ginvzt

Thanks all. Will wait for OH to come home tonight and I think we will be giving a call to the landlord.