New hot water heater....rusty water?

Howie718

Hi Everyone,

Back in October I had a new water heater installed at a second property that I am taking care of while the homeowner, a family member, is away so the house is vacant.

It is a 40gal gas fired AO Smith. I go to the property every 2 weeks to check on things, and make sure everything is okay. A few weeks ago when I was there, I noticed that when asking for hot water at a sink, the water turns rusty brown when the hot water gets to the sink and clears up relatively quickly….say less than 30 seconds.

I was back there this past weekend and the same thing happened.

Does stagnant water in a water heater from lack of use cause this to happen?

Thank you, Howie

Jamie Hall

If it's only 30 seconds, it's much more likely to be a stretch of pipe somewhere between the water heater and the fixture. Happens to me pretty regularly (sob) and the culprit is a two foot long section of galvanized pipe I can't get at…

Gilmorrie

I suspect that the rust is coming from the piping, not the water heater.

Howie718

Thank you Guys!

Howie

Gilmorrie

Is there a faucet somewhere ahead of the water heater? If so, check it to see if the rusty water is there too.

Larry Weingarten

Hi @Howie718, Another test is to run some water from the heater's drain. If it's clear, great. If rusty, it could be the tank ,or old steel plumbing feeding the heater. Do you get rusty water from any cold taps? 🤔

Yours, Larry

Howie718

Hi all,

I will look to see if there is a faucet ahead of the hot water heater. Cold water always run clear.

Thanks, Howie