Electric water heater hot water running out while showering

[Highbeam]

My personal iron removal system is about the size and shape of a helium m tank. We had the brown stains. It’s a 10 gpm system and not a water softener!

I’m a water/hydraulics CE. You really do specialize since civil is so broad.

 

[Sprinter]

You really do specialize since civil is so broad.

Yup, just like everything else these fast-changing days. I'm retired, but I changed around a lot from EE to biomed to some nuc and some exp. physics (itchy feet). Nobody does it all as much as we would sometimes like to. Now I don't know what the hell is going on half the time

 

[semipro]

So, I just cleaned a bunch of mineral buildup out of 30 year old electric resistance unit for about the 4th time. I shut off the breaker, opened the, pressure/temp relief valve, drained the tank. I then pulled the lower element and spent about an hour with a wet/dry shop vac connected to a piece of 1/2 PVC that was heated and bent to a custom curve. Usually I know its time to do this maintenance because the lower element has burnt out -- not this time. I recall during the last maintenance session that I'd installed a different style of heater element (photo below) that is longer, doubled back on itself, and has a lower energy density output per length -- supposedly making it less likely to fry when the growing pile of minerals engulfs it. It must have worked as the element looked good and is working fine. I checked its power draw with a clamp-on amp meter when I re-powered the heater. I'd also previously replaced the drain valve with a full-flow ball valve that allows larger particulate matter to exit the heater.

 

[Sprinter]

I recall during the last maintenance session that I'd installed a different style of heater element (photo below) that is longer, doubled back on itself, and has a lower energy density output per length -- supposedly making it less likely to fry when the growing pile of minerals engulfs it. It must have worked as the element looked good and is working fine.

I'm far from an expert on appliance repairs (I detest working on appliances) but that does make sense especially under conditions of crud buildup on the element.

 

[fbelec]

nice job. some of the elements are short. do keep in mind the bottom element does twice the work as the top

 

[Highbeam]

Is there any reason you folks don’t deal with your water chemistry to keep this and other hardness issues from occurring? It’s like wiping up the puddle of blood instead of stopping the bleeding from your severed arm.

 

[semipro]

Is there any reason you folks don’t deal with your water chemistry to keep this and other hardness issues from occurring? It’s like wiping up the puddle of blood instead of stopping the bleeding from your severed arm.

I lived with soft water for many years and much prefer dealing with the problems associated with hard water.
I also feel that the release of salt to the environment should be minimized. I'd rather do it for safe roads than slippery showers that don't seem to leave me clean.