I bought a modular home last year. I had a pex system with manifold installed and it worked fine for months. This winter I went away for 3 months so I drained the entire system and blew out all the water lines one line at a time at the manifold. I have a well.

I came home a couple days ago and filled the system with water and found I was having a
difficult time getting the water heater filled - I was getting more air than normal in the hot water lines only - cold lines had no air after the initial blowout. I eventually got the water heater air purged and then turned on the water heater. Later I checked and found that I had hot water in my heater. However, the cold water inlet to the heater was hot and the hot water side was luke warm at best.

I opened the bathroom faucet and ran it for a couple minutes. I got no hot water here. I checked other hot faucets and got no hot water at any. I went back to the water heater and found the cold water inlet still somewhat warm and the hot water line was now very cold.

I continue to have no cold water problems - everything there is working well. Everyone I've told this story said its impossible.

Thank you

if you are not getting any water from the hot side, there is debris somewhere blocking a pipe or valve.

It is NOT impossible if the heater's valve is broken AND you have a single handle faucet that is bypassing cold water into the hot water piping.

Would that also cause air to get into the tank. I have to keep purging air from the hot faucet which I suspect is coming from the heater tank. I don't have air in the cold water faucets. The air in the tank really puzzles me.

Buckles

Is there a recirculating pump installed and not turned on? Air in the return line and cold water entering through a unchecked, unpowered recirculating line would do what you are talking about, including all the air that you can't find the source of.

You drained the tank and filled it with air. If my scenario is correct there is no way for you to get the air out except by "bits and pieces".

I'm now thinking that I have a blockage in my drain to the septic. Last evening after flushing the toilet I noticed that I was getting noises (gurgling) from the water heater (which is nearby) and I was holding onto the water heater hot water line and suddenly it became very cold (it had been about the same temp as the indoor air). The water heater isn't hot because I shut it off to make sure I didn't burn the elements out.

I really don't get the connection between the toilet and water heater but my house was vacant for 3 months with some very cold weather in the area and the sewer pipe was changed last year when I got my modular set on my lot. So I don't have a history on this new sewage line and if I remember it wasn't all that deep below the surface. However, I'm not understanding why I wouldn't be getting back up into the house

IF you "think" a sewage problem is causing the water to not work, then you need to stop diagnosing and call a plumber. Also, if you turned the heater on before it was full of water, which is what you are describing, the element is already burned out. STOP WHAT YOU ARE DOING and call a professional before you start wasting money on "cures" you think will work.

Not to worry. I'm not spending any money on my theories and I have plenty of time on my hands to analyze this problem since I'm retired and living by myself

I think the elements are still working. I hadn't turn them on til after I made sure it was purged of air a couple of times. I have been good on the air thing after I purged it about 5 or 6 times. I had good heat in it the last time I turned it on for a spell. The more symptoms I can come up with the better chance a professional will find the problem quickly when I do turn one loose.

Thanks for all your comments.



Edited 1 times.

Buckles, no disrespect to you and your detective work, but if I were to show up at your house, I would disregard everything you told me and let you ramble as I did my own investigation. The thing you need to realize is that when we show up on site, it is because we understand plumbing systems, and the layperson generally does not. The best thing you can do is to tell the plumber that comes is that when you turn any faucet in the house to hot, No water is coming out but the cold water is fine. Show him to the water heater and ask if there is anything you can help with, such as turning on the water at a faucet while he diagnoses the problem himself. If he asks you to flush the toilet repeatedly and has you listen to see if air sputters while it fills, he wants you out of his hair while he works. I don't say this to be mean, but simply so that you can understand that there are times when it is easier and faster for the professional to work alone and eliminate possibilities that could be causing your problem. There are times when I don't mind chatting with someone while working, but other times it is distracting and I need to focus on the task at hand and someone like my mother in law simply cannot be in the same room. I have sent her to flush the 2nd floor toilet many times.

Nothing to add to that.

I take no offense to your suggestion but I left a plumber install my water in the first place when I thought a friend of mine and myself could do the job but its a new house so I went with the pro. Well that didn't work out too well. They have had to come back to my house 3 or 4 times mostly because they didn't know how to install a boot thru the roof for the vent pipes. I had 3/4 pex coming from my pressure tank which they reduced to 1/2" and then back to 3/4" when going into the manifold. I've found about 3 places where they reduced the size of the pex only to take it back up in size again later in the run.

They installed my manifold where I had such long runs to the bathroom that I had to run the hot water over a minute to get hot water. A real waste of electric considering my well water is running in the low 40's coming into the house. They could have installed the manifold in a more central location and had shorter runs to almost all of my faucets.

These guys aren't coming back to my house ever. I'm sure most pros would have done a good job but a contractor I know recommended this plumber to me. That contractor isn't doing any more work for me either.

Now you sound like a good guy and I'm sure most pros are good guys but I'll work on this a while more before I invite another pro into my house. At least I will have it narrowed down if I have to call a pro in. Meanwhile I have to take a bath in a bucket but I'm accustom to living without all the conveniences in the world so that's not big deal.

Perhaps my problem is something that my installer did or didn't do but it worked for 4 months prior to my problem now. Right now I'm thinking my foot valve is letting water run back down the well pipe which is causing the air in the system. I do have a check valve at the pressure (expansion tank) but that one is working

It was very cold here this winter. We have a 42" frost line for construction guidelines and it did get down to -20 at one point this winter. I'd just hoping to find its not the foot valve. In any event its snowing again and I'm not in the mood to pull my well pipe in this weather.

Thanks for your comments

Ron

YOU appear to be under the misconception that EVERYONE who calls himself a plumber is one. As Benny Hill would say. "It is NOT what they are, it is what we call them".

I guess I'm naïve. I thought if someone drives a truck around that advertises its company does heating, air conditioning and plumbing they would have a good understanding of those things they claim to be doing. AT my age I should know better.

I'll try to remember to let you know how I solve this problem. My knowledgeable friend is coming over tomorrow to help me.

Ron

Signs are cheap. Experience comes with a hefty price tag. I tell my customers that they are paying more for what I know, than what I do.