I recently had my electric hot water heater replaced. When the hot water isn't used for several hours there is air in the line. The faucets bubble for a few seconds and then clear up. It never did this with the old heater. I've tried lowering the temperature setting on the water heater but nothing changed. Any ideas?

It is probably trapped air that was not purged after the change. How long has this been going on?

Do you get any air on the cold side?

No air on the cold side. This has been going on for about 2 months (since the water heater was changed)so I think any air that would have been in the system is now gone?

are you on a well?

Yes

have a good read here.
air in well water, results from google...
[www.google.com]

Interesting but I don't think this problem is in the well for 2 reasons: 1. It never happened when we had the old water heater and 2. The air only comes from the hot water tap. If air came from the well both hot and cold water would be affected.

Is your water heater sitting on concrete?

yes- the basement floor.

I read an article that talked about electrical currents bleeding through the unit into the concrete. The homeowner installed a piece of luan, because that was all he had, between the unit and the concrete. This broke the bleeding current.

You may have excess air dissolved in the water and this constant current may be forcing it out of solution.

Does your water feel any hotter then normal, even with you turning down the thermostat? Might be something to try.

I've heard this before but it sounded like BS. It is worth a try since I don't know what else is causing it. And yes, the temperature was lower after the thermostat was lowered. I appreciate your help - thanks!

Water comming from a well system has always done this for as long as I can remember. It is air dissolving into the water within the pressure tank and then releasing upon being heated.

- - - - - - - - - -

Retired after 50 years of plumbing and heating.

Is there a fix for this?

where some aggressive water may contact a anode material .the anode material could be changed.and with manufacturer's provision removed.

I have this same situation. New electric AWH installed on concrete garage floor 3 months ago. I now have lots of air from every hot water faucet in the house. The air is replenished after a few hours of non-use. There were no other changes--same water source (city water), same AWH location, etc. The only change is the new AWH. This has been going on for 3 months and I'm really sick of it. The only thing I'm not certain of is the temperature setting. Also, the garage is much hotter now in the summer.

Do you have any new ideas? Do you think I have a leak?

Hi DenDress (CT)
I happen to have the same problem. The new water heater was properly installed and purged. Every time I opened a hot water faucet it would act as a high pressure washer for a few seconds with lots of air. My system is on a well and we have an extensive filtration system. The answer: I removed the anode, cut at the end and replaced the the top. don't forget to use teflon tape. Our problem disappeared immediately.
Hans.