Hot Water Murky, is it a cause for concern?

Forums › Home Workshop DIY › Hot Water Murky, is it a cause for concern?

Nikras

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#260259 18-Nov-2019 10:52

Hi guys,

Thought to ask those who may have come across something similar.

Yesterday we've used up alot of hot water at home during the day and towards the end of the day, our hot water starting coming out murky all night.

This morning however, the murky water disappeared.

It only happens when the tap is turned to hot, and cold water is fine. I've tested with multiple taps around the house and it's all the same.

We think it's the hot water cylinder and it's a year 2008 HJ Cooper one (https://www.hotwatercylinders.nz/solar-cylinders/hj-cooper/250l-hj-cooper-mains-pressure-open-solar-ready.html#.XdG_3lczaUm).

Could it be because of the gunk at the botttom of the cylinder that came out? Just wondering if this is a cause for concern and if we should call a plumber. Or maybe it's something we can easily fix ourselves?

Thanks all.

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#2355583 18-Nov-2019 11:01

Are you on mains or tank water?

Nikras

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#2355584 18-Nov-2019 11:03

Geektastic:

Are you on mains or tank water?

Mains Water :)

Geektastic

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#2355590 18-Nov-2019 11:12

Probably your pipes/tank then rather than the storage tank needing a clean!

If it has gone, I would ignore it personally - JMO of course - but it sounds like rust and sediment in the water tank accumulated over time that was pushed out when you ran the water lower than usual. If it comes back, perhaps investigate. Otherwise, since it has gone away, I'd say you can ignore it.

Nikras

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#2355599 18-Nov-2019 11:20

Geektastic:

Probably your pipes/tank then rather than the storage tank needing a clean!

If it has gone, I would ignore it personally - JMO of course - but it sounds like rust and sediment in the water tank accumulated over time that was pushed out when you ran the water lower than usual. If it comes back, perhaps investigate. Otherwise, since it has gone away, I'd say you can ignore it.

Nice, I am good at ignoring things. Yes definitely did run it lower than usual. I thought to ignore it too. If it happens again i might just call a plumber then.

Budget is tight these two months so ignorance in this case, is bliss.

Thanks mate.

xpd

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#2355601 18-Nov-2019 11:25

Or it could be some work being done on the mains pipe somewhere and a bit of sediment/dirt has been stirred up.

XPD / Gavin

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Nikras

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#2355606 18-Nov-2019 11:33

xpd:

Or it could be some work being done on the mains pipe somewhere and a bit of sediment/dirt has been stirred up.

I'd like to think that, but the thing was that my cold water wasn't affected.

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mentalinc

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#2355621 18-Nov-2019 12:08

Are you sure it wasn't just filled with lots of tiny bubbles?

If the murky water was sat on a bench did it turn clear in time sitting in a glass?

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Nikras

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#2355665 18-Nov-2019 12:21

mentalinc:

Are you sure it wasn't just filled with lots of tiny bubbles?

If the murky water was sat on a bench did it turn clear in time sitting in a glass?

So last night, I actually did just that, the water was murky and after the bubbles settled it was still orange-ish.

But then this morning after I waited for the bubbles to settle, it turned clear (Although at first it look very slightly discolored at the start).

FineWine

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#2355687 18-Nov-2019 12:55

Had similar about 10 years ago. I turned the power off to the cylinder then turned the lowest/nearest hot tap on and let it run till water became clear. At first got a lot of gunk out. I never had problems after that.

Whilst the difficult we can do immediately, the impossible takes a bit longer. However, miracles you will have to wait for.

jonathan18

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#2355700 18-Nov-2019 13:16

A very similar thing happened to us a few years ago; I've dug out the thread on this as I also asked for advice here on GZ:

https://www.geekzone.co.nz/forums.asp?forumid=141&topicid=191603&singlepage=yes

In the end we didn't solve the problem; going by the later thread I've also found, we coped with the cruddy water for a further eight months before the cylinder shat itself (wouldn't be surprised if it was due to the crud); at that point, based on the advice received, we replaced it with an Infinity instant system.

https://www.geekzone.co.nz/forums.asp?forumid=141&topicid=204543

We realised then we'd had cruddy water the whole time we'd been in the house (six years), as the colour of the bath water was suddenly crystal-clear!

The first thread linked above has suggestions on how to get rid of the crud; given the age of your cylinder, it could well be easier to do so than ours, eg if it has an outlet at the very bottom.

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#2355708 18-Nov-2019 13:29

Can be result of failing element. It will shed copper and crud and eventually fail.

Can be accumulated gunk coming out. This gunk can cause or be the result of an input valve partial fail which will eventually full fail

Lastly just accumulated gunk. The solution for that is draining the cylinder usually from the input at the bottom. Plumber job. Home handy persons tend to replace the element over and over and never ever drain the cylinder.

Can always cross fingers for muddy water tho ; ).

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Nikras

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#2355725 18-Nov-2019 13:47

jonathan18:

A very similar thing happened to us a few years ago; I've dug out the thread on this as I also asked for advice here on GZ:

https://www.geekzone.co.nz/forums.asp?forumid=141&topicid=191603&singlepage=yes

In the end we didn't solve the problem; going by the later thread I've also found, we coped with the cruddy water for a further eight months before the cylinder shat itself (wouldn't be surprised if it was due to the crud); at that point, based on the advice received, we replaced it with an Infinity instant system.

https://www.geekzone.co.nz/forums.asp?forumid=141&topicid=204543

We realised then we'd had cruddy water the whole time we'd been in the house (six years), as the colour of the bath water was suddenly crystal-clear!

The first thread linked above has suggestions on how to get rid of the crud; given the age of your cylinder, it could well be easier to do so than ours, eg if it has an outlet at the very bottom.

Hey mate, I did read your post before posting, but it looked like it didn't have closure on the case, that's why I thought to ask again. But so good to have you reply here as to your scenario. I reckon i'll give the suggestion on getting rid of the crud a go. Cheers!

Nikras

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#2355726 18-Nov-2019 13:50

Thanks everyone for your responses so far. I've got a few things to try when I get home.

I love easy fixes, however If all else fails, I might have to call a plumber and fingers crossed, won't be a huge deal with a huge bill.

tripper1000

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#2355746 18-Nov-2019 14:40

A one off murkiness event is nothing to panic about. All cylinders end up with gunk settling in the bottom and doing something unusual can stir it up.

If it persists then as others have mentioned it can be a sign that the element or the cylinder walls are entering the twilight of their lives. In this case, start keeping a close eye on it so if the cylinder starts leaking (like mine did) you catch it early before it damages the floor or carpets. If it is the element failing then it will go cold suddenly but this is kind of a good thing because the element is the lesser of the problems as a new element is relatively cheap.

Given the age of your cylinder I wouldn't expect it to rusting yet (unless you have horrible water) but something to think about while you are contemplating your hot water is that a lot of enamelled cylinders have zinc anodes in them that require renewing every 10 years to stop the cylinder corroding out. Given your cylinder is 11 years old, and if it is enamel, it is due for anode replacement to keep it corrosion free and extend it's life.

Zinc Anodes:

mclean

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#2357120 19-Nov-2019 09:56

tripper1000:...Given the age of your cylinder I wouldn't expect it to rusting yet (unless you have horrible water) but something to think about while you are contemplating your hot water is that a lot of enamelled cylinders have zinc anodes in them that require renewing every 10 years to stop the cylinder corroding out. Given your cylinder is 11 years old, and if it is enamel, it is due for anode replacement to keep it corrosion free and extend it's life.

Stainless steel cylinders don't have vitreous enamel linings or anodes.

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