Electric Water Heater Repair & Installation in Woodstock, GA

Faucet aerators that keep clogging with white bits, a shower that sputters, or a glass of hot water that looks like skim milk all raise the same question: what is coming out of the electric water heater? In a Woodstock home, the kind of debris you find usually identifies its source before Alpha Plumbing and Sewer or anyone else opens the tank.

Cloudy or milky hot water

Fill a clear glass with hot water and set it on the counter. If the cloudiness clears from the bottom up within a minute or two, it is tiny air bubbles. Water holds more dissolved air under pressure and when cold; heating and the pressure drop at the faucet release it. This is common and is not a heater fault. If the glass stays cloudy, or a layer settles at the bottom, the cause is particles rather than air, most often scale, a failing dip tube or corrosion.

Hard white or tan flakes

Heating water drives minerals out of solution, and they form scale on the elements and settle as sediment at the bottom of the tank. Pieces break loose and travel to the taps, especially after the heater has been drained or the water supply has been disturbed. Scale flakes are hard and gritty, crunch between your fingers and sink quickly. In heavy cases they also cause crackling or popping as the lower element heats.

Soft white or translucent plastic bits

These usually come from the dip tube, the plastic tube that carries cold water from the top inlet down to the bottom of the tank. As it deteriorates, it sheds pieces that collect in aerators, shower valve screens and appliance inlet screens. A failing dip tube also lets cold water mix into the hot at the top of the tank, so hot water turns lukewarm sooner than it used to. A batch of dip tubes made in the 1990s became known for breaking apart, and while those heaters are long gone, a dip tube in any heater can crack or degrade.

Dark or rust-colored particles

Rust-colored grit in the hot water only can point to corrosion inside the tank or its steel fittings, while rust on both hot and cold sides suggests aging galvanized piping, a case for whole house repiping. Black specks are sometimes rubber from a deteriorating washer or connector lining.

A simple kitchen test

Collect some debris from an aerator and drop it into a small dish of white vinegar. Scale fizzes and softens or dissolves over a few hours. Plastic does nothing; it stays the same shape and can usually be bent or squashed. Bring the sample, or a photo of it, to the conversation with the technician.

The repairs that usually follow

• For scale: draining and flushing the tank, and possibly switching to low-watt-density elements that resist buildup. Very heavy scale on an older heater can tip the decision toward replacement, and Alpha's water heater installation guide lays out the options.
• For a broken dip tube: a new tube installed at the cold inlet, followed by flushing the tank to remove the loose pieces.
• For the fixtures: cleaning aerators, showerhead and valve screens, and the inlet screens on the dishwasher and washing machine. Cartridges damaged by grit are replaced through faucet and valve repair.

Woodstock permits

Woodstock's Building & Safety Division issues plumbing permits and can tell you whether a dip tube repair, a flush or a full heater replacement at a Woodstock address calls for one.

Debris and cloudy water questions in Woodstock

Why do flakes show up right after the water was shut off?

Draining the heater or a shutoff at the street disturbs the sediment layer and the scale clinging inside the pipes. When flow starts again, the surge carries loose flakes to the nearest aerators. A burst of debris after a repair or a water main break is common and usually ends once the screens are cleaned; debris that keeps coming week after week points to the heater.

Is cloudy hot water a problem?

Usually not. Air-filled water is common after work on the water main and in the colder months, and it does no harm to the heater or the pipes. A glass that stays milky, or leaves grit at the bottom once it settles, is the case worth having checked.

Can a broken dip tube be replaced without a new heater?

Yes, in most cases. The dip tube sits under the cold inlet fitting on top of the tank and can be replaced once the power is off, the water is shut off and the fitting is disconnected. The tank is then flushed to remove loose pieces, and the fixture screens are cleaned. Replacement of the whole heater only makes sense if it is old or failing in other ways.

Clear out the debris

If your faucet screens keep filling with bits, describe the debris to Alpha Plumbing and Sewer at (404) 409-4448, so the right parts come along to your Woodstock home.