[hohadcr]

Lower element broken. I drained the tank, changed the element. Refilled the tank. According to some suggestions online, while refilling, I opened some of the closest hot water taps ( bath sink and bath tub), to get the air out.

Everything was done and all working again.

Now, the bath sink and bath tub hot water and cold water tap all have very low pressure now. ....

Kitchen is farther away, and both taps still great pressure.

What went wrong?

Thanks

 

[Ishmael]

My first guess is that the aerator(s) on the ends of the spouts are clogged with dirt/rust/scale that got stirred-up off the bottom of the tank when it was re-filled. There are flow restrictors and screens inside the shower head that could also clog fairly easily. Check those first, and let us know what happens.

(Most tub spouts don't have aerators, but some do. I'm hoping yours is one of them).

 

[jagans]

Unscrew the diffuser screens on the end of the fixtures and see if they are full of crap. Maybe you riled up sediment on the bottom of the tank? Dont forget the clothes washer inlet screens

You should have run hot water out of the closest fixture with no screen (Usually the laundry tub) to the tank with the strainer till the water ran clean.

You should run a hose from the drain valve to waste and open the cold in to the tank with power off for a while to clear sediment.

If your shower/tub valve is a single knob type, you will have to take it apart. Turn off water, Remove the center medallion, remove the screw and knob, then the clip, pull out cartridge, and clean. Flush out valve. Replace.

 

[Alan]

Second guess : Do you have a gate valve for a water heater shutoff? It's possible that it broke when you shut it off, and the gate is disconnected from the stem and unable to open fully.

 

[jagans]

Hello again Allen. The kitchen has good pressure. Sediment in fixtures

 

[plummen]

Check the stems/cartridge on the tub,might have blown sediment through the lines and clgged certain valves/fixtures :wink:

 

[hohadcr]

So, all this is because I opened the taps while refillingÉ

I shouldn't have done that, right?

 

[jagans]

Your catching on there, Boo Boo! The fixtures you had open that the sediment contaminated water hit are slow, right? I think you should have fabricated a reduced diameter hose (Good ole duct tape) on your shop vac, and tried to vac up the sediment from the bottom of your tank when you had the element out. open the tank drain with a hose to your sump pump and run it a while. You could also close drain, fill a little, drain, repeat a couple of times. Then fill and wait an hour. Then run water out a close, simple fixture like a two valve laundry sink. The problem with running a single lever fixture is that the cartridges have small passages in them and sometimes sediment filters also, Thats what you are facing now, probably. You have to remove the cartridges to clean them. Not usually hard, but shower valves like Moen can be a challenge. There is a cart removal tool, but you usually dont need it. The basics are turn off water Hot and Cold, remove medallion, Pry out (Steak Knife) Remove screw, remove knob, remove slide in clip, pull out cart, clean, clean out cylinder, run water to clear (Im assuming you now have clear water) Put waterproof grease back on cart, and reinstall. Nows a good time to replace those O rings if you have a kit. Make sure you note where the hot water limiter is set before you remove it.