Sputtering

[George]

I de-winterized and we went camping. That was 5 days ago and the hot water (running on 120vac) is still sputtering like there's air in the line. We've used many gallons of hot water taking several showers and dish washing so any air from draining the tank should be out of the system.
What could be causing this? I'm wondering if the thermostat is bad allowing the element to boil the water but not hot enough for the ECO to trip or the P&T to open.

 

[Todd F]

Have you tried switching over to propane for the water heater to see if you still get the same results?

I de-winterized and we went camping. That was 5 days ago and the hot water (running on 120vac) is still sputtering like there's air in the line. We've used many gallons of hot water taking several showers and dish washing so any air from draining the tank should be out of the system.
What could be causing this? I'm wondering if the thermostat is bad allowing the element to boil the water but not hot enough for the ECO to trip or the P&T to open.

 

[BryanValRox]

I de-winterized and we went camping. That was 5 days ago and the hot water (running on 120vac) is still sputtering like there's air in the line. We've used many gallons of hot water taking several showers and dish washing so any air from draining the tank should be out of the system.
What could be causing this? I'm wondering if the thermostat is bad allowing the element to boil the water but not hot enough for the ECO to trip or the P&T to open.

Have you tried manually opening the P&T to vent the tank? Just lift the little flapper, but be careful not to get burned by any water or steam that may come out.

 

[BryanValRox]

Have you tried manually opening the P&T to vent the tank? Just lift the little flapper, but be careful not to get burned by any water or steam that may come out.

I should have gave a bit more detail. The process of opening the P&T is part of my normal set up air bleed process when charging the water system each time we set up. It is a necessary function to ensure that the correct amount of expansion space is set/maintained in the water tank. It you have an excessive large expansion space within the tank, air will transfer into the hot water discharge line and it can cause the issue you are reporting.
As stated, I do it before activating the water heater while the system charges with water. You should get a heavy flow out of there before you close the flapper.
Again, In your case, I urge you to be careful opening the valve given your system is HOT so you don’t get burned. Use a gloved hand or towel to help protect yourself if you choose to attempt to vent it while it is hot. It certainly would be safer to wait till it cools down to reduce your risk. Your call for sure!

 

[George]

Thanks for the tips but I've been too busy to have tried any. We're home now and the water heater has cooled. I'll update this post if/when I figure out the fix.