Yes
Odds are that the cold water lines to the faucet you are trying to use are shut off but the hot water lines coming from the water heater are not. That is why you have hot water but no cold water.
Generally this is caused by pressure being built up from the water getting hot in the hot water heater. By code you should have a hot water heater expansion tank on the cold water inlet of the water heater to absorb the added pressure. If this is your problem, the excessive pressure could possibly burst your water heater. The faucet stem or cartridge or washer may be loose or moving and blocking flow.
The water pressure when one turns on the hot water is lacking because the water is coming from one's water heater, which is at the same level as the faucet, whereas the pressure from the cold valve is coming directly from one's town's water tower, which is at a much greater elevation. Also, the water heater tank is only a few feet high, whereas the water holding cell in a water tower is several feet high. The potential energy of the water tower far exceeds that of one's hot water heater, thus the cold water flows out of the faucet with much more pressure.
Yes, it can also cross through a two handled faucet. Both the hot and cold sides of the faucet must be on and the flow of water must be stopped or greatly reduced on the outlet side of the faucet. This can occur when a hose with a spray nozzle is attached to a laundry tub faucet with the faucet on and the spray nozzle off, or when a shower faucet is on but the shower spray head is off. When another cold water outlet in the system is turned on then the pressure on the cold side of the laundry tub or shower faucet in question could be lowered below the pressure on the hot side and hot water can flow into the cold water side. There are faucets which have integral check valves which prevent this from occurring. WWW.WOODBRIDGEPLUMBING.COM
Do you have hot water at other fixtures in the house? If not you have a water heater problem. If yes the Shower valve needs to be rebuilt if it is a bressure balanced faucet the concentration should be on the pressure balancing spool area of the faucet.
If water is only drawn from the cold faucet, then no, the water heater is not involved. However, if water is drawn from the hot faucet- even for a few seconds- hot water IS withdrawn from the heater, and fresh cold water drawn in to be heated- even if the hot water did not make it all the way through the pipe to the faucet- and the water heater will work to heat that fresh cold water.
When you want to know when your hot water heater is broken, simply run your faucet and test the water. If it's cold, the heater is broken.
it has to heat up, just like water has to warm in the faucet.
Odds are that the cold water lines to the faucet you are trying to use are shut off but the hot water lines coming from the water heater are not. That is why you have hot water but no cold water.
If it is just one faucet, the cold water line may be next to a heat source. If it is at all faucets, perhaps the lines are reversed on the water heater.
Generally this is caused by pressure being built up from the water getting hot in the hot water heater. By code you should have a hot water heater expansion tank on the cold water inlet of the water heater to absorb the added pressure. If this is your problem, the excessive pressure could possibly burst your water heater. The faucet stem or cartridge or washer may be loose or moving and blocking flow.
By Andreina Urdaneta A clean water heater will heat and maintain water better and last longer. Once a year, flush your water heater, and in extreme hard water areas, at least twice a year. If you feel up to the challenge, here are some tips to help you in a basic cleaning. 1 Turn the water heater and the cold water supply to the water heater off. 2 Hook a high-quality garden hose to the drain valve, and place the other end in an area where hot water will not cause damage. 5. Open the drain valve. 6. Disconnect the cold water pipe on the top of the water heater. This step will let air into the water heater so it will drain. When the water heater is empty, close the drain. 8. Pour tile cleaner into the cold water, leave for a couple of hours and drain the detergent out of the tank. 10. Reconnect the cold water supply to the water heater. Open the cold water valve and let the water heater flush for a couple minutes. 12. Close the drain valve and open the hot water faucet nearest to the tank, and let the water heater fill. 13. When water starts to come out of that faucet, reopen the drain and let the water heater continue to rinse. After all the air is out of the water heater, turn it back on. Take care of your water heater, and it will take care of you. If you keep ignoring the task, your water heater may just leave you in the cold.
Hot water backfeeds from water heater into cold water lines due to expansion of hot water. Usually occurs when a faucet hasn't been opened for awhile, letting hot water backfeed through system.
The water pressure when one turns on the hot water is lacking because the water is coming from one's water heater, which is at the same level as the faucet, whereas the pressure from the cold valve is coming directly from one's town's water tower, which is at a much greater elevation. Also, the water heater tank is only a few feet high, whereas the water holding cell in a water tower is several feet high. The potential energy of the water tower far exceeds that of one's hot water heater, thus the cold water flows out of the faucet with much more pressure.
Unless there is a recirculating pump the hot water has to come from the hot water heater. Depending on how far away it is from the faucet, it can take 15 to 30 seconds for the hot water to get there. Since there is nothing in the pipe to keep the water hot, it cools down between uses.
Assuming that you tuned the faucet to hot and let it run until the hot water should have reached it, you may want to check your water heater and make sure that it is working.
YES