Water Pass Through Problem

[Joy Kindem]

My house was built in 1940 and I have galvanized plumbing. Last year I had my bathroom remodeled and the plumbing was replaced with copper piping. Recently I experienced no hot water and there was a "running sound" inside the shower wall. I replaced the water heater which is located outside the house in the laundry room, although my old hot water heater was burning when the problem occured. I continue to have no hot water inside the house (only tepid) except there is hot water in the laundry room. The "running" sound in the wall continues. There is absolutely no leaks under the house or inside the house. The hot water heater continues to burn constantly. Has anyone experienced this type of problem? Does anyone have a recommendation?

[DIY Guy]

Here is something to try. Turn off all the water inside the house. Now go out to the water meter and check whether the meter is spinning.

If it is spinning slowly, wait a few minutes (with all water still off) and check again. If it is still spinning, you probably have a leak. If it is spinning fast, you may have a gusher of a leak.

[Joy Kindem]

Yes, we have already tried this method and there are absolutely no leaks.

[DIY Guy]

The water heater may have a build-up of sediment in there and so it is not heating efficiently. That could cause it operate continuously. See our article about how to drain sediment from the water heater. (http://www.acmehowto.com/howto/homemaintenance/plumbing/appliances/waterheater/drain.php)

A more serious cause could be a faulty thermostat or the controls may be stuck in the "ON" position. First, turn the temperature down to the lowest setting and wait to see if it shuts off heating. If not, turn it off to make sure it can shut off.

The sound could be travelling through the pipes from the water heater, so I'd recommend resolving the water heater issue first then se where you stand with the running water sound.

[Joy Kindem]

[COLOR=DarkOrange]The hot water heater is brand new. I just received my water bill and my usage from the billing period last year in comparison to this year increased from 19,440 gallons to 80,000. So there is definitely an undetected water leak somewhere. Not sure where this may be as the current plumber assured me there isn't any leak. He has been under the house and states there is absolutly no leak. My PG&E bill also increased from $92 to $402. This is because the hot water heater is constantly burning. I am currently contacting another plumber.