I think I screwed up my water heater... (floor, tank, phone)
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2008 gas water heater...I know you are supposed to drain water heaters if they will not be in use for a long period or the utilities are turned off.
I didn't do that simply because I had intended to get the gas on at this place
over a year ago and the water heater is in the attic above the second floor so it would have been a major pain to drain. So the water has been sitting in this brand new water heater unused for many months..I opened the hot water tap in the bathtub and the water coming out is a purple color/at times lavender??? Its NOT a FAINT color. My question is should I just run the tap until its clear ( I am not using the water for anything at this point and the Gas co still has not been out to turn the gas on). Or has there been some sort of chemical reaction that could have damaged the water heater???
OR could the color just be from sitting in the pipes...I am doubting that because the cold water is fine.
I know...flesh eating bacteria ect.
But I have let water heaters stand in the past without problems.
This is a stretch, but.....was the house winterized and antifreeze or some other chemical put in toilets?
It's not uncommon for water sitting for long periods to discolor, mostly from rust in pipes. You will typically see orange or brown colored water.
If anitfreeze or other chemicals were put in toilets, AND, there was a defective flush valve, AND there was an interruption in the water service, there is an odd ball chance the antifreeze can siphon from the toilet tank into the potable water pipes, then make its way to a faucet.
Trouble with that, is it would siphon to a COLD water pipe and not HOT. But the water pipes "could" be reversed at the toilet. Like I said, that scenerio would be a BIG stretch because there would have to be several things all happening at the same time. I have seen it happen and got blue water from a bathroom sink (blue toilet cleaner in the toilet tank).
More than likely it is from the water heater tank corrosion and will probably flush out after enough water has been run thru it.
You have a sealed intake water line going to the tank and being sealed nothing can get inside to discolor the water. Copper or galvanized pipe is probably what you have.
The culprit is probably the drain valve/fawcett with the discolorazation backing up into the tank.
I would just run the hot water valve in the sink for a while...it should clear up after some emptying or usage. The 20-30 gals of water needs to be flushed out after a yr of non usage.
Okay another thing...IT STINKS OMG smells like rotten eggs (so much so I turned it OFF) and there seems to be ALOT of air in the hot water line because it surges and fades and surges fades.
You have a sealed intake water line going to the tank and being sealed nothing can get inside to discolor the water. Copper or galvanized pipe is probably what you have.
Your tank has -errr had - a magnesium sacrificial rod in it to prevent the interior of the tank from being corroded. Your water has sulfur compounds in it. You let the two sit in a tank in the attic and performed a chemistry experiment. You made hydrogen sulfide gas as the magnesium was being corroded into the water forming a purple color. You should get the local science class over to see the results.
First - flush the tank completely. Second - get a plumber to replace the sacrificial rod with an aluminum one. Third - go and sin with water heaters no more.
You probably didn't do anything serious, but it is funny.
Aluminum rod is ok, but zinc one is better. I would also suggest to get rid of the developed bacteria with a proper chlorination (first remove the anode rod). To replace anode rode is DIY project, no need to call a plumber.
Aluminum rod is ok, but zinc one is better. I would also suggest to get rid of the developed bacteria with a proper chlorination (first remove the anode rod). To replace anode rode is DIY project, no need to call a plumber.
Zinc is OK, and if the water is kept circulating, neither would be a problem. If not, the zinc is going to be nasty and could give an overdose of zinc. Aluminum is so far down in the electron well that OD would be hard (links to alzheimer's nonwithstanding.)
If the water is purple, there may be no rod left, and there might be tank corrosion or thread issues. Many DIYers can handle that, but some can't. I'll amend my response to say - if you change out the rod, do it on a Tuesday morning with the phone book nearby in case the project turns sour.
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That'll teach ya. 
