I just replaced my hot water heater, ask me anything!

[prolesunited]

And, yes, I had help. As anyone who witnessed my desk-building fiasco knows, I certainly couldn't do it by myself.

[madrchsod]

1. made in mexico or the usa?

[prolesunited]

7. Didn't check

nor did I have time to comparison shop as I usually do. It started hissing and flooding the basement last night, took a shower this morning and turned off the gas and water before I left for work. If I wanted a shower tomorrow, I had to act fast.

Hijacked my brother, his girlfriend and my dad after leaving work a little early. It's all done and the water is heating as we speak.

[GOPisEvil]

2. Tell me again why I should buy a house!

;-)

That's a pain in the butt; glad it's all behind you.

[prolesunited]

9. Oh, the joy!

Try being a clueless single woman! :-)

I don't know what I would do without my dad close by. It certainly would be a LOT more expensive! I gave my brother and his girlfriend $50 for their trouble.

[Lefty48197]

29. It's times like these...

that make we handymen feel needed!

[prolesunited]

32. And it's times like these

(and, a few others I'll admit) that I wish I had a handyman around. :evilgrin:

[alwynsw]

3. Why do you want to heat hot water?

[Endangered Specie]

5. deep thoughts...

[prolesunited]

11. Good point!

:hi:

I guess it's just a water heater.

[jmowreader]

42. Because it becomes cold water if you don't heat it

I really hate people asking for "hot water heaters."

Good chuckle: Paul is the department head of Plumbing. One day some guy came up looking for a "hot water heater." Paul said, "We're all out of hot water heaters." (The guy started to get this "what the hell kind of Home Depot are you to run out of water heaters" look on his face...) Then he said, "But I have lots of cold water heaters. Would you like one of those?"

The customer then asked what the difference was between a hot water heater and a cold water heater. (I swear to whatever god you pray to this guy asked this!) "A cold water heater has a line in for the cold water, and a line out for the hot water. A hot water heater has two lines, but they're both for hot water."

The customer's all "but the hot water heater I have has a cold water inlet." Said Paul, "then you have a cold water heater and need a new one."

When the dude asked Paul if he was sure he had a cold water heater, I went back to lumber. It's not nice to laugh in customers' faces, especially ones that stupid.

[jburton]

4. how old was the old one?

[Bronco69]

6. Can you put cold water in it too?

How hot does the hot water get?

[prolesunited]

13. Not sure

It didn't look really old. It was in the house when I bought it six years ago. :shrug:

However, I did learn something at Home Depot. Did you know sediment build up in the bottom of your tank can shorten its life? You're supposed to drain it each year to keep that from happening.

Lucky for me, I bought a self-cleaning one. :D

[prolesunited]

16. It's amazing!

You put cold water in and hot water comes out through the power of natural gas. :wow:

The maximum temp is 160. I set it at 135. Does that sound right? Should it be hotter or colder?

[Lefty48197]

31. Handicap code is 125 degrees max (I think)

that's to prevent scalding. Actually, 110 degrees is just about too hot to hold your hand in.

[prolesunited]

33. I think I better turn it down then

Isn't there a minimum level needed for the dishwasher to operate well?

[jmowreader]

44. Supposedly 160 degrees

Although if I was going to run a dishwasher at 160, I'd do one of two things. In order of ease:

a) Buy a dishwasher with a water heating element in it. They do make them, they work and they're not outrageously expensive.

b) If the dishwasher I had didn't have a heating element and I didn't want to buy a new dishwasher, I'd buy a 20-gallon water heater just for the dishwasher. Set that one at 160 and run a line from the 20-gallon water heater to the dishwasher, and to nowhere else. A 20-gallon water heater is a hell of a lot cheaper than a trip to the burn center. Set your big water heater to 125. Added bonus: no waiting for the water heater to recover from dishwashing before you can take a shower.

[pmbryant]

45. Found this info...

homerepair.about.com:

Thermostat setting
A thermostat setting of 110 degrees F to 120 degrees F (43 degrees to 49 degrees C) on a water heater is sufficient if you do not have an automatic dishwasher; a setting of 140 degrees F (60 degrees C) is recommended if you do have one. Temperatures over 140 degrees F (60 degrees C) shorten the life of a glass-lined tank.

and this...

homerepair.about.com:

Lower the temperature setting
Water-heater thermostats are often preset at the factory much higher than needed. It makes no sense to heat water to a temperature higher than that which we can use comfortably. If you have a calibrated dial, turn it back to 110 or 120 degrees and move up to higher settings if necessary. Although a setting of 140 degrees is usually recommended for dishwashers, a good detergent will give good results at lower temperatures.

I think ours is set at approximately 130 and the dishwasher works great.

:shrug:

Good luck solving your new problem in the morning. I wish I could help, but I am definitely not a plumbing expert. :-)

--Peter

[prolesunited]

47. Thanks for finding that for me!

And thankfully, the problem seems to have fixed itself. In fact, I'm off to take a long, hot shower right now. :-)

[dweller]

8. Are you planning on answering these questions?

if so, edited by poster.....
dp

[prolesunited]

10. I'm workin' my way

down the list! Chill out! :P

[dweller]

12. no, no

i had a real question, then you answered it already, or actually you answered it indirectly.
i already know what happened to the old one.

now, what are you going to do to protect your investment?

;)

dp

edit: Rats, now you've answered my next question already, i'm running outa questions here!!!

[prolesunited]

14. I answered it indirectly

by confessing I'm a clueless single woman? :P

I bought a self-cleaning one this time. :-)

[dweller]

18. nah

my first q was what happened to the first,
2nd q was about protecting your investment, cuz

chances are the sediment built up, and corroded through, and draining it (which you've found out) and maybe installing a whole house water filter (or a self cleaning water heater) would protect your investment. And you did that, you are good...

clueless? on the contrary, you sound like a take charge type of woman. I like that. You are now second on my list of DU crushes, right after Skittles.

:D

dp

[prolesunited]

26. Thanks!

Wish there was a blushing emoticon. That's high praise indeed, and excellent company to be in! Thanks for making my night. It really was a trying day. :-)

[BeatleBoot]

15. Dad's are great aren't they?

I replaced mine a few years back on New Year's Eve
(in a tuxedo, no less).

Still made it to the party, too!

Keep an eye on it for a day or so and check for leaks!

[prolesunited]

17. Dads ARE great!

Why did you replace yours? ;-)

Thanks for the suggestion. :hi:

[BeatleBoot]

34. The wife is wondering

why I am laughing so loud right now!!

LOL!!!!

[pansypoo53219]

19. piffle

at 9 am. the man came to start replacing our boiler(heater) in WI. it is now 8:45, mid 20's and windy. and it STILL ISN'T DONE. the wate heater is the least of our worries.

[prolesunited]

21. That's awful!

What's taking so long? How cold is it inside the house? I certainly wouldn't want to trade place with you.

Hope you find warmth and comfort tonight

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

20. Good

Wanna take a shower with me? :evilgrin:

[prolesunited]

24. Damn!

Didn't know I would get so many offers. Had I known, I would have replaced it sooner. :hi:

[KG]

22. wanna take a shower together?

:evilgrin:

[prolesunited]

23. Don't know if the water is hot enough yet

But I'm sure it will be by the time you get here from Florida. :hi:

[HEyHEY]

25. Where the hell have you been?

Haven't seen ya in a while.

[prolesunited]

30. You missed me?!?!?

How sweet. :-) I was in San Diego last week for a week. And compared to the cold in Chicago right now, it sure seems like a distant memory.

Anything exciting happen with you while I was gone?

[HEyHEY]

41. Nah

Just the usual car accidents and community disputes

[Lefty48197]

27. Did you remember to drain all of the water out of the old one

before you moved it? Nothing teaches like experience.

[UrbScotty]

28. Are you going to put Bush in hot water? (nt)

[prolesunited]

35. BIG problem!

How come absolutely NO water is coming out when I turn the faucet to hot. I know the tank is full and the water is turned on? What could be wrong? What should I do?

[dweller]

36. oh jeez

get to the basement!
turn off the water! and the gas!

you are kidding?
dp

HEY! check back in with us...

[prolesunited]

37. No I'm not

What's wrong? You're freaking me out.

[dweller]

38. not sure

but the 1st thing to do is make sure you aren't blowing water out anywhere, thus cut it off. gas too so it's not heating an empty tank.
chances are it's minor, but
be safe.

then we can track down the problem, okay?

dp

[prolesunited]

39. Thanks!

Will do. But for now I'm going to bed. I'll deal with it in the morning. I guess I won't be taking a hot shower after all. :-(

[dweller]

40. check your inbox n/t

[Thor_MN]

43. Shut off valve...

Make sure that BOTH of them (on cold in and hot out) are open.

[prolesunited]

46. UPDATE: Success after all!

Perhaps it just takes awhile for the pressure to build back up. Everything is fine now and I'm going to be able to take a hot shower after all. :-)

[dweller]

48. WOOHOO!!

:thumbsup:

knew you could do it!

dp