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Hot water tank fun, redux
Oct. 14th, 2004 04:27 pmBack in 2001, we had an earthquake here in Seattle. Most places didn't suffer much damage, except for the Pioneer Square area.
My house got off relatively lightly. Couple of windows cracked, and the hot water tank ruptured at a seam. Believe me, it's great fun trying to get a plumber immediately after an earthquake. But fortunately, it got taken care of pretty quickly. Brand new hot water tank and we were back in business.
So that tells you how long I've had this particular appliance.
A year or so later, the circulation pump burned out. The circulation pump basically just cycles hot water thru the pipes and back into the hot water tank - the purpose thereof is to have the water come out hot right away when you turn on the shower or faucet, rather than having to drain out the lukewarm water that's in the "hot water pipes" for several seconds first.
Easy enough to get replaced, if not particularly cheap. But I liked that feature.
So now, a couple of days ago, the hot water tank started leaking again. Well, not leaking precisely. You see, there's a feature on modern hot water tanks that serves as an overflow valve. On my tank, this runs thru the wall and drains outside, next to the driveway. This is intended to let excess pressure off, in case the tank becomes clogged or overheats... it's a great idea, since hot water tank explosions are very much Not A Good Thing. So, early this week, lots of hot water was flowing at a pretty good clip thru the overflow valve and outside the house. Steam was rising from the driveway, and the nearby bushes where the water flowed to. (Could certainly be worse... this could have been inside!)
So the plumber came out and took a look at it - apparently the overflow valve had become corroded and was thus sticking open. Twelve dollar replacement part, a few hundred bucks of labor, and we're back in operation.
Here's hoping this thing holds together!
My house got off relatively lightly. Couple of windows cracked, and the hot water tank ruptured at a seam. Believe me, it's great fun trying to get a plumber immediately after an earthquake. But fortunately, it got taken care of pretty quickly. Brand new hot water tank and we were back in business.
So that tells you how long I've had this particular appliance.
A year or so later, the circulation pump burned out. The circulation pump basically just cycles hot water thru the pipes and back into the hot water tank - the purpose thereof is to have the water come out hot right away when you turn on the shower or faucet, rather than having to drain out the lukewarm water that's in the "hot water pipes" for several seconds first.
Easy enough to get replaced, if not particularly cheap. But I liked that feature.
So now, a couple of days ago, the hot water tank started leaking again. Well, not leaking precisely. You see, there's a feature on modern hot water tanks that serves as an overflow valve. On my tank, this runs thru the wall and drains outside, next to the driveway. This is intended to let excess pressure off, in case the tank becomes clogged or overheats... it's a great idea, since hot water tank explosions are very much Not A Good Thing. So, early this week, lots of hot water was flowing at a pretty good clip thru the overflow valve and outside the house. Steam was rising from the driveway, and the nearby bushes where the water flowed to. (Could certainly be worse... this could have been inside!)
So the plumber came out and took a look at it - apparently the overflow valve had become corroded and was thus sticking open. Twelve dollar replacement part, a few hundred bucks of labor, and we're back in operation.
Here's hoping this thing holds together!
