Why You Never Think About Your Water Heater But Should
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Water, especially hot water, has become so essential, and so ubiquitous, in our lives that we mostly don’t notice it until it suddenly becomes unavailable. And yet, a lot of us pay little to no attention to the systems that supply that hot water to our homes, despite the fact that they’re pretty costly pieces of equipment. We just sort of turn the taps and assume everything is doing what it’s supposed to.
Well, we’re here to tell you that water heaters quite often don’t do what they’re supposed to, especially if they just sit in the closet or attic for years and years without any attention. Or if they receive the wrong attention. Here are a few examples:
Duct, Duct, GOOSE
Despite some people’s beliefs, duct tape is not a fix-all solution to every problem. Especially not in this case, when a flue needs to be machine-attached for safety purposes. That tape is not really creating a vacuum-tight seal. Who knows what’s going on with that pan alarm; they’ve just negated it altogether. And let’s hope the TPR valve doesn’t go off. It’s not like leaving the temperature/pressure relief valve open … like that would be unsafe at all.
Too Close For Comfort
The water heater flue vent eventually ends up on your roof where it expels the noxious gases generated by the water heater into the air instead of into your home — unless, of course, you’ve got that sweet duct tape setup. Then, some of it is going back into your home. But here, the plan didn’t come together the way it was meant to somehow, because the flue vent should never be that close to a combustible wood structure. You can even see some discoloration on the side of the chimney. So that vent needs to be ooched (technical term) about 18 inches or so to the left. It also appears that this home is in a flight path, so that’s handy information, too.
Archaeology With the Home Inspector
That’s a lot of dust. Like more than a few years worth of dust. Do these people even know they have a water heater? And while it’s in the garage, it’s still combustible air that’s being trapped in that closet every time the water heater is used, so maybe no one is breathing that air, but it’s a potentially dangerous situation regardless.
A water heater should be serviced at least once a year to check for corrosion and sediment buildup. This keeps it running efficiently and prevents leaks, clogs, and more serious incidents like pressure build up that could lead to flooding. So check on your water heater now and then. Keep it clean. Make sure the flue is attached and unobstructed. Make sure the pan is clean and dry and that there is, in fact, a pan. You’ll be happy when you keep the hot water coming year-round.
