Hot Water Heater Advice

[Italian_Stallion]

The impetus for this thread is that I don't want to blow up the house, but I do want to take a hot bath. My muscles hurt.

My water in this place has never been that hot. I want it just a few degrees from scalding. So I went into the grage and took a look at the hot water heater.

I saw two things on the top. One is what I'd call a valve. I assume this is related to gas. The other is your basic spigot. I assume this feeds water into the heater. There might be some other key parts, but I didn't notice any. Does anyone know whether there's an adjustable dealio I can fiddle with to make the water hotter when it comes out of the faucet?

 

[Rosie]

Tip number one.

It's water heater.

Hot water doesn't need to be heated. ;)

 

[Italian_Stallion]

Tip number one.

It's water heater.

Hot water doesn't need to be heated. ;)

I think that's what my mom always called it. She was always griping when my sis used up all the hot water.

Google is grand. The top hit on my first search gave me the answer. The water should be piping hot any minute now. But I might have to adjust it slightly if it's too hot. There were tons of warnings on the thing about scalding. Also, I read lots of stuff suggesting I shut off the power or some such thing. Something about wires and electrocution. I figure people used to pay for that sort of treatment just a few decades ago. It can't be all bad.

 

[Rosie]

Please, DO NOT mess with the water heater if you haven't shut the power off to it.

Water + Electricity = very, very bad

 

[expendable]

Tip number one.

It's water heater.

Hot water doesn't need to be heated. ;)

This is why I love this board. Hot Water Heater is one of my pet peeves.

 

[Highway 101]

On mine, you just unscrew the face-plate and adjust the temp with a screwdriver. No big deal.

Feeling better I.S.?

 

[Italian_Stallion]

Oh, that was a nice bath, and the wife now owes me. She loves a steaming hot bath.

 

[terrier]

My old hot water heater crapped out Thursday night. I did not touch a thing around it in the 10 1/2 years I've owned my house until i saw it leaking and called the repair guy.
Got the new one Friday afternoon, and am hoping I will have to touch for at least 15 years.

 

[Sam Mills 51]

Tip number one.

It's water heater.

Hot water doesn't need to be heated. ;)

Outing alert: Rosie is related to George Carlin.

 

[Shropshire Slasher]

Did a search for "hot water heater" and found this nugget of a thread to dig up.

My water heater is 20 years old and is on its last legs. It sprang a leak last week and I have to shut the water off to it (and flip the breaker since it's electric) to keep it from completely going ka-blooey while I'm at work and spilling tens of thousands of gallons.

I was looking at upwards of $4,000 to replace it through a plumbing company. But instead, I bought one for $549 today at Lowe's with a 6-year warranty and I found someone who will install it for $250. Winning.

 

[Slacker]

Did a search for "hot water heater" and found this nugget of a thread to dig up.

My water heater is 20 years old and is on its last legs. It sprang a leak last week and I have to shut the water off to it (and flip the breaker since it's electric) to keep it from completely going ka-blooey while I'm at work and spilling tens of thousands of gallons.

I was looking at upwards of $4,000 to replace it through a plumbing company. But instead, I bought one for $549 today at Lowe's with a 6-year warranty and I found someone who will install it for $250. Winning.

Make sure they really know what they're doing. I researched it once and found out there are a few vital specs, pressure checks and installation requirements that have to be done just right. And then I think you have to have an inspector out to approve everything?

 

[dixiehack]

If you have a licensed and insured contractor you should be covered. We didn’t have anybody have to come behind and inspect our hot water heater (I am a child of Appalachia and will pronounce it the way I was raised, thank you very much) when we had to have a busted one replaced.

Note that licensed and insured does not guarantee smart. The guys we hired turned off the fans we had blowing in the garage and then promptly trip the smoke alarm while welding the pipe onto the new unit. And because said alarm was integrated into the wiring and not a $20 screw on from Walmart, they got to listen to it ringing in their ears the whole time.

 

[TheSportsPredictor]

My old hot water heater crapped out Thursday night. I did not touch a thing around it in the 10 1/2 years I've owned my house until i saw it leaking and called the repair guy.
Got the new one Friday afternoon, and am hoping I will have to touch for at least 15 years.

Well?

 

[ChrisLong]

I'm dreading what might happen. We've been here 19 years and never touched the water heater.
At our previous house, I had to do the ripoff city inspection. He ruled my strapping efforts, which were perfectly fine, were not to code and had to get an "official water heater strap." That consisted of a metal strap which was the same thing as the plumber's tape that I used. And a 3-foot-long 2x4 screwed into the wall studs. I screwed the plumber's tape directly into the wall studs. Same thing. Doing it to "code" cost me about $150. I got an itemized receipt. They charged me $15 for the 3-foot 2x4 -- could have gotten it for maybe a dollar from the Home Depot scrap pile.

 

[TigerVols]

If you have a licensed and insured contractor you should be covered. We didn’t have anybody have to come behind and inspect our hot water heater (I am a child of Appalachia and will pronounce it the way I was raised, thank you very much) when we had to have a busted one replaced.

Note that licensed and insured does not guarantee smart. The guys we hired turned off the fans we had blowing in the garage and then promptly trip the smoke alarm while welding the pipe onto the new unit. And because said alarm was integrated into the wiring and not a $20 screw on from Walmart, they got to listen to it ringing in their ears the whole time.

Reared. Goats are raised. Even hillbilly ones.

 

[Shropshire Slasher]

Reared. Goats are raised. Even hillbilly ones.

Too much information.

 

[MileHigh]

I got mine flushed a couple of months ago. It's 10 years old (I've been here two) and should be good. My late brother-in-law the plumber would have already had me replace it.

 

[Scout]

A gas water heater will last a lot longer than an electric one, if gas is an option for you.

But you’re a ****ing idiot if you’re DIYing anything gas.

 

[Dog8Cats]

A gas water heater will last a lot longer than an electric one, if gas is an option for you.

But you’re a ****ing idiot if you’re DIYing anything gas.

Guess I'll change my name to ****ing Idiot.
Up-style purely for convention. Use lowercase when hailing me if desired.

 

[Scout]

Guess I'll change my name to ****ing Idiot.
Up-style purely for convention. Use lowercase when hailing me if desired.

If you’re licensed and trained… go for it.

If you’re trying to save a few bucks with some borrowed tools and YouTube videos, be very, very careful. So much could go horribly wrong.