Comments on: Hot showers! http://www.mattsapundit.com/2006/03/28/hot-showers/ Mon, 13 Oct 2008 00:17:57 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.1 By: jimb http://www.mattsapundit.com/2006/03/28/hot-showers/#comment-222 jimb Wed, 29 Mar 2006 04:11:02 +0000 http://www.mattsapundit.com/2006/03/28/hot-showers/#comment-222 Dude - yours was <i>easy</i> compared to mine. The cold water input and hot water output pipes were sweated in on mine. Had to cut those, de-sweat the fittings, and attach new fittings for the copper flex tubing. I also had to remove and replace the cold water valve because it was frozen open. Then I had to dork with extending the exhaust vent (it was a gas heater, and the vent tubing was also nice and inflexible by now, and the new heater was shorter). Finally, the pressure release valve in these houses are sweated copper as well, not just PVC. At least it was in the garage, too. You should have seen us remove the old one as well. It was leaking from the bottom and so we turned it off and let it sit while we were at Home Despot getting a new one. When we got back, I attached the hose to the drain, ran it down the driveway, and went back to open the drain. Well, the drain valve came off in my hand. It was that rotten. Anyway, this red sandy water blasted out and <i>up</i> somehow right at my face. I was thinking (during the tenth of a second while the water was blasting toward me in slow motion) "Oh. Shit. I am headed to the ER with second degree burns to the face and neck." Luckily the water had cooled down to just lukewarm, but that tenth of a second was pretty wierd. Did I mention that the water inlet valve was frozen open? Did I also mention that I hadn't shut off the water supply to the house yet? I was only opening the drain with a hose attached, after all. It was totally "I Love Lucy" in the garage with water shooting everywhere until I finally went out and shut off the water to the house. Even then, we had to hold 30-gallon trashcans over the drain until it was empty. I will NEVER buy a house with the water heater in the attic, by the way. Dude - yours was easy compared to mine. The cold water input and hot water output pipes were sweated in on mine. Had to cut those, de-sweat the fittings, and attach new fittings for the copper flex tubing. I also had to remove and replace the cold water valve because it was frozen open. Then I had to dork with extending the exhaust vent (it was a gas heater, and the vent tubing was also nice and inflexible by now, and the new heater was shorter). Finally, the pressure release valve in these houses are sweated copper as well, not just PVC. At least it was in the garage, too.

You should have seen us remove the old one as well. It was leaking from the bottom and so we turned it off and let it sit while we were at Home Despot getting a new one. When we got back, I attached the hose to the drain, ran it down the driveway, and went back to open the drain. Well, the drain valve came off in my hand. It was that rotten. Anyway, this red sandy water blasted out and up somehow right at my face. I was thinking (during the tenth of a second while the water was blasting toward me in slow motion) “Oh. Shit. I am headed to the ER with second degree burns to the face and neck.” Luckily the water had cooled down to just lukewarm, but that tenth of a second was pretty wierd. Did I mention that the water inlet valve was frozen open? Did I also mention that I hadn’t shut off the water supply to the house yet? I was only opening the drain with a hose attached, after all. It was totally “I Love Lucy” in the garage with water shooting everywhere until I finally went out and shut off the water to the house. Even then, we had to hold 30-gallon trashcans over the drain until it was empty.

I will NEVER buy a house with the water heater in the attic, by the way.

]]> By: hamous http://www.mattsapundit.com/2006/03/28/hot-showers/#comment-229 hamous Thu, 30 Mar 2006 12:57:05 +0000 http://www.mattsapundit.com/2006/03/28/hot-showers/#comment-229 Nope, its no good, Matt. I don't see the required "Hot Water Heater Replacement Permit" (even though you don't need to heat hot water). You're not up to code. You don't have your pan under the water heater, and the pressure release valve is not fitted with the proper plumbing. Take the pictures down until you install the proper fixes, before the city/county/homeowner's assn. sees your blunder, condemns your house, and gives it to the illegal alien you should have hired to do the installation for you. Nope, its no good, Matt. I don’t see the required “Hot Water Heater Replacement Permit” (even though you don’t need to heat hot water). You’re not up to code. You don’t have your pan under the water heater, and the pressure release valve is not fitted with the proper plumbing. Take the pictures down until you install the proper fixes, before the city/county/homeowner’s assn. sees your blunder, condemns your house, and gives it to the illegal alien you should have hired to do the installation for you.

]]> By: Mark Russell http://www.mattsapundit.com/2006/03/28/hot-showers/#comment-230 Mark Russell Thu, 30 Mar 2006 15:18:02 +0000 http://www.mattsapundit.com/2006/03/28/hot-showers/#comment-230 Bramanti: May want to consider changing hoses. I had a plastic hose get an aneurysm and blow up in my house when nobody home. Chaos. The extra for $25 for steel braded hoses well worthwhile. Mark Bramanti:

May want to consider changing hoses. I had a plastic hose get an aneurysm and blow up in my house when nobody home. Chaos. The extra for $25 for steel braded hoses well worthwhile.

Mark

]]> By: jimb http://www.mattsapundit.com/2006/03/28/hot-showers/#comment-234 jimb Fri, 31 Mar 2006 03:14:06 +0000 http://www.mattsapundit.com/2006/03/28/hot-showers/#comment-234 Do you actually need a pan under the water heater in the garage? I can see in the attic, but I didn't know if it was required in the garage... I do think that Hamous is right that your pressure release valve has to be done in a specific way. Do you actually need a pan under the water heater in the garage? I can see in the attic, but I didn’t know if it was required in the garage…

I do think that Hamous is right that your pressure release valve has to be done in a specific way.

]]> By: Matt Bramanti http://www.mattsapundit.com/2006/03/28/hot-showers/#comment-235 Matt Bramanti Fri, 31 Mar 2006 05:28:17 +0000 http://www.mattsapundit.com/2006/03/28/hot-showers/#comment-235 No, I don't really need the pan. If the thing leaked all the way empty, the pan would certainly overflow. But if the pressure relief valve had to let out some steam/water, the pan would catch it, and keep some of the boxes in my garage from getting all wet and nasty. Of course, those boxes are full of crap I need to get rid of anyway. But that's a whole 'nother ball of wax. But I'm positive I've got the pressure release valve hooked up right. The valve itself comes preinstalled, and there's not much you can do with it. If it opens, hot water and steam comes shooting out. The only question is where. In my case, it goes down into the pan. No, I don’t really need the pan. If the thing leaked all the way empty, the pan would certainly overflow. But if the pressure relief valve had to let out some steam/water, the pan would catch it, and keep some of the boxes in my garage from getting all wet and nasty.

Of course, those boxes are full of crap I need to get rid of anyway. But that’s a whole ‘nother ball of wax.

But I’m positive I’ve got the pressure release valve hooked up right. The valve itself comes preinstalled, and there’s not much you can do with it. If it opens, hot water and steam comes shooting out. The only question is where. In my case, it goes down into the pan.

]]> By: jimb http://www.mattsapundit.com/2006/03/28/hot-showers/#comment-239 jimb Sat, 01 Apr 2006 23:52:19 +0000 http://www.mattsapundit.com/2006/03/28/hot-showers/#comment-239 I think that the pressure release valve is supposed to be routed outside of the house somewhere. In my case, it routes to somewhere next to the front porch. I would be surprised if there wasn't a pipe stub somehwere in the garage for the pressure valve to connect to. If that valve pops, you can be sure that more water than would fit in a pan will come out. I think that the pressure release valve is supposed to be routed outside of the house somewhere. In my case, it routes to somewhere next to the front porch. I would be surprised if there wasn’t a pipe stub somehwere in the garage for the pressure valve to connect to. If that valve pops, you can be sure that more water than would fit in a pan will come out.

]]> By: Matt Bramanti http://www.mattsapundit.com/2006/03/28/hot-showers/#comment-240 Matt Bramanti Sun, 02 Apr 2006 01:14:22 +0000 http://www.mattsapundit.com/2006/03/28/hot-showers/#comment-240 Yeah, there's a pipe stub in the garage, about five feet off the ground. But like I said earlier, it's just a straight length of pipe with an elbow at each end. It runs down to a couple inches off the floor of the garage, which is where it ends. So even if I connected the pressure-release valve to that pipe, we're still talking about water on the garage floor. Regardless, I don't think it'd be a huge amount of water. It's a pressure valve, so it would release mostly steam and hot air, which is what happened when I tested it. And since the valve is so high up (near the top of the tank), it's not like the whole tank would empty out. Yeah, there’s a pipe stub in the garage, about five feet off the ground.

But like I said earlier, it’s just a straight length of pipe with an elbow at each end. It runs down to a couple inches off the floor of the garage, which is where it ends. So even if I connected the pressure-release valve to that pipe, we’re still talking about water on the garage floor.

Regardless, I don’t think it’d be a huge amount of water. It’s a pressure valve, so it would release mostly steam and hot air, which is what happened when I tested it. And since the valve is so high up (near the top of the tank), it’s not like the whole tank would empty out.

]]> By: jimb http://www.mattsapundit.com/2006/03/28/hot-showers/#comment-241 jimb Mon, 03 Apr 2006 15:23:53 +0000 http://www.mattsapundit.com/2006/03/28/hot-showers/#comment-241 That's interesting. Usually that is routed outside somewhere. Just remember, though, that the hot water comes out of the top of the water heater as well, so there's sufficient pressure in there to get a stream of water from either opening. I installed a water heater at my neighbor's house the day after Christmas last year (yep, they had to do Christmas day with no hot water) and when I tested her release valve, a nice stream of hot water was going out the side of her house. That’s interesting. Usually that is routed outside somewhere. Just remember, though, that the hot water comes out of the top of the water heater as well, so there’s sufficient pressure in there to get a stream of water from either opening. I installed a water heater at my neighbor’s house the day after Christmas last year (yep, they had to do Christmas day with no hot water) and when I tested her release valve, a nice stream of hot water was going out the side of her house.

]]> By: thomas http://www.mattsapundit.com/2006/03/28/hot-showers/#comment-247 thomas Wed, 05 Apr 2006 20:17:18 +0000 http://www.mattsapundit.com/2006/03/28/hot-showers/#comment-247 matt, Exhaust. You will be pumping termendous amounts of carbon dioxide with out an exhaust pipe, not to mention heat. Scary! matt,

Exhaust. You will be pumping termendous amounts of carbon dioxide with out an exhaust pipe, not to mention heat. Scary!

]]> By: Matt Bramanti http://www.mattsapundit.com/2006/03/28/hot-showers/#comment-248 Matt Bramanti Wed, 05 Apr 2006 21:09:14 +0000 http://www.mattsapundit.com/2006/03/28/hot-showers/#comment-248 Thomas, it's an electric water heater. Not gas. (This is why the photographs clearly show electric wiring instead of gas piping). Thus, no combustion is involved and no carbon monoxide is created. Thomas, it’s an electric water heater. Not gas. (This is why the photographs clearly show electric wiring instead of gas piping).

Thus, no combustion is involved and no carbon monoxide is created.

]]> By: Tom Bazan http://www.mattsapundit.com/2006/03/28/hot-showers/#comment-266 Tom Bazan Sat, 08 Apr 2006 14:27:36 +0000 http://www.mattsapundit.com/2006/03/28/hot-showers/#comment-266 Since you did the electric thing, I am curious as to why you did not install a tankless water heater so as to get the energy tax credit? Since you did the electric thing, I am curious as to why you did not install a tankless water heater so as to get the energy tax credit?

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