The 18 inch 'hot water heater hose' broke. This is the hose that connects the outgoing hot water to the rest of the house. After cleaning up the flood, I've replace the hose and we've had hot water as usual for the past couple of days. Do I need to be concerned that the broken hose wasn't really the problem but is a symptom of something else?
Other notes:
The pressure relief valve has a slow leak, dripping about a third of a small jar over night. If I 'test' the PRV, it sticks open and I need to push it back in to close it. From reading this newsgroup, I get the feeling that this is common and I simply need to replace it.
Also, about 6 months ago the bottom heating element failed. While replacing it I found a large amount of scaling build up. In fact the failed heating element was basically buried in it. I cleaned as much up as I could from the bottom of the tank by breaking it up and pulling it through the hole where the heating element attaches. I'm sure this problem will come back soon enough, but it was much cheaper and timely than purchasing a new hot water heater or purchasing some descaling kit.
Any advice appreciated.