So the 13 year old water heater decided to die...

I had no idea there was a drain up tight in behind it. To bad it was set into the concrete 5cm above the floor height.

Fortunately it was a relatively slow leak only causing a small pool of water and although it soaked the sill plate it did not wick through and get to the drywall on the other side.

I decided to cut the drain off with a saws-all with a long blade. Then I added a pan with the pipe taking a 90° elbow right into the open drain.

In addition to the lousy job on the drain the gas line was run down from the ceiling in front of the furnace and old water heater in such a way as it all had to be taken out to get the old water heater out.

Had my bro-in-law (a plumber) move the main line in behind and added some new flex line so it will be the last time it has to be take apart like that again.

Reply to
Ned Flanders
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=3D=3D Costs go up every year and I know I will have to change my 32 year old water heater soon. It has done well...I guess glass-lined last longer than the galvanized...hence its long life. =3D=3D

Reply to
Roy

I had a glass lined one in my old condo but I had to replace it a year after the warrantee expired due to a bylaw (I helped put in place). We were having way to many floods often causing over $30,000 in damages.

One time the flooding was because some moron contractor had poured self leveling cement into the drain by the water heater and it had blocked the trap. Naturally it was one of the ones on the third floor.

Reply to
NedF

I used to be afraid the glass liner would break -- I think I heard that they can -- but I cut open my Sears wh before I threw it away, and it was really a thick sheet of plastic, with glass in it I guess. I could pry it away from the metal outside, but it wasnt' easy.

Are any more fragile than this one?

What rule are you talking about? No glass-lined wh's? Why?

They leaked? What leaks less than a glass-lined water heater?

Would your rule have prohibited mine, with the plastic, with iirc glass in it? (I can't really remember if they claimed to be glass lined. It was 15 years ago and I bought it because it's pipes matched the original one.)

What a moron. A contractor too! Did he pay for the damage?

Reply to
mm

I think he's referring to a rule about replacing water heaters when their warranty expires. Since the warranty lengths generally correspond to the manufacturer's assessment of the MTBF for the unit, such a rule would have some effect at limiting water heater failures. In a multi occupancy building where such a failure often affects other units, and given the relatively low cost of water haters it's not a particularly bad idea, though if proper catch pans and drains are in place a water heater failure shouldn't be an issue anyway.

Reply to
Pete C.

The bylaw did not target only glass lined tanks but all water tanks.

The rule stated the owner had to register the serial number with Strata Council and provide a copy of the invoice to show date of install. If the owner could not produce the invoice, Council would the serial number to gauge the age of the tank.

As an owner you had to replace your tank within one year after the warranty expired. It was all about managing the risk.

We went through a period of time when our insurance deductible was higher than the cost of cleaning up after a 1st. floor water heater flood.

It must have happened during the original construction, and it was probably a sub contractor. The odds of tracking the company down were against us given the number of years that had passed and the cost to proceed would have most likely dwarfed any successful claim against the contractor.

Reply to
Ned Flanders

With 129 units in the Strata all but one having a proper pan and working drain, I was surprised by how often the tank failures caused so much damage.

After discovering the cement in the one drain trap we test all of the others (that we could). The majority of drain pipes ended a few inches above the parking level floor up against the pillars so it was just a matter of pouring a few litres of water down the drain and having someone confirm it came out the other end.

Reply to
Ned Flanders

I get it now. Thanks.

Wow.

Oh, yeah. I hate dealing with... people.

Reply to
mm

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