Ben and I got home at midnight one Saturday this July from a week-long beach vacation (yay!) to discover our hot water
heater had failed while we were gone and had flooded our basement (boo!). As of this printing, we are still in the midst of a
forced basement renovation. Instead of book club this month, I’d love to share the lessons learned (so far!) from my mistake
and help you from making a similar mistake at your home!
Homeowner Tip #1: Hot Water Heaters (HWH) can last a really
long time (ours was 32 years old when it failed). But most home
inspectors recommend replacing every ten years. You can
check the age of your HWH by looking at the build date on the
label. If you cannot find a build date on your label, go to this
site to use the serial number to find your HWH’s age: http://bit.ly/HWH-age
Jaime tip: When you replace your HWH, sharpie the date you
replaced it, and the name/contact for the person/company who
did the work right on the tank! Great way to remember when the
work was done & who did it, especially if you sell your home.
Homeowner Tip #2: Consider replacing your HWH if you see any of the below signs of wear.
Jaime tip: Consider replacing ”wheel” shut-off valves with “levers” – they are easier to shut off, it’s clear when they are shut
off (parallel to pipe = on, perpendicular = off), and they are less likely to seize or fail when not used regularly.
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