How to avoid a disaster with your hot water heater
How to avoid a disaster with your hot water heater
A flood in your home can be avoided if you’re willing to watch your water heater carefully and purchase a device that may help you prepare for the worst.
The hot water heater is not a machine in your home you give much thought to. Until it begins to malfunction it is very easy for homeowners to even remember it’s there. However, its function and use do not go unnoticed. Every day you use your heater, when you take a shower, use your dishwasher and even when cleaning your clothing. What many homeowners seem to forget however is how expensive it will be too when a damage occurs, especially if it is not monitored and maintained.
Disaster Strikes
The homeowner, Shawn Gehrt, found out firsthand how damaging water heaters can be when he encountered a leak in his Seattle home. Shawn is the senior sales executive at Zillow and shares his home with his wife.
He recollects how his wife called him one evening complaining about the sound of rain coming from downstairs. Upon going down to check she discovered her basement in about 4-6 inches of water. Immediately he returned home, turned off the water connection and attempted to get out as much water using his vacuum.
Gehrt described the site as a gush of water spraying out so much that it could have filled 3 large bathtubs all at once. Their homeowner’s insurance company was called and a team from ServPro was sent to remediate the issue and help clean up the area. For about Four hours the team worked n pumping out the water and cleaning the damage that was caused but the flood.
Gehrt remembered them removing all the baseboards and drilling holes every 4-6 inches to allow it the drain and dry effectively once the fans were on. It took them an entire week to complete the job.
The damage has only begun
The homeowners of course never expected their water heater to malfunction but looking back their water heater had major signs of damage.
The first sign happened weeks before the incident. Gehrt remembers coming down into the basement. IT houses the storage room, the furnace and water heater. “I noticed there was a little bit of water – just a tiny bit – maybe a 6-inch puddle of water” he states ” I cleaned it up and when I came back about a week later, it was back.”
The Public relations director at Roto-Rooter, Mr. Paul Abrams, has stated that any amount water or water stain near or around your water heater is an indication that something is wrong. There should be absolutely no leaks surrounding any joints or even on the floor. Another way to determine if your water heater is about to fail is its age. Like any other appliance over time, it begins to wear and tear.
Water heater under the best conditions and regular maintained should last you about 9-11 years. Especially if you live outside of an area that has hard water. To determine the age of your water heater your plumber would have typically noted the date when installing the machine. But you may also check the serial number on your machine to determine the manufacturing date.
Reasons for water heater failing
At this point, you may be wondering what makes a water heater fails. Water and minerals found in water over time can create holes in the tank by the process of erosion.
Most water heater tanks have a glass lining on the inside but it also has steel. This steel can rust away when touched by hard water and their minerals and can cause the holes you may see on the tank.
There are a few things you can do to prolong the life of your water tanks. Replacing the anode rod, this is a rod made of magnesium that helps to deflect the effects of hard water and minerals from eroding your tank. This should be done every five years and a water softener and sediment draining should occur every year. However, the best thing you could possibly do is to set a replacement schedule for your tank.
Advice to homeowners
A restoration team was able to get to Mr. Gehrt’s home in a great time but a lot of the damage had already been done. They removed the base trim, cut the sheetrock that was beyond repair but still all the carpet, tile and cabinets were all destroyed.
While his home insurance was able to cover $14,000 USD in damages it did not cover the cost of the replacement appliance and labor cost. If he had purchased a home warranty the cost of the water heater and plumber would have been covered as well. Instead, Gehrt has to purchase and pay for this service out of pocket.
Gehrt and his wife learned a couple of valuable lessons after this incident however that could have been done to prevent water heater failure.
With a $15.00 purchase, he got a water sensor. A small alarm that packs a punch as it is very loud. It comes with a small sensor that is placed on the ground underneath the tank. If water happens to touch the sensor you will be immediately notified by the loud siren sound and the water pressure can then be turned off. Gehrt states that if they had had one of these devices earlier his wife would have known sooner and a lot of the damage could have been avoided.
Also, knowing where your water shut off is located is essential for every homeowner in case of an emergency.