Hot Water 911 wants to share a fun infographic on the history of water heaters that may help to take your mind off of the stress of the upcoming Holidays! Well, at least for a while!
If you have any questions about your water heater, make sure you give Hot Water 911 a call at 1-800-GO HOT WATER !!
How to maintain your water heater’s TP valves, you ask? What in the world is a TP valve? Simply, the TP valve on your water heater is the temperature pressure relief valve or safety valve. Okay, so maybe that is still not so simple. A TP valve is installed on water heaters to release hot water pressure should the water heater’s internal pressure or temperature rise to an unsafe level. It is very important that the TP valve on your water heater is in proper working order. There is something that you can do to make sure that your TP valve is functioning and in good condition.
Your annual maintenance of your water heater is a perfect time for you to familiarize yourself with the TP valve and to assure that it is working properly. Place a bucket below the discharge tube before starting. Next, lift the lever on the valve…doing so should cause hot water to flush through the valve and through the discharge tube into your bucket. If water does not flow freely when you have opened the TP valve, you should call a trained water heater technician to assess the problem and, if necessary, replace the valve.
Once you have assured proper flow when the valve is opened, gently lower the lever back into its closed position. If you close the lever abruptly or with too much gusto, the TP valve can be damaged…damaging the TP valve can lead to problems with complete closure of the valve, resulting in leaks and/or risk of explosion.
If you haven’t had your TP valve checked or replaced in a five year period, you will want to call your trained water heater technician to assess if your TP valve should be changed. Hot Water 911 can help you with all of your questions or problems that you may have regarding the TP valve on your water heater. Give us at call at 1-800-GO HOT WATER and we will be happy to help you with your concerns.
Recently, Hot Water 911 has been asked to help out a few of our customers with what has turned out to be a stray voltage problem. We thought, since we are answering so many calls pertaining to stray voltage, perhaps we should address stray voltage on our site.
First of all, what exactly is stray voltage? Stray voltage is when voltage occurs between two objects that should not have any voltage difference between them. Stray voltage may result when there is corruption in the ground or neutral current to your building or home. So, how would stray voltage affect your water heater?
There is almost always a very minute amount of stray voltage that most buildings experience. Because of this, water heaters are equipped with a part called an anode rod, or the sacrificial anode. The anode rod is usually composed of either aluminum or magnesium, depending on the water heater’s manufacturers recommendations. This anode rod serves to accept any minute amounts of stray voltage so that the current stops there. Typically anode rods should last about ten years before they need to be replaced. If there is an inordinate amount of stray voltage coming into your building, you might find that you are needing to replace your anode rod more often.
So, how can you tell when your anode rod needs to be changed? When you do your annual water heater maintenance, one of the things that you should also check are the screens in all of your faucets. This is a perfect time to make sure that there is no grit or green chunks that are starting to block your faucet’s screen. The grit and green chunks can be an indication that your anode rod needs to be changed. For situations involving your anode rods, you are going to want to contact your water heater service company. They know exactly how to access the anode rod correctly and to diagnose an unhealthy anode rod and they will know how to correctly replace the anode rod with the appropriate new anode rod. If you are finding that you need to replace your anode rod every one to two years, stray voltage may be the cause. At this point, you will want to call in a competent electrician who can evaluate the level of stray voltage going to your building and rectify the problem.
Hot Water 911 is happy to help you with your stray voltage questions, your anode rod questions and any other water heater related questions that you may have. Feel free to contact us at 1-800-GO HOT WATER or email us at info@HotWater911.com
It’s winter. And its been a very snowy winter. Snow brings with it so many challenges but did you know that one of the things that you should be mindful of is the potential for snow to block your flue pipe? With the heavy and deep snow that we have been experiencing, this is a real concern. We at Hot Water 911 help people out with this frequently.
So what is a flue pipe? A flue pipe is an exhaust pipe for the gases to escape from you water heater. Typically these are found on gas water heaters. They are usually piped out through the roof or out the side of the building.
What are the gases that flow out of the flue pipe? As your water heater builds up heat, it creates noxious flue gases made up mostly of carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide as well as nitrogen oxide. The flue pipe assures that theses toxic gases will not build up within your building or home.
What happens if the flue pipe is clogged? If the noxious gases are not able to escape via the flue pipe, the risk is that they will back up and start infiltrating your building or home. This is, of course, very dangerous.
One of the things that you can do to prevent this from happening is to know where your flue pipe is and where it leads to on the outside of your building. If it goes to a side wall of your building, make sure that there is nothing, including snow, that is blocking your flue pipe. If your flue pipe is vented out through your roof and you are not sure if there is a mechanism built in the system that shuts the water heater off in the case of blockage, it is important for your to call your contractor. Many high efficiency water heaters have built within them a sort of checks and balance system that shuts off the water heater if it is detected that the flue pipe is blocked. However, it is VERY important to contact a specialist if you are in the least bit unsure. Always feel free to call 1-800-GO HOT WATER …we would be happy to help.
We tend to be good about organizing our lives around certain events. We like to think of this as being pro-active. We schedule our hair appointments with some regularity so that we don’t walk around looking unkempt. We go to the grocery store on a regular basis and wouldn’t even consider putting it off or we would be without food. We fill our gas tanks with fuel when we see the fuel gauge is low. We make appointments with our physicians for our annual checkups to make sure that we stay healthy and fit. If our doctor recommends a test, we schedule that test so that we can continue to maintain an optimum level of wellness. We see our dentist twice a year for a check-up and cleaning to minimize the risk of dental problems. And if the dentist sees a potential problem, we make a follow up appointment to take care of it.
We organize and schedule our lives to maintain a certain level of predictability and control.
But, what about those parts of our lives that we take for granted? Those parts of our lives where we are most often RE-active rather than PRO-active. One of those areas is in relation to our water heater. We are creatures of habit and so, our daily routine most likely includes taking a hot shower, washing or rinsing dishes with hot water and doing laundry with hot water. We turn on a faucet and like magic, we are warmed with a stream of water heated by our water heater. We don’t think about our water heater much. Typically we don’t go and visit it wherever it sits. We usually don’t familiarize ourselves with the water heater. It’s just a machine that sits quietly in some corner ignored. Until the day that we turn on the hot water for our shower and wait….and wait….and wait….and nothing but cold water greets us. In a panic, we try the faucet in the sink in the bathroom only to find that there is no hot water there either. We run into the kitchen and turn on the faucet there with the same result. And suddenly, the water heater becomes the most important machine in your life. Suddenly, you realize that you know very little about your water heater and you have no idea what to do. We are forced to be reactive.
So what does all of this have to do with anything? First of all, know that Hot Water 911 is always there for you. We are your go to company when your water heater fails…when it leaks… when it is just being ornery. We want to give you peace of mind to know that Hot Water 911 has the largest fully stocked warehouse of most major manufacturer’s water heater parts. We want you to relax in the knowledge that when you call 1-800-GO HOT WATER our factory trained technicians will respond to your personal hot water emergency. Whether you are a home owner or a business owner, when you don’t have hot water, we respond to your crisis.
So…are there things that you can be doing to maintain your water heater in the meantime? Hot Water 911 will be addressing those issues in future posts so be sure to check back here for more information and helpful hints!!
When water’s on the floor around the tank…who ya gonna call?
Hot Water 911
When your water’s cold and it won’t get hot…who ya gonna call?
Hot Water 911
When the timing’s off and you need hot water now…who ya gonna call?
Hot Water 911
When your water heater is acting strange to you…who ya gonna call?
Hot Water 911
Just a little blast from the past to remind you that, when you have water heater issues, you know who to call…Hot Water 911. We’ll bust your problems in no time flat.
So, everybody…who ya gonna call??
Hot Water 911!!
And just in case you forgot the number, it’s 1-800-GO HOT WATER (1-800-464-6892)
We are exposed to signals every day. Some signals are obvious like stop signs and railroad crossing signals. Some signals are less obvious like body language and voice intonation. Many of the signals we see or hear everyday, we respond to automatically. If the intersection signal light is yellow, we instinctively start to slow down and brake in preparation for the red light. When someone’s voice becomes loud and threatening, we instinctively become protective or defensive. Time has taught us how to respond.
There are some signals that we need to be guided through. When a warning light appears on our dashboard, we may not know exactly what that signal means, but we do know that it means something and that we should take the car to an expert who knows exactly what to do. When we have pains in our stomach that don’t seem to go away, we may not know what that signal means exactly but we do know that we should seek advice from a medical expert who will know what that pain implies.
Water heaters have signals…some that are obvious and some that are not so obvious. The problem with your hot water heater is that it is usually located in a space that you don’t typically frequent. So, signals can be missed. It can’t be said often enough that you should take the time to familiarize yourself with your hot water heater…know where it is, what it looks like, what the space around it looks like, how accessible it is, what each to the valves and components look like and how to shut it off. Make yourself aware of some obvious water heater signals that need attention….water around the floor of the water heater, continuous cycling of the water heater or even sediment in your hot water. These are signals that need to be shared with a water heater expert. At Hot Water 911, these are the signals that our experts deal with all of the time.
I’m going to share with you my favorite water heater tip. If you don’t already have a sticker on your water heater from your water heater expert, tape a card with the name, phone number and website of your local water heater expert. At Hot Water 911 we provide our customers with an easy to read sticker to be placed on the water heater so that, whenever they have a question or concern, they can find our number quickly. If you have any questions about your water heater’s “signals”, give us a call at 1-800- GO HOT WATER ( 1-800-464-6892 ) and we would be happy to help.
Assuming that water heaters are the topic of choice around your dinner table each night, like it is for Hot Water 911, you have most likely talked about the buzz regarding tankless water heaters. As with all things that buzz, the best thing to do is to become well informed before you make a water heater decision. And that is why today, we will talk about…
So, with this list of reasons to install a tankless water heater, you may be in a better position to determine if tankless is the way to go for your particular situation. In a future post, Hot Water 911 will give equal time to the tank type water heater and discuss the virtues of going with a conventional tank type water heater.
If you have any questions about tankless water heaters or water heaters in general, give Hot Water 911 a call at 1-800- GO HOT WATER ( 1-800-464-6892 ) and we will be happy to help you.
Probably the most common thing that people want to know about water heaters is:
HOW TO PREVENT WATER HEATER BREAKDOWNS
After being in this business for over 30 years, we at Hot Water 911 can tell you in one word:
MAINTENANCE
When you buy a new car and you have invested a lot of money in this shiny new object, you want to make sure that it lasts for a long time. After all, you need to depend on this new car to get you to work, to get you to commitments, to get you to your vacation destination. You need that car to be reliable. So, when the fuel gauge points toward “Empty”, you fill the tank up with gas. When the windshield washer fluid is low, you fill it up. When you have driven 3,000 miles, you change your oil. When you have driven around 50,000 miles, you get new tires for the car. When the car gets dirty, you wash it. So, as a rule, you are diligent about the upkeep of your car because you would be lost without it. You depend on your car.
The same should hold true for your hot water heater. Sadly, we tend not to think about our hot water heaters until something goes wrong. So what can you do?
You can do some basic water heater maintenance yourself with the simple steps shared here or you can have a water heater expert, like Hot Water 911, set you up with routine maintenance.
BASIC ANNUAL WATER HEATER MAINTENANCE
This should be done once a year. If you are at all unsure about this procedure, never take any chances….give your water heater expert a call so that they can complete this important maintenance for you. If you didn’t know how to change the oil in your car, you wouldn’t take a chance and do something incorrectly…you would take it to your mechanic. The same is true for your water heater. When in doubt, always call the expert. If, in your maintenance of the water heater you notice leaks around the tank or you find that the water never seems to get clear, you need to call your water heater expert so that they can diagnose and fix the problem.
At Hot Water 911, water heaters are what we do. If you have questions about water heater maintenance or about anything water heater related, please email us or give us a call at
1-800 GO HOT WATER ( 1-800-464-6892 )
Did you ever have one of those experiences where you just know that this experience was going to be a good thing? That there was a feeling of kismet? Well, that is what happened with us at Hot Water 911 when we first met Cary Miller, Vice President of Food Industry News. It was better than six degrees of separation…it was more like two degrees of separation!
You see, Hot Water 911 has a close relationship with so many restaurants, making sure that they have the hot water that they need to keep their doors open. Food Industry News has a close relationship with many of these same restaurants and food purveyors as well. When Cary approached us about sharing information about our services with the Food Industry News readers, we had one of those “aha” moments…and, when we were done kicking ourselves for waiting so long, we shared. I am happy to say that Hot Water 911 is proud to be seen in the February edition of the Food Industry News. You can see our offer online here on page 28.
Why is this important, you ask? I’ll tell you why!
It’s all about connections…and no,I’m not talking about piping connections… this time.
Really, isn’t that what life is about? Connections? The more people that we can connect with to tell them about what we do at Hot Water 911 and to inform them about their water heaters, the better their chances are of knowing exactly what to do in case of a water heater emergency. You know how we have certain expectations of our carand, other than routine maintenance, we don’t put much thought into our car on a day to day basis? But then, one day, you discover that your transmission is shot. This could be a time to panic, but you remember talking to a friend not long ago who extolled the praises of a great transmission guy and so you feel confident in trusting this guy because of your connection. In most service businesses, inherent in their model is a need-based structure….you call service businesses when you need them. But, if you don’t know about the service business, how are you going to know that business XYZ is the best place to call when you need that particular service? You don’t…unless you have made good and valuable connections that lead you to that business.
And that’s where the Food Industry News and Hot Water 911 have experienced kismet. Connecting with this publication creates connections that will help people when they have a water heater emergency. They will remember that they read about us in a publication that they trust. And we at Hot Water 911 won’t let them down. Water heaters are what we do and we do them well.
For all of your water heater related questions and concerns, call us at 1-800-Go Hot Water (1-800-464-6892 )
