Hot water tanks are found in every home, they are also found where people gather such as business. Thats why inspecting your customers hot water tanks are extremely important. The image here shows the lack of a water pan and how it can lead to other problems.
Hot water tanks are found in every home, they are also found where people gather such as business. Thats why inspecting your customers hot water tanks are extremely important. Understanding how dangers a hot water tank can be is crucial to a home inspector. A hot water tank can be a boom in your home, handle with care and be sure to keep up with the good keep of a hot water tank.
For this research assignment, I read Aging in Place and Hot Water Recirculation Systems. Aging in Place is about modifications older Americans can make to their homes to help insure their ability to age in their homes as opposed to moving into nursing homes. Hot Water Recirculation Systems explains the benefits and pitfalls of hot water recirculation systems. These systems save significant amounts of water that is lost waiting for water to heat up in traditional water heating systems.
This is a picture of the label on a 40 gallon hot water heater. Although it is not present on all such labels this one shows date of manufacture which was February of 2011. Also in this picture is the TPR (temperature pressure relief) valve.
Essay: TPR relief valve drain line defect- The drain line is reduced in diameter size, this is an installation defect and potential safety hazard. Located inside a building the drain line should not be smaller than the relief valve outlet and should extend from the valve not less than six 6" above the ground and discharge pointing downward. Inspector reccommends contacting a professional plumbing contractor to replace drain line with propper spec’s.
Essay from Articles: Ant Inspection: I learned how to distinguish ants from termites. The ants body is constricted, looks like it has a thin waist, the termites body is not constricted. Winged ants have elbowed antennae’s and the termites antennae’s are not elbowed. Also the ants rear wings are smaller than its front wings and the termites front and rear wings are the same size. Wings might not always be present due to both species eventually lose them.
The water heater is located in a very confined space where is very difficult to isnpect. A TPR valve is not visible and there is not a gravity path for emergency water to run off from the location of the water heater.
Some water heaters have attached expansion tanks designed to accommodate fluctuations in the in the volume of hot water of a building. The expansion tank should be inspected for support, corrosion, location and leakage. It also should be positioned above the height of the water heater.
The above picture shows a Bradford White water heater. In the home inspectors report, the home inspector should have a picture of the data plate on the water heater which shows the serial number, capacity, and other important information pertaining to the setup, usage, and installation of the water heater. The Bradford White water heater is more difficult than others to age. While others have either the numeric month and year or week and year in the serial number, the Bradford Whites use letters which can be matched with their corresponding month and year via the use of a chart.
The following essay is about the article titled “Estimating the Lifespan of a Water Heater”. When estimating the life of a water heater four factors need to be considered: correct installation, usage volume, construction quality, and maintenance. Water heaters should be installed in the correct location that provides proper ventilation and in areas not prone to flooding. Water heater life can also be dependent upon how much the heater is used. The more use, the harder the heater has to work and the shorter the lifespan. Another factor is that with water heaters you usually get what you pay for. Lastly, a big factor in the life of a water heater is the maintenance, was the water heater flushed regularly to rid it of mineral deposits?
Water heater shows signs of excessive rusting. This is an indication of high moisture content of the air. It could also be an indication of a the roof jack leaking. No evidence on the exhaust vent was present of moisture running down from the vent.
InterNACHI inspectors should check that tanks are positioned high enough above the water heater that water will easily drain back down into the water heater tank. It is best positioned near the water heater and may be installed vertically, either above or below the horizontal supply pipe, but can also be positioned horizontally. Horizontally-hung tanks will need additional support to reduce the stress on the copper piping.
The water heater itself is in good overall condtion however a emergency overflow pan is recommended to be installed. For if there was any failure of the system, the walls and other building material of the building can be damaged.
On the inspection gallery image of the sediment trap that needs to be installed on gas water hater is important for the water heater to properly operate as intended, and that without one the life span of a water heater can be shortened.
From the picture provided it can be determined that there is some type of water leak within the system. The seal at the cold water intake line has been compromised and shows serious signs of a compromised seal. When encountering this on an inspection it should be noted and written in the report as a defect as it could lead to serious potential issues.
I am writing in regards to a picture that shows seismic supports on a water heater system. In areas where earthquakes may possibly happen it is important that seismic straps be installed for added support. These will be installed on the upper third and lower third of the tank.
Picture is of a hot water heater installed in the SE corner of the garage. It has a manufacturing date of 2015. The relief valve does have piping but is not of the recommended length. At time of the inspection there are no leaks noted. The heater is seating on a raised section of concrete off the garage floor. The pad is below the main home floor level.
Dryer venting is something that everyone should be mare aware of. Dryer lint cleanouts should be cleaned out after every running of the dryer. InterNACHI
believes that more damage is done from dryer vent fires than reported. Dryers vent tubing should be a part of your regular maintenance checkup. I had to replace mine just yesterday as it had separated and was letting lent and moist air into the laundry room.
In this picture the insulation is soaked on the upper heating element of a 40 gallon electric water heater. Further inspection noted that the insulation was soaked down to the lower element also. Staining on the outside of the unit lead to the discovery of the leaking element.
As stated in the article, the expansion tank is installed on the water heater to help alleviate fluctuations in water heater tank pressures. They should be installed close enough to the tank to allow water to flow back to the tank and can be mounted above or below the piping, they can also be mounted horizontally if supported properly