How to Inspect Water Heater Tanks Course

Inspection & Writing Assignment:

I took a photo of the information from the label of my water heater. It’s an A. O. Smith brand. It;'s a forty-gallon tank. It was manufactured in January of 1997 from the ser. number. It has a working pressure of 150 PSI

Research & Writing Assignment:

I looked at the images of water heater inspection. One image was of the recommended size of a water heater for the number of bedrooms in a house. Another was the importance of taking a photo of the heater’s label for the writeup for the client.

Inspection & Writing Assignment:

upon inspection i found water heater leaking and has filled up drain pan. tpr valve is not properly routed, should not have a T in it. gas inlet should also have a sediment catch and shut valve should be above catch to clean out

Research & Writing Assignment:

water heater needs routine maintenance. needs a gallon of water drained once a month out of drain valve located on the side lower half of water heater. need to look around it to make sure everything looks ok and not leaking while draining water

Inspection & Writing Assignment:

When doing a home inspection, if the home has a fireplace hand operate the things with moving parts and visually check the other components, the damper flue, chimney, hearth, lintel, firebox, ash dump and clean out box are some examples of things to look for when inspecting a home with a fireplace.

Research & Writing Assignment:

Home maintenance books can be useful for pretty much anyone. Especially someone purchasing a new home or a home for the first time. Consider leaving such an item at each inspection you do as a thank you for your business.

Inspection & Writing Assignment:

I inspected the hot water heater. Its a Rheem, 40 gal tank manufactured in 2014. The gas supply is natural gas. Two defects were present. There was no drain pipe attached to the TPR value and it was in a confined space without proper combustion air. There was a high combustion air but no low.

Research & Writing Assignment:

The TPR (Temperature Pressure Release) value is a safety feature located on the hot water heater tank that releases water if the pressure gets too high in the tank. They are typically set to release if the pressure gets to 150 psi or the water temp gets to 210 degrees.

Inspection & Writing Assignment:

Noted hot water tank flue pipe penetration into the chimney is not properly sealed. This can allow carbon monoxide gases back into the house. Recommend sealing the space around the penetration with hydraulic cement to prevent the harmful combustion gases getting back into the house. Also recommend updating the smoke detector int eh basement to a combination smoke/CO detector for added safety.

Research & Writing Assignment:

Drip legs on gas combustion appliances are important. They collect debris and moisture that may collect int eh gas supply line. The drip leg is at the bottom of the vertical supply line after the tee to the hot water heater. There also should be a gas valve on the vertical supply line to before the tee to the gas appliance.

Inspection & Writing Assignment:

Electric Water Heater Inspection

Overview: Electric water heater installed and built in 2005. Even though it is now 14 years old, there are no signs of water leaks under the tank, nor from any of the fittings.
The main cold water inlet shut off valve (ball valve) is accessible even though it is located under a shelf. The shelf is also easily removable to repair or replace the water heater.
The TPR valve has two defects.

  1. It has a reduction collar and a smaller drain pipe than the valve’s exit fitting size.
  2. The drain pipe does not exit onto the floor or waste receptor, and an air gap is not visible. The drain pipe enters the wall and seems to share the drainage system used by the washing machine. The last water heater installation seemed to follow the builder’s original installation instead of approved practices.
    I recommend rerouting the TPR drain pipe to exit to within 6 of the floor, and to use a drain pipe the same size as the TPR valves fitting, with no reduction collar.
    The original manufacturer’s spec label is still readable.

Research & Writing Assignment:

Essay used image from this link
https://www.nachi.org/gallery/?level=picture&id=1163

This illustration of an electric hot water heater shows the sacrificial anode (usually made of aluminum or magnesium), as a stand alone unit, but they can also be found attached directly to and under the hot water exit fitting. The illustration also shows the cold water inlet down low on the tank’s side. But the cold water inlet is also often found on top of the tank, delivering the cold water low into the inside of the tank via a dip tube, which is open on the bottom and also has holes along it’s side to help stir up the water and helps to keep sediments from settling. A hole in the top of the drip tube inside the tank, helps keep it from siphoning.

Research & Writing Assignment:

Expansion tanks are metal tanks connected to the potable water system of a home to accommodate the expansion of water. As water is heated for domestic use, it expands in volume requiring a place to go hence the term expansion tanks.

Inspection & Writing Assignment:

Water is dripping from supply line to the exterior top of expansion tank causing rust damage. The expansion tank provides the heated domestic hot water somewhere to go as its volume expands. Recommend further evaluation by a certified licensed plumber.

Inspection & Writing Assignment:

This is a picture of an electric water heater. It is installed in the basement of a home. It has a tpr valve however it does not have a drain pipe attached. The pipe is required to be within six inches of the floor and have an air gap. It must also be visible.

Research & Writing Assignment:

I looked at a picture of gas fired water heater with a sediment trap. This is necessary on gas water heaters and furnaces to allow particulates and water from condensation to drop out prior to the appliance. It is also important to have a valve in line prior to the trap to allow the gas to be shut off and the trap to be cleaned.

Inspection & Writing Assignment:

This is a pic of the water heater. It is located inside the laundry closet. The fuel/energy source is electric. It is a 40 gallon tank. The electric supply cabling is of the proper size and appears to be in good condition. The TPR valve is present and has a discharge tube attached and extends down the length of the heater before turning and terminating on the outside of the dwelling. There is some evidence of corrosion on both the hot/cold water pipes, but no leaking was observed. Recommend monitoring to make sure a leak does not appear

Research & Writing Assignment:

TPR valves (Temperature/Pressure Relief) are an integral safety feature on water heaters. The TPR valve is designed to open if the pressure inside the tank reaches 150 psi, or if the temperature of the water in the tank reaches 210 degrees. A discharge pipe is connected to the valve and runs down the length of the heater and terminates no more than 6" above a proper indirect waste receptor. It is important that the valve be tested regularly to make sure the valve opens properly.

Inspection & Writing Assignment:

The electrical panel we see has a few outstanding defiencies that needs to be corrected. The first one is the panel cover has no legend on it making it impossible to see what curcuits turn off what lights.Also the panel is beginning to rust from humidity.

Research & Writing Assignment:

Ant inspections are very important to home owners, they can tell if there are ants or termites.Winged ants are often mistaken for winged termites, they can be distinguished by 3 main things. The ants body is constricted,ants front wings are larger than back wings and worker ants have straight antennae and termites are elbowed.

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