The Home Depot has a tool rental for DIY projects for remodeling or maintenance jobs that might be just a one time occurrence and you don’t own that tool or want to purchase the tool like drum sanders and edge sanders or commercial carpet cleaners and painting jobs scaffold you cant store in your garage or paint sprayers and even auto feed drain snakes so if you have the know how you can rent the tool and do it yourself.
The electric water heater doesnt necessarily always look like this graphic, but it will have all the same connections. Not always connected to the hot water outlet, the sacrificial anode rod can be its own entryway (seen on top here looking like a plug). The cold water should enter the chamber at the bottom although the attachment could be directly on top as long as the dip tube extends through and discharges below. An electrical supply is needed and as always the TPR must be within the top 6 inches of the water heater.
Sometimes when inspecting a water heater you may find an expansion tank. The purpose of the tank is to accommodate volume fluctuations present in the main tank. Check the expansion tank for leaks, security, corrosion, and positioning.
https://www.nachi.org/water-heater-expansion-tanks.htm
This is a residential water heater that has been plumbed with copper. The TPR valve progresses into the wall behind the water heater and not through an air gap in the same room. The water heater was not corroded, did not leak, and produced adequate hot water for the home.
How to Inspect Water Heater Tanks
I inspected my Reem electric water heater. One picture shows the TPR valve sitting on top of the heater. It is rated for the 150psi and 210 degree standard. It is also vented through the wall to the outside in case it ever vents. The other picture shows the plumbing and electrical wiring on top. Cold water coming in with a shut off valve. The hot water going out and the home water shut off close by on the wall. Thanks
I researched the Temperature/Relief Valve (TPR valve). The valve should be connected to a discharge pipe that discharges so as not cause damage or harm. The pressure at which it discharges should be clearly marked on the valve. Although the valve may never be used it is an essential safety feature for the heater. Thanks
For this writing assignment I inspected a gas water heater. The water heater is raised at least 18 inches above the ground. There is a fuel shutoff located at the unit.
https://www.nachi.org/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=191171&stc=1&d=1492730487
For this research exercise I read the article on expansion tanks. I learned that the common pressure for water tanks are rated for 150 PSI. The expansion tank is NOT a substitute for a temperature pressure relief valve.
Water heater inspection. This water heater is installed in a utility closet. There is no water leak catch pan installed.
I looked at the septic systems illustrations. I thought that the illustration on the conventional absorption field was helpful to see how they work.
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I inspected my water heater. It is an A.O. Smith 66 Gallons electric unit. I started at the top and worked my way down checking for leaks corrosion. There was a minor leak at the hot water outlet. The thermostats on both heating elements were set to 120 degrees. There were no leaks at either element.
I read “Put your inspection business all over the Internet!” I had done most of what was listed but there were a few items I had not done yet. This article helped me to get through the list and check off each item. I just hope someone will find me in one of the search engines.
This is a picture of a water heater in a townhouse. The TPR drains through flexible piping through the wall to an undetermined location. This water heater was located in a hallway closet, limited access for maintenance/repairs and has no drip pan. This does have the proper seismic restrains. This is a newer unit in good condition, recommend qualified professional evaluate and clean.
Research Exercise: " Water Heater Expansion Tanks- Nick Gromicko and Kenton Shepard
This article goes over the points made in the course about expansion tanks. What I took away from this article is, although they are not required in every area, expansion tanks are important for the safety of the potable water of a home. The key things an inspector needs to check on an expansion tank are: location, supports, corrosion, and leakage.
This is a picture of an A.O Smith Heat pump Hot water heater. Tpr valve is piped correctley. the heater is located in the garage so there is no drain pan installed. all plumbing conections are clean and free from corrosion. there are no concerns with this
just looked at the water heater dating chart. It has always been a strugle to find the date of equipment untill the charts started to show up. I found a web site that i have downloaded onto my tablet that workes the same as the chart. so when you select the brand it showes you how to read the labels and covers diferent styles if there are for the model. the site is Buildingcenter.org
They cover HVAC and water heater’s
Electric Hot Water Tank
The photo below shows the top of an 80 gallon capacity electric hot water tank. The electric wire was the correct size at 10 AWG, Type NM-B with a connection clamp at the entry of the tank. A 30-amp breaker was in the electric panel and labeled on the panel. The hot and cold water piping is ¾" copper with unions for easy tank replacement. The cold water supply line shut-off valve had a missing handle.
I visited the photo gallery and located the Electric Hot Water Tank for my research. The photo shows the sacrificial anode rod inserted from the top of the hot water tank. This tank has the cold water supply entering the bottom of the tank which eliminates the need for a dip tube to transport the cold water to the bottom area. Entry of cold water at the bottom aids in preventing sediment to settle and remain at the bottom. A shut-off valve is on the cold water supply line. The temperature-pressure relief valve is installed with an extension pipe close to the floor to protect occupants from a discharge of hot water.
While inspecting this water tank I noticed multiple defects. The flue piping does not have 3 screws at each of the connections. Also, the expansion tank due to being connected horizontally needs to be strapped and secured which it is not. The TPR valve is placed in the top six inches of the top of the tank and has the proper piping to the flooring.
I analyzed the electric water heater picture. In this I noticed that there is no dip tube but since the cold water input is placed at the bottom of the tank it is ok. Th stance has the sacrificial rod needed and its TPR Valve is in the top six inches of the tank with proper piping down to the floor. There is also a drain at the bottom of the tank to hook a hose to and flush it out. This tank looks good to go and has no visual defects.