ebonlock | (no subject)

So I took today off because I wanted to confirm that the dripping sound I've been hearing after I run the sinks in the bathrooms was nothing to worry about. I checked out plumbers on Yelp and found one that was highly rated so set up an appointment for today. The guy showed up late but at least I got a call to tell me when he would be arriving.

At any rate it turns out the sound is perfectly normal and doesn't indicate a leak, so yay. Just to be thorough, though, the guy turned off the water and then opened up the faucets to just check that everything was ok. It seemed to be until we noticed the water was coming out brown. He thought it might be possible I might need a new hot water heater. I know that sounds terrible, but as everything in the house is covered by a warranty for the first year it wouldn't have actually been that bad so I didn't panic or anything.

After checking the age of the water heater, though, he quickly realized what the problem was. I've got very hard water, which is no big shock as pretty much everyone out here does, but in addition to that the former owner hadn't been doing simple yearly maintenance which includes attaching a hose to the water heater and emptying it out. He showed me the process then quizzed me on it to make sure I understood it and it's dead easy. Seriously, a well trained monkey would have no problem doing this but the last owner apparently couldn't be bothered.

And, you know, I didn't think my opinion of the guy could lower any further.

Anyway the plumber suggested not cooking with the water directly from the tap, which I don't do anyway but I'm going to make sure I don't use it for the cats' water bowls either. It does explain the reddish/brown stains I'd noticed on the showerhead and washer *sigh*.

On the plus side, no major problems and I now know how to properly maintain the water heater and the plumber pointed out the emergency water shut off to me and showed me how to turn it off in case of an emergency.

Still, gah!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

gah, but sounds all normal

It's just frustrating that the man didn't bother with even basic maintenance for so long. I mean I realized he'd done so with his gardening but hadn't thought it would extend to major appliances and such as well.

yeah that the plumber showed you how to drain the bad water on a regular basis.

boo to previous owner

so do you have brita/pur filters on all faucets?

did you leave a good review on Yelp for the plumber?

so glad you don't have to replace the hot water heater! from the sounds of it, it seems the owner would give you major grief about the cost of it, warranty or not.

so do you have brita/pur filters on all faucets?

I have a Brita pitcher, a Culligan filter on the kitchen sink and a big thing of spring water so I think I'm ok for the moment. Might be good to pick up filters for all the faucets, though, you're right.

did you leave a good review on Yelp for the plumber?

I left a glowing one, good service deserves to be commended.

so glad you don't have to replace the hot water heater! from the sounds of it, it seems the owner would give you major grief about the cost of it, warranty or not.

Oh I'm sure he would've tried but I could've easily taken him to court and won with the plumber's testimony. I just shudder to think what he's doing to his new house.

Well take the water heater, we didn't know about draining it (ours every 6-12 mos) until our original one broke.

I like the "George" mood icon. He's my favorite character in that series.

We don't have hard water here, but I'm still supposed to flush our new water heater every six months or so, (which I do.) You might also watch out for lime deposits on your shower tile and sinks.

Hard water sucks, but it can be dealt with. And even with hard water you still have a great place!