Search RoHo Blog

Saturday, May 14, 2011

Hot Water Heater on the Fritz

Talk about things that you take for granted...

I am all about time in my kitchen and I truly look forward to trying to make some good food and having people over to enjoy it. But it takes hot water to make that happen. And I've got trouble with the hot water heater that services the downstairs, including the kitchen, the master bathroom, the powder room, and the laundry room.

I was really looking forward to a long-overdue visit from friend and colleague Robb Warfield, with whom I first worked when the Simon G. Atkins High School Complex was opening several years ago. He's been out of the country for the last three years as a missionary in Africa. When our mutual friend Bradley Phillis decided it was high time we all got together, I offered to cook up some dinner.


I had noticed that the power vent was running continuously before I left for Richmond County but just assumed it was trying to catch up on processing the gas exhaust from this hot water heater. But alas, it seems that the power vent is stuck in a running mode, which means it thinks it still has fumes to dissipate and discharge, which means that the hot water heater's element will not fire up and make more hot water.


In the original installation of this massive gas hot water heater almost two years ago, they ran into this problem: my hot water ran out and it turns out that the power vent was not completing its cycle and allowing the heating element to kick back on again. Then, about a year ago, I had the problem again, but it self-corrected by the time the plumber who installed it got around to returning my phone call to him about it.


So at this point, there's barely even luke-warm water coming out of the faucet. Thank goodness it's a separate electric hot water heater that services the upstairs bathrooms, because showering and washing hands and such continue unabated.

But I hate being at home and not being able to get my cooking on.



UPDATE [Monday May 16, 2011]: After a second call to Jamie's Plumbing, the original installer, two crew members came out at around 10 am Monday morning. They worked with it for about 2½ hours without fully resolving why the power vent stayed stuck in its cycle. So, $225.00 later, I again have hot water and am psyched to get back to my kitchen proclivities.

No comments: