It never ceases to amaze me that in plumbing service, water heaters will act up in cycles. This past week could very well have been deemed water heater week at Fogarty & Fogarty Plumbing Co., Inc. located in Murrells Inlet, Sc.
We received a call to check a water heater that was not heating in a vacation rental property located in the city of Myrtle Beach. When we arrived, we noticed the breaker was off. Further diagnostics revealed the lower element was not functioning. Under normal circumstances, this would have been an easy repair requiring a drain down of the water heater.
Prior to presenting the owner his options, we checked the manufacture date of the water heater. The water heater was 21 years old! Draining down the water heater was no longer an option due to the age. When water heaters are not maintained and flushed as recommended by the manufacturer, rust and debris accumulate on the bottom of the tank. Draining and recharging the heater would put undue stress on an older tank. The recommendation was to replace the water heater.
The water heater was a Table Top model. We were able to save the owner a lot of money by converting over to a standard LowBoy water heater. Table Top units are typically 2 – 3 times the cost of a standard water heater.
Within three hours of the initial call, a new water heater was installed and the renters were happy that they were going to have plenty of hot water.
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