Life without a hot water heater (home electrical question)

[LittleLebowski]

SUCKS. Why can't home contractors answer the phone or keep their word? I had to order this immersible heater (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B081SRPGWK/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o08_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1) for baths and it does work albeit slowly and sometimes we have to boil water on the stove to accelerate it.

Question: this immersible water heater reset all of the GFCI plugs in my house. I assume that another one like it, even on a different breaker/circuit in my house might be too much electrical draw? Feel free to point and laugh.

[Malamute]

How many amps is the breaker on the gfci circuit that tripped? Is there any way to tell if the wire for that circuit is 12 or 14 gauge? It will be printed in the wire jacket if any is exposed where you can see it. 12 ga for 20 amp, 14ga for 15 amp. If the wire is 14 amp or circuit 15 amp your device is at the limit of that.

Try it on another non-gfci outlet. Ive had a number of gfci's fail, some right out of the box new.

[LittleLebowski]

The breakers are labeled for amps; you think it will be safe if I have each of them on a separate 20amp? If I'm pushing the limits here, I can always hook up my genny to one.

[Malamute]

It should be fine on a 20 amp circuit, just be sure its actually wired with 12 ga wire if possible. Not sure what the actual copper wire diameter is (can google it) if you have a caliper and can shut the power off at the main and pull the panel cover off. Most 12 ga wire seems to be yellow, most 14 ga white jacket. That would be a first clue but Id want to double check if possible. Theres usually about 1/2" of jacket inside the panel where the wire enters.

[lwt16]

I've installed several electric water heaters over the years. I used compression fittings to avoid having to flux/sweat/solder the joints.

I've been told that gas water heaters are more complicated and best left to pros. But the electric ones are super simple. The hardest part is usually draining the old one so you can move it.

Big giant caveat: assuming your heater is easy to get to. Mine is in an outer room and super simple to get to. I've heard horror stories of them being in tight spaces.

[Darth_Uno]

That heater pulls 1500 watts, which on a 110v circuit is about 13.6 amps.

Now even on a 20 amp circuit, most residential GFCI's are still only rated for 15 amps. So it wouldn't be surprising at all if it the heater pops the GFCI's. If you have a 20 amp circuit, you can replace the GFCI with a 20 amp commercial unit.

What's wrong with the primary water heater?

[LittleLebowski]

What's wrong with the primary water heater?

Front access panel around its fuse and temp control melted, caught on fire. It had been popping its fuse near daily for weeks.

[randyho]

Front access panel around its fuse and temp control melted, caught on fire. It had been popping its fuse near daily for weeks.

and?

[NEPAKevin]

I've installed several electric water heaters over the years. I used compression fittings to avoid having to flux/sweat/solder the joints.

I've been told that gas water heaters are more complicated and best left to pros. But the electric ones are super simple. The hardest part is usually draining the old one so you can move it.

Big giant caveat: assuming your heater is easy to get to. Mine is in an outer room and super simple to get to. I've heard horror stories of them being in tight spaces.

Ditto. The first one I did was pre-youtube and I still managed to not electrocute myself, blow anything up or burn down the house.

[TQP]

I've replaced my water heater a couple of times now. The first time I was smart enough to put in 1/4 turn shutoffs on the in and out, which means I can remove the tank and still leave the water on in the house.

It's dead simple to replace one, assuming you're putting the same sized tank back in. Use the flex connectors and it's even easier.

[Darth_Uno]

Front access panel around its fuse and temp control melted, caught on fire. It had been popping its fuse near daily for weeks.

Oh, well, I was gonna say to just check the element for continuity and that'll (usually) tell you if it's burned out. But you actually do need a whole unit.

[Borderland]

I replaced one about 10 years ago. I'm going to replace ours as soon as I can find a contractor to rewire the feed from the junction box to the heater. I tried to get a plumber to replace it and he said the wiring wasn't to code and he couldn't do it. So now it's a rewiring problem also. You're problem may be the same as mine. The idiot (not me) that wired the house used 18 ga in a pair and the inspector didn't catch it. The house was new so no inspection. I don't want to get caught when we sell trying to get it to code.

If you don't have a wiring problem like I do, hot water heaters are easy if you have some help with getting it in position. Just make sure you have the right breakers turned of cause that 220 will dust your ass. Get a volt tester to check the wire for current. We wouldn't want a new CEO.

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Klein-Tools-Non-Contact-Voltage-Tester-NCVT-1SEN/100661787

[LittleLebowski]

and?

And I hit the breaker since it was literally on fire. Then I called my home warranty idiots, they sent an contractor two days later whom affirmed it needed replaced, and then everyone stopped communicating.

[randyho]

And I hit the breaker since it was literally on fire. Then I called my home warranty idiots, they sent an contractor two days later whom affirmed it needed replaced, and then everyone stopped communicating.
I was totally joking. Once things start melting? bad juju. Waiting on two tradesman myself, apparently business is amazing and I've got a 5 week, so far, wait ahead of me. I have a 220 circuit I need installed and my electrician's slammed. Hoping to get him in prior to July. I checked, he doesn't do NoVA.

I think a lot of people stuck at home are spending their time noticing a lot of stuff in their immediate surroundings that's jacked up. Or, at least that theory's consistent with the lines I'm seeing at HD and Lowes and the wait times we're experiencing.

[Darth_Uno]

I think a lot of people stuck at home are spending their time noticing a lot of stuff in their immediate surroundings that's jacked up. Or, at least that theory's consistent with the lines I'm seeing at HD and Lowes and the wait times we're experiencing.

Absolutely. My new home sales have slowed to almost a dead stop. People are being cautious, I get it.

But my remodeling is through the roof. I'm booked for months, and so is everybody else I know in the business. My guess, like yours, is people got tired of looking at their busted or outdated rooms/projects every day. I do make it a point to look at your job immediately, but it might be a couple weeks before you get a quote back. Besides my own day-to-day operations that pile up, my suppliers are backed up on estimates too.

I'm more of a "total project" contractor though. If you call me to replace a water heater or bad breaker, I'll tell you to call a plumber or electrician. It's cheaper for you (you won't get my markup), and honestly I don't have time for small jobs. There's a lot of very good handyman guys out there I recommend for those types of calls.

[Malamute]

You might ask the rep for the home warranty if you and your family can come over to their house to take showers until its fixed,.... or if you can get someone else, like yourself, that would be paid to do it with materials covered by the warranty of course.

[Blades]

And I hit the breaker since it was literally on fire. Then I called my home warranty idiots, they sent an contractor two days later whom affirmed it needed replaced, and then everyone stopped communicating.


I work for a property management company and we all dislike home warranty companies. The property managers call, put the phone on speaker and go about their business for 40-60 minutes hoping someone answers "soon". When something is broken they like to throw parts at it and then send a few different vendors out. A few weeks later it may be fixed. They'll ship parts to the vendors instead of letting them buy it locally-- more delays. :(

Good luck.

[Borderland]

I was totally joking. Once things start melting? bad juju. Waiting on two tradesman myself, apparently business is amazing and I've got a 5 week, so far, wait ahead of me. I have a 220 circuit I need installed and my electrician's slammed. Hoping to get him in prior to July. I checked, he doesn't do NoVA.

I think a lot of people stuck at home are spending their time noticing a lot of stuff in their immediate surroundings that's jacked up. Or, at least that theory's consistent with the lines I'm seeing at HD and Lowes and the wait times we're experiencing.

I called 5 electricians. Only one answered the phone. He said he was too busy and gave me a few #s (https://pistol-forum.com/usertag.php?do=list&action=hash&hash=s) to call. Dead end.

Took me 6 weeks to find a sheetrock guy last summer. If I was a high school grad I would seriously be looking at some type of apprentice program in the trades. This is ridiculous.

[AKDoug]

It's probably the lower thermostat. Pretty darn easy to replace.

[willie]

When replacing bottom heating element, hydrogen gas can burn out the top element when juice is turned back own. There's a trick for avoiding this like allowing tank to fill in such a way that air space between top of tank and highest water level is diminished.

I never heard of a home warranty company that was reliable. Once I had this warranty and eventually told the owner to buy a wooden bill and go peck shit with the chickens.

[MistWolf]

SUCKS. Why can't home contractors answer the phone or keep their word? I had to order this immersible heater (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B081SRPGWK/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o08_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1) for baths and it does work albeit slowly and sometimes we have to boil water on the stove to accelerate it.

Question: this immersible water heater reset all of the GFCI plugs in my house. I assume that another one like it, even on a different breaker/circuit in my house might be too much electrical draw? Feel free to point and laugh.

"Congratulations! Your free trial of socialism has been extended another 30 days. Don't forget to SHARE and LIKE on Facebook to show your support"

[SecondsCount]

I don't mean to sound like safety sally but if you have anything in your house that is tripping GFCI's, I would strongly recommend getting rid of it or figuring out exactly why it is doing it. All it takes is 10 milliamps of current to kill someone and having water in the mix makes it even worse.

As far as the hot water heater is concerned, they are very straightforward to replace. I replaced mine a couple times, although they were gas. Feel free to post pics with questions and I'm sure we can help walk you through it.

[LittleLebowski]

I don't mean to sound like safety sally but if you have anything in your house that is tripping GFCI's, I would strongly recommend getting rid of it or figuring out exactly why it is doing it. All it takes is 10 milliamps of current to kill someone and having water in the mix makes it even worse.


That’s one of the reasons why I started this thread :D

[LittleLebowski]

And I hit the breaker since it was literally on fire. Then I called my home warranty idiots, they sent an contractor two days later whom affirmed it needed replaced, and then everyone stopped communicating.

As previously noted, I can repair the water heater myself and would do so if I did not have a home warranty.

[UNK]

Dude I dont know if you know how GFCIs work so here it is. Basically current never goes away. Whatever current goes in has to go out.(via the Black in and White out wires) So the GFCI measures this. If there is a difference between in and out current it trips. So this means the current is going somewhere besides the correct path. This is really bad juju. Get another heater if it does the same thing get a different brand.
current kills you by stopping your heart and in very small amounts.

[LittleLebowski]

Dude I dont know if you know how GFCIs work so here it is. Basically current never goes away. Whatever current goes in has to go out.(via the Black in and white out wires) So the GFCI measures this. If there is a difference between in and out current it trips. So this means the current is going somewhere besides the correct path. This is really bad juju. Get another heater if it does the same thing get a different brand.
current kills you by stopping your heart and in very small amounts.

There's no danger now.

[UNK]

There's no danger now.

Cool and another note GFCIs dont trip on overcurrent. Thats the breakers job.

[Hambo]

As previously noted, I can repair the water heater myself and would do so if I did not have a home warranty.

So if you didn't have a home warranty this would be fixed already. How much are you paying for that peace of mind?

[rob_s]

If I was a high school grad I would seriously be looking at some type of apprentice program in the trades. This is ridiculous.

I’m in the commercial construction business, and our #1 concern by anyone paying attention is where to find the next generation of tradespeople.

It’s part of the reason I just chuckle whenever I hear about the plight of the unemployed millennial.

[LittleLebowski]

So if you didn't have a home warranty this would be fixed already. How much are you paying for that peace of mind?

I don’t want to talk about it, I just want my heat pump to die :(

[beenalongtime]

What does your contract say (any time expectations)?

You need to get squeaky. Didn't you say your disabled? Yea a home warranty company ignoring the disabled sounds like a good call for action type of story to me.

[LittleLebowski]

What does your contract say (any time expectations)?

You need to get squeaky. Didn't you say your disabled? Yea a home warranty company ignoring the disabled sounds like a good call for action type of story to me.

It got finally replaced yesterday afternoon. There is nothing you can do to hurry the situation. It’s a fucking pain.

[UNK]

I’m in the commercial construction business, and our #1 concern by anyone paying attention is where to find the next generation of tradespeople.

It’s part of the reason I just chuckle whenever I hear about the plight of the unemployed millennial.

Well you know their precious little malnourished vegan bodies probably cant handle actually working all day in the heat and cold.