The Hot Water Heater Eruption

 On Saturday, August 19, our hot water heater erupted. Our hot water heater is on a platform at the highest point of our two story house... for a reason. Johnny had it plumbed for solar originally and also for the hot water from the wood stove downstairs. Since hot water rises, the water warmed by the wood stove circulates upward to the tank, theoretically lowering our electric bill. The cooler water at the bottom of the tank circulates downward to be pre-heated by the wood stove. This time of year, that's a moot point.

I was watering in the greenhouse when I heard a thump which I assumed was Johnny doing something. He also heard it and thought a bird had hit a window. He went outside and saw water gushing out of the roof. He hollered. I went upstairs and saw water gushing out of the hot water heater, all over the floor and everything on it... which in my messy office is a lot of stuff.

So that began the Great Hot Water Heater saga. He hollered for me to turn off the hot water heater circuit breaker. He turned the water off and hooked up a hose to drain the tank safely out the upstairs window into the back yard. We mopped up the flood upstairs and rescued what was being soaked. 

And Johnny investigated what had happened. He says the lower heating element had blown out of the tank. It was an 80 gallon tank so there was a lot of water... 80 gallons worth. We were lucky to be home and inside when it happened! If we'd been gone for the day our whole house would have been flooded and I dread to think what would have happened when the still plugged in tank ran out of water to heat. After some gratefulness time, and a lot of cleaning up, we tried to find another 80 gallon tank to replace this one, installed new in 2010.

After much searching on the internet and finding only horrendously expensive tanks, Johnny went to town... and learned that nobody sells 80 gallon tanks anymore because they are "dangerous". They are still made but are "boilers", not hot water heaters. And not for installation in homes. So he bought a 50 gallon tank.

And then commenced the Great Tank Remodeling Project. But first the old heater had to come out. Happily we have friends and neighbors who are big and strong and volunteered to help. I did not watch the proceedings so do not know how they managed except Johnny said they had no problem. He had built a wooden platform from ladder to tank cupboard to see what had happened to cause the tank eruption and also, when he deemed it was not repairable, to cut four pipes holding it in place and the electric wire. That wooden structure served as a platform to get the old heater out and to a place where the two big guys could get it down. We opened the big window at the foot of the stairs and put up a wooden ramp to slide the heater down.

Then Johnny went to work remodeling the new heater to accommodate the solar and wood stove connections.Those same strong friends returned to put the new tank into place. Photos show the scene...

It takes a lot of tools to perform surgery on a hot water heater

the banished 80 gallon hot water heater

 It's very nice to have hot water again. But the upstairs is still full of tools and ladders, because Johnny says he is "not quite done" messing with the new heater. Sigh.