Hire a professional for your water heater repair in Atlanta, and sleep safely tonight.
It’s Just a Water Heater. What Could Go Wrong?
When your water heater fails, the results can be disastrous: a flood of scalding water, an exploding tank, and even a fire. These are all examples of what can happen when your water heater fails. But the most sinister one is the least obvious: carbon monoxide poisoning.
What Is Carbon Monoxide?
Carbon monoxide is an odorless, colorless gas. It’s created when coal, propane, kerosene, oil, gasoline, and/or natural gas are burned. It is virtually undetectable, and several thousand people are hospitalized for carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning every year. Hundreds die. In fact, it is the leading cause of poison related deaths in the United States. And some of those cases are the result of poorly maintained or improperly installed water heaters.
What to Do If Your Water Heater Breaks
First, figure out what kind of energy your water heater uses. Electric, propane, and solar-powered are all possibilities, but the most common type in the U.S. is natural gas. If your water heater is electric or solar-powered, then the danger of CO poisoning is greatly reduced. But if it’s of the propane or natural gas variety, then carbon monoxide poisoning is a risk for you.
An easy way to ID the energy source is to look for a pilot light. If your tank has a pilot light, then it has a propane or natural gas source. Ask yourself how much you know about your water heater. Did you purchase and have it installed by a professional? Or did you recently buy a house and it came with it? Are there records of service? How old is it? As a general rule, water heaters have a 6 to 12 year life span and, with regular maintenance, you can push a bit beyond that.
Older Water Heater?
Maybe you don’t know much about your water heater, other than it came with your house – and now it’s not working right. That’s okay! First, make sure the outside of your tank doesn’t look visibly damaged. If the outside is showing signs of discoloration or damage, call a professional immediately. Even if there’s no risk of carbon monoxide poisoning, you don’t want 30 gallons of boiling water pouring into your closet or crawl space.
Next, make sure the parts connected to the tank seem to be in good shape. Water heaters generally have an intake pipe for bringing cool water in and an outflow pipe to send hot water back in to your house. There is also a vent pipe the leads up and to the outside.
It’s important that the vent pipe is equal in diameter to the vent opening. It also should be in structurally sound condition, and vent straight up and out. If there is corrosion or damage to the vent pipe, or if it dips down at any point before exiting the building, call a professional immediately. If not vented properly, carbon monoxide will flow back into your house, posing great danger to you and your family.
Finally, make sure you have a carbon monoxide detector located close to where your water heater is set up. There are a variety of options available on the market, but the ones that plug directly into a wall socket ensure you never have to worry about batteries running out.
Broken Water Heater? We Can Help
If you’re in Midtown Atlanta, call the pros at Morningside Plumbing. We’ve been in business 40 years and believe there’s only one way to do things: the right way. We’ll tell you if your water heater can be repaired, or if it needs a replacement. Plus, we offer 24/7 emergency services.
Don’t wait. Click this link or call us right away at 404-873-1881 to schedule an appointment for water heater repair in Atlanta, and we’ll even knock $20 off your first service call. You get peace of mind knowing your family is resting safe, and we get the satisfaction of earning another happy customer.