DIYbanter - View Single Post - Our water heater is 14 years old

HeyBub[_3_]

wrote:
Companies like that love to get into your wallet.......
My elderly mother was nearly a victim when they told her that she was
going to die from carbon monoxide, because the water heater was vented
into a lined block chimney and there is an unused hole in the chimney.
She got a new furnace which vents outside with a pvc pipe. After they
installed the furnace they had this extra hole from the former
furnace. They told her that the chimney needs to be replaced at a
cost of almost $6000. The way they told her, she thought the end was
near, and she would die any moment, if she did not spend that money.

I plugged the hole with a metal cap and some mortar, but mom insisted
that she was still going to die unless the chimney was replaced.
I told her what I did was safe as well as done all the time. She
still did not believe me, so I told her I would call a building
inspector. Rather than call the inspector, I called the furnace
company and told them they must either come and inspect the chimney,
and give a written letter to my mother, saying it's safe, or they
would be sued by my attorney for lying to an elderly person and
upsetting their health.

The guy told me that they just RECOMMENDED the chimney be replaced,
and it was likely safe for just a water heater. I told the asshole
that is NOT what he told my mother, and on her furnace receipt it said
"customer refused required chimney replacement". He said he would
speak with the installer. I never heard back from them after a month,
so I had my attorney contact them. A few days later they send one of
their installers over, he looked at the chimney, and wrote "it appears
safe for a water heater, but not recommended for any furnaces",

I'm damn tired of these companies lying to seniors to rip them off.

Now, she is dealing with some idiot that came to her door and told her
that the tree in her yard was dying and needs to be taken down, at a
cost of $3500. So now she believes the tree is going to fall on the
house. I really got on her case about talking to any door to door
sales people that she did not hire, and told her the tree is fine.
I'm waiting for her to find the business card from that company, and
they will get some nasty words from me.

As for your water heater. You too have been brainwashed by a crook.
*** Dont fix what is NOT broken ***

Before my dad passed away, he knew about that crack, and so did I.
It's because there was once several holes in there for the furnace,
water heater, and a space heater.

Here's another example:

GOT TO KNOW WHEN TO HOLD 'EM

"A man pretending to be a United War [sic - probably "Water"] employee
gained entry to an apartment on Cator Avenue in Jersey City this afternoon
and then stole $3,650 from the 91-year-old resident..."

He told the woman to hold down the toilet flush handle or the apartment
would explode. While granny was running the water, the rodent ransacked her
apartment.

http://www.nj.com/hudson/index.ssf/2...ior_holds.html