Pete C. wrote:

mm wrote:

On Sat, 05 Feb 2011 06:28:29 GMT, wrote:

wrote:
On Feb 4, 10:32 pm, Ned wrote:
I had no idea there was a drain up tight in behind it. To bad it was set
into the concrete 5cm above the floor height.

Fortunately it was a relatively slow leak only causing a small pool of
water and although it soaked the sill plate it did not wick through and
get to the drywall on the other side.

I decided to cut the drain off with a saws-all with a long blade. Then I
added a pan with the pipe taking a 90° elbow right into the open drain.

In addition to the lousy job on the drain the gas line was run down from
the ceiling in front of the furnace and old water heater in such a way
as it all had to be taken out to get the old water heater out.

Had my bro-in-law (a plumber) move the main line in behind and added
some new flex line so it will be the last time it has to be take apart
like that again.

=Costs go up every year and I know I will have to change my 32 year old
water heater soon. It has done well...I guess glass-lined last longer
than the galvanized...hence its long life.
=

I used to be afraid the glass liner would break -- I think I heard
that they can -- but I cut open my Sears wh before I threw it away,
and it was really a thick sheet of plastic, with glass in it I guess.
I could pry it away from the metal outside, but it wasnt' easy.

Are any more fragile than this one?

I had a glass lined one in my old condo but I had to replace it a year
after the warrantee expired due to a bylaw (I helped put in place).

What rule are you talking about? No glass-lined wh's? Why?

I think he's referring to a rule about replacing water heaters when
their warranty expires. Since the warranty lengths generally correspond
to the manufacturer's assessment of the MTBF for the unit, such a rule
would have some effect at limiting water heater failures. In a multi
occupancy building where such a failure often affects other units, and
given the relatively low cost of water haters it's not a particularly
bad idea, though if proper catch pans and drains are in place a water
heater failure shouldn't be an issue anyway.

With 129 units in the Strata all but one having a proper pan and working
drain, I was surprised by how often the tank failures caused so much damage.

After discovering the cement in the one drain trap we test all of the
others (that we could). The majority of drain pipes ended a few inches
above the parking level floor up against the pillars so it was just a
matter of pouring a few litres of water down the drain and having
someone confirm it came out the other end.