water heaters etc.

leonz

Let me pose this scenario to the members;

If one wished to have his water heater raised and placed on solid concrete and called the propane supplier "with new owners" that installed this Bradford White water heater which is the third one in 39 years of being a customer of theirs.

I asked if they could come by and raise the water heater 6 inches off the floor with half blocks and install a hot water rated expansion tank for me because the concrete is bad/ turning to powder and I want to reconnect the domestic coil on the my coal stoker
because the propress fittings the plumbers installed failed and as a result drained my well.

Then it started, "we only raise propane tanks" "we do not raise installed water heaters off the floor". I said this is the third water heater I have bought from you in 39 years of being a propane customer of yours.
All I am asking you to do is cut the soft copper you used to install this one and put half blocks under it and plumb in the 2 gallon expansion tank for me.

"We will not do it because if the drain valve fails we are liable for the replacement of the water heater" "AND WE DONT DO PLUMBING".

Does anyone see the fallacy in this statement?????????????????????????????

I guess some alien force came and plumbed in and soldered the copper connections for the 3 water heaters I bought from them.

To say I was disappointed with the above statement is the least of the aggravation with this. I was told "call a plumber" "we don't do much plumbing".

So, if the drain valve fails to seal why can't the valve simply be replaced?

Part of me also says why can't they use an air compressor to blow the water out of it to simply reduce the weight of the water heater. Yes, I know about the check valve in the water heater to stop ghost flow.

Air compressors are used to drain water softener resin bed tanks of water when people no longer want to rent them, so I fail to see thier logic when simply opening the nearest hot water spigot on the laundry tub would accomplish this in two or three minutes.

Larry Weingarten

Hi, Either they want less business or can't find any help... Looks like you get to do the job! It shouldn't be difficult, really. I'd start by shutting water to the heater off and seeing it it can be drained down, to lighten it. If so, great. Also a good time to install a full port brass ball valve as the drain. Redoing the plumbing could be as simple as sweating on male adapters on the hot and cold lines and after placing the tank on blocks, hooking up the plumbing with flex connectors. I think I'd also check/replace the anode rod and relief valve. That way the tank will be safe and last longer. In nearly all cases, the tank will last as long as you keep a good anode in it.

Yours, Larry

leonz

Hello Larry and thanks much for the detailed response.

The employees that worked for the old owners that installed this water heater used what I am going to assume is refrigerant grade soft copper which I believe is also used for the propane gas as well.

The fine fellows that installed the first 30 gallon Bradford White used female flared fittings to connect the refrigerant grade copper to the water heater and soldered the refrigerant grade copper to the hard copper that was originally part of the 80 gallon electric water heater that came with this place that was wired into the house on the night rate electric system we have.

At most I would raise/push the soft copper up by 8 inches to have room to work and there is plenty of copper in the bends of two lines to do the work.


I am confident that I can do the work now.

1. tape and pipe dope I have, concrete 1/2 blocks I have
No tape or pipe dope on the flared fittings.

Need to buy list

2. replacement anode rod
3. full port female-female ball valve
4. 2-inch pipe nipple


Thanks much Larry,


Leon

pedmec

Sounds to me that the new owners are just playing by the rules. To lift a water heater it is fairly easy proposition. My guess is they probably had an liability issue before and just don't want to take the chance of something happening again.

Having been in the trade for almost 30 years i can barely recognize it. technology has change our industry just like everyone else's. I use to be so excited when i bought a new corded tool and now the younger generation laugh at me because they only use cordless. i couldn't imagine cutting steel pipe with a cordless back in the day. it would not last. now its standard practice.

The reason why i say this is because its so much easier to get in trouble. i had a tax issue with my state and they pulled my master and journeyman plumbing license. my brother-law had the same issue and they (the state) not only took his plumbing license, they took his driving license. and it took getting pulled over to realize that.

So understand that unless they have a licensed plumber on record in the company, he legally cannot do it. i'm pretty sure he doesn't want to lose your business. If he got his license to work with propane suspended he probably has no other income.