Ok so as per mobile home life, we finally get a cold night and of course the water line breaks under a home just as dark sets in. Of course it breaks BEFORE the cut off so I have to cut the water off to the entire park.
I live over an hour and a half away so I call a tenant to turn off the water main and contact a local guy to make the repair.
I call all the tenants and ask them to turn off the breakers for the water heaters. Can’t reach two tenants.
Guess which two suddenly no longer have hot water?
Sanity would be installing check valves in the supply lines so the darn water heater wouldn’t drain. Insanity is not taking the time to figure out which ones need them.
Tony,
I feel your angst. I would go ahead and install BFP’s in all homes. The PVC ones are cheap and I would install them right at the water heater, quick and easy. It’s amazing that modern water heaters do not have built in protection for overheating. I wonder if going down on the breaker amperage would work. As the element heats up the resistance/amperage draw goes up. So an element does not draw it’s full rating in water but quickly draws that in air? Any ideas from someone who knows more about electricity?
Don
Some you lose, some you win. I just repo’d a home the PM said water was pouring out the bottom. Apparently the kitchen faucet froze and expanded. When it thawed, it shot the handle off and only wrecked 1/3 of the new hardwood floor in the living room. The kitchen was vinyl tile and survived intact except there is a sink-hole right in front of the sink. Isn’t that where it is supposed to be? The neighbor informed the PM that my T/B left stealthily 25 days ago. Thanks for the heads up Mr. vigilant neighbor.
Replaced faucet today, no other leaks. I’m thrilled. Will winterize on Mon. before it gets cold again.