Had a call once where the “broken” heater was just unplugged—someone wanted to use the outlet for a vacuum and forgot to plug it back in. Felt silly, but hey, better than replacing a whole unit for nothing. I’m with you—always check the easy stuff first.
“broken” heater was just unplugged—someone wanted to use the outlet for a vacuum and forgot to plug it back in.
That’s classic. I’ve been on jobs where folks swore the water heater was shot, but it was just the breaker tripped. Always feels a bit awkward flipping a switch and calling it fixed, but hey, saves everyone time and money. I do wish more people checked the basics before panicking, but then again, I guess that’s job security...
Happens more than folks think. I once got called out for a “dead” water heater, only to find the pilot light was out—probably from someone moving boxes around in the basement. Five minutes later, hot water’s back and I’m the hero (or the villain, depending on who’s paying the bill).
Honestly, I get why people panic. No hot shower in the morning? That’s a crisis in some households. But yeah, nine times out of ten, it’s something simple—breaker, unplugged, or just a tripped reset button.
I do kinda wish people would check those things first, but then again, I’ve seen what happens when someone tries to “fix” plumbing themselves... let’s just say I’d rather flip a switch than mop up a flood.
I do kinda wish people would check those things first, but then again, I’ve seen what happens when someone tries to “fix” plumbing themselves... let’s just say I’d rather flip a switch than mop up a flood.
Couldn’t agree more—sometimes the “quick fix” turns into a full-blown disaster. I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve shown up after someone’s tried to “just tighten a valve” and ended up with water spraying everywhere. Out of curiosity, has anyone here actually had a water heater go bad for real, like tank rusted through or element fried? Or is it always the simple stuff?
Had a call last winter where the tank actually rusted through—water everywhere, and the poor guy thought it was just a leaky fitting at first. By the time I got there, it looked like a kiddie pool in his basement. Most of the time, though, it’s just a tripped breaker or a bad thermostat. But yeah, when those tanks go, they don’t mess around...
