Today, I talked Joan into some kayaking. When we went to clean up first... no hot water. We have a tankless water heater - it works great, but like many things, it needs to be fixed once in a while. Ours seems to go through a temperature sensor every couple years. Not a big deal: determine which of the 4 sensors it is, turn off the power to the unit, drain the lines, replace the sensor, and you're back in hot water.
When I removed the sensor, a bit of plastic came out with it... yeah, that can't be good. I called the company; their tech support is in the good ol' US and they have always been helpful. "Well, you can replace the housing, or you can replace the whole unit. Replacing the whole unit will be way less work."
I looked at all the wires, connections, printed circuit board, more wires, and plumbing that would have to be removed and transferred to the new housing. She was right. I ordered a new unit. Knowing they are in Texas (Houston), I asked about overnight delivery on a Saturday. She said, "We have a warehouse in Weslaco (in the Rio Grande Valley), so I'm sure we can arrange that.
"Weslaco? We can drive to that in an hour and a half. Can I pick it up?"
"Sure..." She gave me the address. No hot water to clean up, but we brushed our teeth and hit the road. We got to the warehouse shortly after noon, and found a sign on the door stating that they are closed between 12:00 and 1:00 for lunch. I tried the door, anyway... it opened, and there was a young man at the desk. Yes, he had the unit ready for us. Great, no waiting around.
We rushed back to the house. This will take some wiring (that I am comfortable with) and connecting to the pipes... and then I discovered that the old unit doesn't just unscrew from the plumbing - it is PVC, and it is glued. I did not want to cut the plumbing (images of water pouring out all over the floor), so I went by our builder's place (I know where he is working on another home right now). Of course, he wasn't there. But, his Mother was, and she needed him to get back to deal with a subcontractor problem (and there's always a subcontractor problem)... he is taking a day off, and is off shore shark-fishing with a friend from out of the country. His Mother gets first dibs on him when he gets back, then she will send him to our place.
Yep, I'm on a schedule again. Well, I'm on someone else's schedule again.
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Just before 3:00, there was a knock at the door! "He's here!" He was... the UPS driver. A half hour later, Pete (our builder) showed up. He said, "Here's how those water intake and exit tubes rotate - you don't have to cut anything. These are a real pain to wire up. Do you want me to do that?"
"No, I know this is supposed to be a day off for you; now that I can see how to plumb it without taking the lines apart, I'm sure I can handle the wiring."
He said, "Good. I was really hoping you'd say that. Call me if you have a problem." I could tell he was hoping I wouldn't call. That seems to be a theme... after talking with the nice young lady at the manufacturer, she said, "Let me give you my cell number, just in case you have a problem with it tonight or over the weekend."
VERY nice of her. Maybe she was just trying to get me to call? Probably not. Kidding aside, how often do you have a tech support person give you their private cell number so you can call after hours?? THAT is some fine customer service.
Turns out that the plumbing was the easy part. The wiring was thick and stiff as a piece of rebar. With Joan's help and a great deal of swearing, I got the unit off the wall and the wiring disassembled...
Pulling apart wires and swearing...
The unit fits into a "dead" cabinet space; just enough wire to get it almost out of that cabinet. This thing takes 4 circuit breakers for the power - it uses a lot of juice, but it gives us endless hot water... really nice for the jacuzzi tub. (And I am really going to need that tonight!) Not enough extra wiring to work standing up, and these old bones are not happy about being twisted up for any length of time.
On the bright side, I have plenty of color in my cheeks. Joan pulled out a trouble light to be able to see in that small area... it gave off heat - was bright and hot enough to burn the hair off my eyebrows! It felt like working while in a tanning booth.
A short 3 sweaty hours later, the new unit was wired up, plumbed, and hung on the wall. Two big things to do: run water through it...
Quadruple check that nothing is leaking. The instructions say to let the water run for 20 minutes or so before the next big check: turning on the power. I went outside and turned on the water while listening for Joan who was inside, watching. She said, "What should I say?"
"How about screaming, 'Oh my God, turn off the water!!! Turn it off NOW!!! Help me!! Help me!!' Of course, that is only if it is leaking, or gushing. If it isn't, you can say, 'Jim, you are amazing!' Well, you might want to wait until we can turn the breakers back on."
After 20 minutes, Joan clicked on the breakers while I watched for sparks... um, the LED signal lights on the unit, telling us it is working. Everything checked out. Time to turn on the faucet and... hot water!
Oh, thank goodness. I don't have it in me to take that thing apart again. I've poked and pinched all my guitar-playing fingers, and I can't straighten my legs. Damn, I need to soak in the hot tub!
:-)
2 comments:
I have found that a florescent replacement bulb runs a lot cooler in a trouble light.
Bill Kelleher
Hi Bill. This one came with a florescent bulb... tight area, and that bulb gave off a LOT of heat. I'm sure it didn't have anything to do with the fact that I was folded up like a bit of origami in that tight space. ;-)
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