If you suspect carbon monoxide right now Get everyone outside into fresh air immediately, including pets. Do not stop to open windows, turn off appliances, or investigate the source. Once outside, call 911. If anyone is dizzy, confused, unconscious, or vomiting, tell the dispatcher you suspect carbon monoxide poisoning. Do
A gas tank water heater lasts 8 to 12 years. An electric tank lasts 10 to 15 years. A tankless water heater lasts 15 to 20 years. Those ranges assume annual maintenance and average water quality, and both shrink in hard water areas. San Antonio homes on unsoftened Edwards Aquifer
Water dripping from a water heater overflow pipe means the temperature and pressure relief valve has opened. The valve is doing its job. It releases water when tank pressure exceeds 150 PSI or tank temperature exceeds 210 degrees Fahrenheit, which prevents the tank from rupturing. The question is why the
A water heater pilot light that goes out the moment you release the control knob almost always points to a failed thermocouple. The thermocouple is a thin copper rod that sits in the pilot flame and generates a small electrical current telling the gas valve the flame is present. When
Flushing a water heater pushes fresh water through the tank to scour settled calcium and magnesium off the tank floor. The process takes 30 to 60 minutes for a standard tank and needs only a garden hose, a flathead screwdriver, and a bucket. A flush restores heat transfer between the
Draining a water heater empties the tank so you can clear sediment, replace a failed drain valve, move the unit, or prepare it for replacement. The job takes 20 to 60 minutes of drain time depending on tank size and requires a garden hose, a flathead screwdriver, and a bucket.
A slow draining toilet is caused by a partial blockage or flow restriction in the drain system. The 6 most common causes are a partial clog in the trapway, mineral-blocked rim jets, low water level in the tank, a blocked plumbing vent, a sewer line obstruction, and a worn or
A rotten egg smell coming from your drain is hydrogen sulfide gas. The gas forms either inside the drain itself, where bacteria break down organic waste, or somewhere upstream of the drain, like a damaged sewer line or a water heater. Six specific sources produce the smell in residential plumbing,
A sink that gurgles every time you flush the toilet is telling you something specific: the two fixtures share a plumbing path, and somewhere along that path there is a restriction. The toilet flush creates a powerful pull of air through the drain system, and instead of pulling air down
Gurgling drains are the sound of air moving through your plumbing where water should be flowing. In San Antonio homes, that glug glug sound usually traces back to one of five problems: a partial clog inside the drain line, a blocked plumbing vent, a damaged or restricted sewer line, a
