Mobile home water heaters

Mobile home water heaters are different than standard water heaters. When replacing a water heater in a mobile home, several things are needed to consider.

1. Check the measurements for the space in which the water heater is to be installed
2. Check the ampacity of the circuit breaker
3. Check the wire size of the circuit

A standard water heater provides 4500 watt elements. According to National Electric Code, you need to multiply any circuits ampacity if it can run for more than 3 hours. So, if a 4500W element pulls 17.75 amps, multiply that by 125% and you get 22 amps. Thus you need a minimum 25 A breaker.

If you have a 20 amp breaker and #12 AWG wire size and you don't want to change the circuit you will need to remove the 4500 watt elements and install 3500 watt elements- a simple fix.

The main thing is you want to be safe! Don't make a mistake that could cost you more $ down the road. When in doubt call a professional.

If you live in Greenville/ Simpsonville area, feel free to give me a call at TWH Plumbing & Electric, 864-449-5790, and I can take a look at your water heater situation.

Thanksgiving

As Thanksgiving approaches, I just want to say how thankful I am for my customers. I am greatful everyday. Without you it would not be possible. I am thankful for how God has given me and my family a plumbing business in Greenville.

February will mark our 10 year anniversary. As I look back, it has not always been easy. Many times I did not know where the next call was going to come from. It has brought me closer to God. Owning your own business forces you to put your trust in Him.

Thank you so much for giving me the opportunity to work in your homes. May God bless you and your family over the Thanksgiving holiday!

Confessions of a Plumber

Today I went back on a call I completed three days earlier. The initial problem was: toilet not filling into the bowl. I knew that if we replaced the fill valve that would fix the problem. The solution was to do a minor rebuild on the toilet.

A minor rebuild on a toilet includes the fill valve, flapper and toilet supply line. A major rebuild consist of all the above, as well as, replacing the tank to bowl bolts and gasket.

Anyway. Yesterday I came back because the customer called and said it was filling automatically every so often. I saw that water was spilling past the fill valve and onto the float. This was causing the fill valve to come on automatically . So I  replaced the fill valve at no charge.

Well, low and behold, the customer calls back again. Now I'm getting frustrated. He said it was coming on every two minutes. The flapper was not sealing properly. If I would have just looked at it more closely the first time, I would have seen a small defect in the flapper.