Charles Buell Inspections Inc.

Home Inspections in the Seattle Area

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Gas Water Heaters Should Not Have Air Filters!

If you find the title of this post confusing—that is a good thing.  There really should not be any connection between a conventional gas water heater and an air filter.

As one can see in the diagram below, gas water heaters, unless they are a sealed combustion type heaters, get their combustion air from holes around the bottom of the heater.

cutaway of air intakes on a water heater

This next picture shows the carpet in the room fitted nicely around the base of the heater—completely blocking the air intakes.

This could be considered some sort of air filtering system (bad idea), but it is most likely going to end up starving the heater of adequate combustion air.  This could lead to a flame producing large amounts of carbon monoxide.
Obviously, for the heater to function properly and receive proper combustion air, the air intakes must be kept clear.  All this carpeting will need to be removed from around the heater.

Carpet installed around the air intake of the water heater
Carpet installed around the air intake of the water heater

While it may look better this way—it is very dangerous and once again shows how the work of one trade can negatively impact the work of another trade.

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Water Heater Backdrafting

Most gas water heaters have an outer door and an inner door to the burner compartment. During inspections  I usually find the “outer” door in place, but quite often I find the “inner” door out of place.

Outer door of a water heater properly installed
Outer door of a water heater properly installed

These inner doors require “patience/perseverance” to get them properly back in place.  Frankly they can be a real pain in the butt to un-install and install properly.  It is little wonder that I find them not installed properly so often.

The inner door not installed properly
The inner door not installed properly

The instructions on how to put them properly back in place are usually stamped on the cover. It is likely that even some home inspectors are guilty of not getting them put back in place as well—-in their rush to get through the inspection.

When they are not in place, back-drafting of combustion by-products can occur around the out-of-place inner cover and then out behind the outer cover. The door being out of place is not the “cause”  of back-drafting and all signs of back-drafting should be evaluated by a qualified professional.  Severe back-drafting can overheat the controls and melt the insulation around the tank.  It could also catch stored items around the heater on fire.

If your water heater has back-drafting marks like the ones in the picture below, it should be evaluated and repaired by a licensed plumber—let them determine if it is just the inner door being out of place or whether it is related to other issues—like problems with the venting of the heater.

Severe backdrafting at a water heater
Severe backdrafting at a water heater

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How Hot is the Water at Your Faucets?

When I was a kid I can remember water being boiled on the wood cook stove in the Kitchen to make the hot water we would expect to get from a hot water heater today.

We do everything in our power today to have all the hot water we could ever want—-whenever we want—wherever we want.  We must still be careful to not let the water get TOO hot.

Human skin is comfortable in a relatively narrow range of temperatures without being damaged. Normal skin temperature is usually around 91 degrees. According to the CPSC (Consumer Products Safety Commission) there are more than 3800 scalding injuries and 34 deaths per year from tap water that is set too high. Most of these injuries involve children under five and the elderly.

hotwater3
Chart of water temperatures and scalding

Washington State Home Inspectors are required by our Standards of  Practice to state in the written report whether we tested the water temperature or not and to state that the recommended water temperature should not exceed 120 degrees Fahrenheit.

Make sure your water temperature is not set higher than 120 degrees Fahrenheit. If you don’t have enough hot water at that temperature, you either need more supply (bigger tank) or some sort of temperature regulator (tempering valve) on the system so that the tank temperature can be set higher while delivering 120 degree water where you need it.

There are some advantages to keeping the water in the tank above 130 degrees Fahrenheit to prevent the growth of some types of bacteria—including Legionella—making a tempering valve a wise choice.  This also creates a greater supply of hot water by having a higher temperature of water to dilute down to 120 degrees.

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