Water Heater Fail
By Jeff Moffitt
@moffittjc (121582)
Gainesville, Florida
April 17, 2024 7:01pm CST
My water heater died this morning and gave up the ghost. And guess when it happened? Yep, right in the middle of my morning shower. You never realize how much you take hot water for granted until it's taken away from you. At least I got my shower over and done with. Both my daughter and girlfriend, who wake up after me, did not dare try to shower with just cold water. I told them both to boil some water on the stove and take a sponge bath. They hemmed and hawed the entire time, but ended up doing it anyway.
On the bright side, I was able to get a hold of someone who could come out this afternoon and replace my water heater, and I now have hot water again. And on an even brighter side, the water heater was still under warranty, so there was no cost to replace the unit, all I had to do was pay for the labor (which thankfully the guy charged me a flat rate).
Have you ever had a water heater go out at the most inopportune time? What is a modern convenience you take for granted but could never live without?
26 people like this
26 responses
@Marilynda1225 (82791)
• United States
18 Apr
Yes I've had a hot water heater break and flood my basement.
Certainly not fun having it go out in the middle of your shower but lucky you were able to get it fixed quickly.
4 people like this
@Marilynda1225 (82791)
• United States
18 Apr
@moffittjc yikes! That's even worse if yours flooded the apartment below you. Did it cause a lot if damage?
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (121582)
• Gainesville, Florida
20 Apr
@Marilynda1225 It did cause a lot of damage since the broken water heater ran all night. They had to replace all the drywall in the ceiling and walls of the apartment below me, as well as replace all the carpet. Thankfully, the young women who lived below me was on very friendly terms with me. After her initial anger over the situation, we actually became much closer friends.
@moffittjc (121582)
• Gainesville, Florida
18 Apr
Oh goodness, that reminds me of a time when I lived in a second floor apartment, and I awoke to someone banging loudly on my door one morning. Turns out my water heater ruptured overnight and flooded the apartment below me.
2 people like this
@AmbiePam (92711)
• United States
18 Apr
My water heater hasn’t worked in nine years. After four times of the apartment people saying they fixed it, and not really fixing it, I quit asking them about it, and just take cold showers. Except when my dad and his wife are out of town, I use their shower (they said to use it anytime). The apartment complex is just too cheap to get a new one.
In the summer, the cold showers aren’t bad, but in the winter they are miserable.
I’m glad to hear you got yours fixed quickly! Your girlfriend and daughter owe you a big thanks!
3 people like this
@moffittjc (121582)
• Gainesville, Florida
18 Apr
I take cold showers in the summertime (Florida summers are brutally hot), but I like having access to hot water during most other times of the year. I can't imagine you taking cold showers all year long. How do you do it?
2 people like this
@AmbiePam (92711)
• United States
18 Apr
@moffittjc I try to tell myself others have it worse. And when that doesn’t work I suck it up and grit my teeth through it.
3 people like this
@AmbiePam (92711)
• United States
18 Apr
@moffittjc Thank you for not saying dumb.
1 person likes this
@snowy22315 (180678)
• United States
18 Apr
No, but the one in here is a senior citizen..living on borrowed time. I feel it could go at any time. I think it is just on a gradual decline though..The water definitely doesn't get as hot as it used to
3 people like this
@snowy22315 (180678)
• United States
18 Apr
@moffittjc Hmm, not really sure with it's age it is worth repairing, but they could let me know. It's not a big problem now, but it could be by next winter
2 people like this
@moffittjc (121582)
• Gainesville, Florida
18 Apr
@snowy22315 You should probably get it replaced sooner rather than later. Murphy's Law tells us that it will eventually die at the worst possible time.
2 people like this
@moffittjc (121582)
• Gainesville, Florida
18 Apr
I had something similar at a previous home I owned. It was a natural gas water heater, and it just slowly seemed to be dying. When I had it serviced, it turns out it was a quick and easy fix....as water heaters age, rust flakes will drop off the interior sides of the tank and collect at the bottom. In my cases, the rust flakes were blocking the gas flame from being able to effectively heat the water. Once we vacuumed up the rust flakes, the tank worked like new again.
3 people like this
@kaylachan (69673)
• Daytona Beach, Florida
18 Apr
George and I replaced our hot water heater a couple years ago.It caused a surge and the circut to pop. He'd been concerned it was a sign it was on its last leg. Rather than wait for it to give up the ghost when we needed it, we replaced it.
2 people like this
@kaylachan (69673)
• Daytona Beach, Florida
18 Apr
@moffittjc It did it once, and George was like.... that's it. within a week we had a new one.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (121582)
• Gainesville, Florida
18 Apr
That was smart to be proactive about replacing it. I would have done the same thing, especially if the breaker kept popping.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (121582)
• Gainesville, Florida
18 Apr
@kaylachan Very smart of George to take action right away.
@FourWalls (68000)
• United States
18 Apr
Mine gave up the ghost a few years ago after 26 years. I consider that great mileage out of a water heater, especially as hard as our water is here.
3 people like this
@FourWalls (68000)
• United States
18 Apr
@moffittjc — amen to that! The new one will hopefully last a decade or so.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (121582)
• Gainesville, Florida
22 Apr
@FourWalls I will consider it a win if I can get 5 years out of any appliance these days.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (121582)
• Gainesville, Florida
18 Apr
Wow, you definitely got your money’s worth out of that heater! The water heater at my last house made it almost 20 years before it had to be replaced. They sure don’t make them like they used to.
1 person likes this
@LindaOHio (178568)
• United States
18 Apr
We did without heat and hot water for an extended period of time at least once. It was not fun. I'm glad you were able to get your hot water heater replaced under warranty. Have a good day.
2 people like this
@moffittjc (121582)
• Gainesville, Florida
18 Apr
I’m sure that wasn’t any fun for you. I guess we have become spoiled and dependent on our modern conveniences, haven’t we? Lol
2 people like this
@moffittjc (121582)
• Gainesville, Florida
27 Apr
@LindaOHio When you lost your heat, was it in the middle of winter? There's been several times when my A/C has gone down in the middle of summer. And summer in Florida is no joke, I thought I was going to die!
1 person likes this
@RebeccasFarm (89882)
• Arvada, Colorado
19 Apr
I went without heat and air for an entire 2 years here in Colorado..the hot water worked intermittently..but that is slumlord business.
Glad they came out to fix it.
1 person likes this
@RebeccasFarm (89882)
• Arvada, Colorado
20 Apr
@moffittjc I was frozen so I didn't notice
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (121582)
• Gainesville, Florida
20 Apr
That's a long time to go without heat and air. I hope it wasn't too bad for you during that time.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (121582)
• Gainesville, Florida
20 Apr
@RebeccasFarm Well I'm glad you eventually thawed out! haha
1 person likes this
@Juliaacv (51190)
• Canada
18 Apr
You did well having yours replaced so quickly.
The worst that we ever had was shortly after we moved into a home.
It was Superbowl Sunday in 1991, and I was expecting our second child and had our son upstairs in bed for his nap.
My hubs was bartending at the Canadian-Belgium Dutch club for the afternoon, and I walked into the basement and it felt like I was walking on a waterbed not a carpeted floor. I called my hubs and he came home and shut it off and the next day we called someone to have it replaced.
1 person likes this
@Juliaacv (51190)
• Canada
18 Apr
@moffittjc Ours burst and leaked out from the bottom every single time they went.
The last time my hubby decided to go with a tankless system, so no more fears of the bursting again, and unlimited hot water.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (121582)
• Gainesville, Florida
22 Apr
@Juliaacv I would love to get a tankless water heater. Maybe next time I need to replace my water heater I’ll bite the bullet and switch to tankless.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (121582)
• Gainesville, Florida
18 Apr
It’s one thing if your water heater stops working, but it’s an entirely different nightmare if the heater bursts or starts leaking, because often times you don’t catch it right away and you end up with a flooding situation.
1 person likes this
@LadyDuck (471500)
• Switzerland
18 Apr
I am sorry and I know very well your feeling, our water heater gave up exactly one month ago. I was washing my hair and I finished with cold water.
We have an annual maintenance contract, as the furnace heats the house and the water. The guy came two hours after I called, it replaced the water pump and we were "lucky" to spend ONLY $ 550 for the piece that he changed. I could never live without a refrigerator.
We have an annual maintenance contract, as the furnace heats the house and the water. The guy came two hours after I called, it replaced the water pump and we were "lucky" to spend ONLY $ 550 for the piece that he changed. I could never live without a refrigerator.1 person likes this
@LadyDuck (471500)
• Switzerland
19 Apr
@moffittjc As we do not have anymore small stores near the house where to buy fresh food every day, how could we live without a refrigerator!
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (121582)
• Gainesville, Florida
23 Apr
@LadyDuck I have several stores within walking distance of my house, yet I still need a refrigerator.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (121582)
• Gainesville, Florida
18 Apr
You and I were both lucky that someone showed up quickly to complete the repairs.
Yes, a refrigerator is a must have!
1 person likes this
@Tampa_girl7 (50250)
• United States
18 Apr
Lucky you that you finished your shower. Glad you got it replaced.
1 person likes this
@Tampa_girl7 (50250)
• United States
8 May
@moffittjc our dryer is out of commission at the moment. My husband is going to try and fix it.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (121582)
• Gainesville, Florida
18 Apr
It’s funny how just a few days before I was wondering in my mind how long the water heater would last, since they don’t make anything with quality anymore. Well, I got my answer.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (121582)
• Gainesville, Florida
10 May
@Tampa_girl7 Do you know what's wrong with it? Is it the thermostat or heating element? Those are sometimes pretty easy fixes on a dryer.
1 person likes this
@wolfgirl569 (106226)
• Marion, Ohio
18 Apr
They always do it at a bad time. Glad it was under warranty
1 person likes this
@wolfgirl569 (106226)
• Marion, Ohio
19 Apr
@moffittjc My truck kind of did once. I was at home getting ready to leave when it blew a brake line. At least I wasn't on the road like my previous truck did to me
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (121582)
• Gainesville, Florida
23 Apr
@wolfgirl569 That’s funny, because the same thing happened to me, but with the transmission in my truck. I had just returned home from a very long road trip, and when I pulled into the driveway at my house and parked, basically the transmission (well, pieces of it) fell to the ground.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (121582)
• Gainesville, Florida
18 Apr
I guess that’s Murphy’s Law. Nothing ever breaks down at a “good” time.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (121582)
• Gainesville, Florida
18 Apr
@TheHorse You come to Florida? Why did I not know about this?
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (121582)
• Gainesville, Florida
18 Apr
I was wondering how long it would take someone to talk about shrinkage! Lol
1 person likes this
@TheHorse (218818)
• Walnut Creek, California
18 Apr
@moffittjc I don't like cold showers. I tolerate them only when I am in Florida.
1 person likes this
@Hannihar (130218)
• Israel
18 Apr
@moffittjc
Not sure had that problem, but, have had other things go wrong. That is a problem, but, happy it got fixed.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (121582)
• Gainesville, Florida
18 Apr
Thanks. I’m happy it got fixed quickly. And I’m thankful it didn’t quit working back in the middle of winter when it was cold.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (121582)
• Gainesville, Florida
21 Apr
@Hannihar Our winter temperatures can be all over the place, from blazing hot to freezing cold. So it’s very difficult to say what an “average” winter is like. But we probably get less than 10 days a year where the temp goes below freezing. Most years our winters are just mildly cool.
1 person likes this
@Hannihar (130218)
• Israel
18 Apr
@moffittjc
I am also happy for you that it got fixed quickly. How cold does it get there in winter?
1 person likes this
@thislittlepennyearns (62487)
• Defuniak Springs, Florida
22 Apr
We had one burst and another one go out while we were showering. It’s a pain.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (121582)
• Gainesville, Florida
27 Apr
Nothing is worse than losing hot water in the middle of a shower. And it's even worse if it's in the middle of winter.
@moffittjc (121582)
• Gainesville, Florida
30 Apr
@thislittlepennyearns I’ve been in Dallas since Thursday, the weather has been horrible to the severe storms and tornado outbreaks. I haven’t seen any love bugs yet back in Gainesville, but the beginning of May is when we usually see the swarms.
@thislittlepennyearns (62487)
• Defuniak Springs, Florida
29 Apr
@moffittjc yep. Sir. I have tried to get ahold of you.
Speaking of the weather , how's the weather where you are? And have y'all got any love bugs yet this year?
1 person likes this
@kareng (59115)
• United States
18 Apr
Yes, ours went out this past winter during one of the deep freezes! It was dearly missed for a couple of days. One day shopping for a new heater. Next day was spent removing the old water heater. And the following day getting the new one inside and installed. I'm blessed to have a hubby that grew up in the family hardware business and can do most repairs!
Air conditioning. I would never want to do without it down here in the South. I think of my grandparents who never had it until probably the last 10 years of their life and that was only because the kids got together and insisted on installing it.
1 person likes this
@kareng (59115)
• United States
18 Apr
@moffittjc Yes! It's horrible. I think back now to my grandmother who never complained and would stand in front of a hot stove (with no A/C) and cook for the whole family for a couple of hours before sitting down to eat herself. She was one selfless lady! And so under appreciated back then. Makes me sad.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (121582)
• Gainesville, Florida
18 Apr
You were lucky that hubs had some experience and could replace the water heater!
A/C is definitely a must-have in the South. At my last house I lived in, the A/C went out in the middle of the summer, and to fix it they needed to order a special part that would take a week to get there. I thought I could handle no A/C for a week, and made it one night before I packed up and went to a hotel. I’ve never been so miserable as I was that one night trying to sleep with no A/C.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (121582)
• Gainesville, Florida
18 Apr
@kareng My heart goes out to all those women who would slave in a hot kitchen all day with no A/C, and never complain once about it. Those were some tough women!
@moffittjc (121582)
• Gainesville, Florida
27 Apr
That's a great thing then Dianne! Hopefully you'll never have water heater issues. This is only the second time in my life that I've had water heater issues, so I count my blessings. The first time was many, many years ago when I first graduated college and lived in an apartment, and the water heater busted overnight and flooded my apartment and the apartment below me. Thank goodness it was an apartment and not my own house!
1 person likes this
@just4him (317041)
• Green Bay, Wisconsin
18 Apr
Yes. It wasn't so much the heater as the water. I didn't receive the notice from the complex that they were turning off the water for maintenance. I was in the middle of my shower when I was suddenly without water. Not fun.
I'm glad you have a new water heater.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (121582)
• Gainesville, Florida
20 Apr
Oh no, nothing is worse than losing water in the middle of a shower, especially if you are all lathered up with soap/body wash!
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (121582)
• Gainesville, Florida
20 Apr
@just4him So how did you end up rinsing yourself off after losing water in the middle of your shower?
1 person likes this
@just4him (317041)
• Green Bay, Wisconsin
20 Apr
@moffittjc You're right about that.
1 person likes this
@JESSY3236 (19949)
• United States
23 Apr
Last year ours had two leaks. One leak my mother fixed, but the leak ended up being a big hole in the bottom of it. My great-aunt and great-uncle knew a guy who came and replaced it. I couldn't hire a guy on my own because the house wasn't in my name back then.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (121582)
• Gainesville, Florida
27 Apr
When it comes to water heaters, it never fails that they always leak eventually. I always worry that it will happen with my water heater. Thankfully, in this most recent issue, it was a heating element that went bad, not a leak in the tank.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (121582)
• Gainesville, Florida
18 Apr
We have a lot of the rural homes here that also use bottled gas, so that would definitely be a concern of theirs as well. In my previous house I lived in, we had gas appliances, but the gas was supplied via an underground gas pipeline from our utility company, so I never had any worries about running out.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (121582)
• Gainesville, Florida
20 Apr
That's always my worst nightmare, is that the water heater will break and flood everything. But I'm not worried about it at my new home I'm living in now, because the water heater is outside on my back patio. If it floods, it won't be inside the house.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (121582)
• Gainesville, Florida
24 Apr
@paigea Well, we don’t have to worry much about freezing here in Florida. And even though it technically is outside, the water heater is in a closet on my covered porch.
1 person likes this
@paigea (36317)
• Canada
20 Apr
@moffittjc ours is in the basement and the room has a drain. I think?
Hard to imagine a hot water heater outside. It would be a frozen block
1 person likes this
