Service Guy
06-18-2008, 05:25 PM
So I get a call from a guy who says his water heaters have been blowing the relief valves and he's been trying to fix them himself for three days! I tell him he might need a new pressure reducing valve. He says he already changed it and the relief valves are still blowing off, "just come by" he says, "I'm tired of dealing with this."
So I get there and check the PRV, (he got from Home depot) its dripping at the male adapter because he didn't use teflon tape or anything on the threads. I put a gauge on the system and it reads 100 psi, even with the drip. I look up and see that the PRV is installed BACKWARDS! :killingme: Since the guy is such a cheap DIYer, I decide to reinstall the PRV correctly instead of installing one of mine, (even though mine are better quality). It turns out the 3/4" male adapter is leaking since he wrenched on it so hard, he blew the solder joint. So I sweat off the old adapter and solder on a new one, and install his piece of crap Home depot PRV, and go check my gauge....180 psi!:eek::scratchhead:
So I tell him it doesn't work, it probably blew out when it was installed backwards. (or maybe its just because its junk 'made in china'.:rolleyes:) So I get one of my pressure regulators and install it, 65 psi...problem solved.
It took me less than an hour total time messing with it, it took him 3 DAYS to get nothing accomplished except he blew out a PRV he bought and he told me he was going to return it (even knowing he damaged it!):shakehead:
If he had called me at day one, he would have saved himself 3 days of headaches and whatever he spent on the chinese made PRV from HD, he also would have had a dry basement 3 days ago. I told him, "PLEASE, NEXT TIME CALL ME WHEN SOMETHING LIKE THIS HAPPENS AND YOU CAN SIT ON YOUR COUCH WHILE I FIX IT INSTEAD.":);)
So I get there and check the PRV, (he got from Home depot) its dripping at the male adapter because he didn't use teflon tape or anything on the threads. I put a gauge on the system and it reads 100 psi, even with the drip. I look up and see that the PRV is installed BACKWARDS! :killingme: Since the guy is such a cheap DIYer, I decide to reinstall the PRV correctly instead of installing one of mine, (even though mine are better quality). It turns out the 3/4" male adapter is leaking since he wrenched on it so hard, he blew the solder joint. So I sweat off the old adapter and solder on a new one, and install his piece of crap Home depot PRV, and go check my gauge....180 psi!:eek::scratchhead:
So I tell him it doesn't work, it probably blew out when it was installed backwards. (or maybe its just because its junk 'made in china'.:rolleyes:) So I get one of my pressure regulators and install it, 65 psi...problem solved.
It took me less than an hour total time messing with it, it took him 3 DAYS to get nothing accomplished except he blew out a PRV he bought and he told me he was going to return it (even knowing he damaged it!):shakehead:
If he had called me at day one, he would have saved himself 3 days of headaches and whatever he spent on the chinese made PRV from HD, he also would have had a dry basement 3 days ago. I told him, "PLEASE, NEXT TIME CALL ME WHEN SOMETHING LIKE THIS HAPPENS AND YOU CAN SIT ON YOUR COUCH WHILE I FIX IT INSTEAD.":);)