Apple Plumbing has added this video of a water heater explosion as a demonstration of the explosive power of a simple water heater. The hot water tank explodes using the steam that any water heater can generate. We were impressed by how far the tank flew after the water heater exploded. Click on the links below to view the video. Then, visit the Q&A page for warning signs as well as simple steps which can help you prevent your own water heater from exploding.

Water Heater Blast: Low Resolution (for dial up users)
Water Heater Blast: High Resolution (for hi-speed users)

Click This Link To Visit The Q & A Page

Note: video is in Windows Media Player format.

Noisy Pipes
Pipe noises range from loud hammering sounds to high-pitched squeaks. The causes may be loose pipes, water logged air chambers, or water pressure that's too high. Anchoring exposed pipes is a simple solution; other remedies such as anchoring pipes concealed inside walls, floors or ceilings, may call for a professional.

Banging
Pipes are usually anchored with pipe straps every 6 to 8 feet for horizontal runs, 8 to 10 feet for vertical. If your pipes bang when you turn on the water, you may need to add straps, cushion the pipes with a rubber blanket, or both.
When you anchor a pipe-especially a plastic one-leave room for expansion.
Don't use galvanized straps on copper pipes.

Squeaking
Only hot water pipes squeak. As the pipe expands, it moves in its strap, and friction causes the squeak. Solution: Cushion it as you would a banging pipe.

Water Hammer
This noise occurs when you turn off the water at a faucet or an appliance quickly. The water flowing through the pipes slams to a stop, causing a hammering noise.

Check for: Loose Pipes

Remedy: Anchor the pipes.

Check for: Faulty air chambers. These lengths of pipe, installed behind fixtures and appliances, hold air that cushions the shock when flowing water is shut off. They can get filled with water and lose their effectiveness.

Remedy:

To restore air to the chambers, turn off the water at the main shutoff valve. Open all the faucets to drain the system. Close the faucets and turn the water on again. The air chambers should fill with air.
Check for: Water pressure that's above 80 psi (pounds per square inch).

Remedy: To lower the pressure, install a pressure-reducing valve (you can call in a plumber to do the work if this is a job you don't want to do yourself).

Don’t learn the hard way

To the Editor:

This letter is to all Robertson County residents who may have water heater problems. Recently my water heater stopped heating. I called a person I will call “Johnny the Plumber.”

I called him on Saturday and he came Sunday morning around 9 a.m. I stood and watched him do his thing with the water heater. I watched, not knowing exactly what he was doing. When he finished, he said he had put in two thermostats and a heating element. I did see him remove two thermostats and put other ones in the heater, noticing that they did not look new and they were not packaged. The heating element was not packaged either. When he finished, he presented me with a bill for $250. I, in good faith, wrote him a check.

When he left he said I should have hot water in about 45 minutes. In about 45 minutes, he called and asked if my water was hot. I checked it and there was no hot water. He said, “That heating element must be bad, I’ll pick up another one and be right back out there and replace it.” He did pick up another element from Lowe’s and came back to put the new element in the heater. This means draining the 50 gallon tank again. Now, that is 100 gallons of water that has been drained on the ground. Then it was discovered the new heating element was too small to fit into the hold securely. I also was told it was the only element of that type for my heater that Lowe’s had, and that it cost $33.

The plumber said he would check other places in Springfield and be back Monday at 5 p.m. At 5:15 he called and told me that there was not an element in Springfield, he would have to go to the manufacturer in Ashland City and bring it Tuesday afternoon. On Tuesday, there was no plumber and no call. I called and left a message with his wife. Again, no call. I called and left a message with his mother, I wanted my money back.

Two days later still no call. Someone else looked at the heater and discovered the top thermostat was old and not replaced. Walker Hardware had all the parts and in less than an hour after repairs, I had hot water.

I had no hot water for five days and been ripped off for $250 plus the cost of 100 gallons of water.

Beware and know who you are doing business with. I learned the hard way.

Researchers at Ohio State University said washing dishes doesn't have to be a hot and steamy undertaking.

A new release on dish washing says cooler water can do the same cleaning job -- provided you use a bit of dish sanitizer containing ammonia.

The OSU scientists washed dinnerware that had been covered with cheese, eggs, milk and jelly and also contained E. coli and other bacteria that cause food-borne illnesses.

They said that hot, soapy water and a dish sanitizer killed off nearly all the germs, but so did the same technique substituting water at room temperature.

The federal government has recommended that restaurants use water heated to at least 110 degrees when dishes are washed by hand.

Researchers Jaesun Lee and Melvin Pascall found, however, that one substance is hard to get off: lipstick.

"After washing, there were lipstick stains still left on a few glasses, but it was the least hospitable substance for bacteria," Pascall said. "It seems to have antimicrobial properties, which was a big surprise to us."

Lee and Pascall discovered that washing dishes in hot dishwater, followed by soaking in extra sanitizers, eliminated almost all of the bacteria on them, even when coated with dried-on cheese. But dishes washed in soapy room-temperature water, rinsed, and then weakly sanitized with ammonium-based chemicals also achieved FDA-acceptable results.

The team also looked at which items need extra cleaning.

"The prongs of forks actually shield food from the action of scrubbing," Pascall said. "Taking extra time to wash forks is a good idea, especially those covered with sticky foods like cheese."