DIY can be MORE expensive than pro...

Posted by Bill on October 17, 2008, 12:57 pm

If you don't know what you are doing, maybe best to call a pro...

There was a homeowner who had a low wattage water heater which worked fine
on a 240V 15 amp breaker. Then one day a heating element went out...

The homeowner replaced the heating element, except purchased a higher
wattage heating element (wrong element). Then when the heating element was
installed the breaker kept tripping.

So the homeowner purchased a new water heater and this new water heater was
a higher wattage then the old water heater. The breaker again kept tripping.

Then the homeowner replaced the circuit breaker with a new 15 amp (double
throw) breaker. Same problem. Homeowner kept turning on the breaker to try
to get the water heater to work...

Then with the wires to the water heater disconnected and the breaker turned
on, there was no voltage to the wires. Seems the wiring was "fried"!

In the end the homeowner had to pay for an electrician to install new higher
amperage wiring and a higher amperage breaker, plus had the cost of the new
heating element, the new water heater, and the new 15 amp circuit breaker.

All of this could of been avoided if the homeowner had replaced the heating
element with the correct wattage element!

Posted by Frank on October 17, 2008, 1:12 pm

Bill wrote:

> If you don't know what you are doing, maybe best to call a pro...
>
> There was a homeowner who had a low wattage water heater which worked fine
> on a 240V 15 amp breaker. Then one day a heating element went out...
>
> The homeowner replaced the heating element, except purchased a higher
> wattage heating element (wrong element). Then when the heating element was
> installed the breaker kept tripping.
>
> So the homeowner purchased a new water heater and this new water heater was
> a higher wattage then the old water heater. The breaker again kept tripping.
>
> Then the homeowner replaced the circuit breaker with a new 15 amp (double
> throw) breaker. Same problem. Homeowner kept turning on the breaker to try
> to get the water heater to work...
>
> Then with the wires to the water heater disconnected and the breaker turned
> on, there was no voltage to the wires. Seems the wiring was "fried"!
>
> In the end the homeowner had to pay for an electrician to install new higher
> amperage wiring and a higher amperage breaker, plus had the cost of the new
> heating element, the new water heater, and the new 15 amp circuit breaker.
>
> All of this could of been avoided if the homeowner had replaced the heating
> element with the correct wattage element!
>
>

I learned this lesson trying to install a toilet. Apparently you learn
that you crack the porcelain the first time you try it.

Posted by Bob F on October 17, 2008, 10:36 pm

> Bill wrote:

>> If you don't know what you are doing, maybe best to call a pro...
>> There was a homeowner who had a low wattage water heater which worked fine on
>> a 240V 15 amp breaker. Then one day a heating element went out...
>> The homeowner replaced the heating element, except purchased a higher wattage
>> heating element (wrong element). Then when the heating element was installed
>> the breaker kept tripping.
>> So the homeowner purchased a new water heater and this new water heater was a
>> higher wattage then the old water heater. The breaker again kept tripping.
>> Then the homeowner replaced the circuit breaker with a new 15 amp (double
>> throw) breaker. Same problem. Homeowner kept turning on the breaker to try to
>> get the water heater to work...
>> Then with the wires to the water heater disconnected and the breaker turned
>> on, there was no voltage to the wires. Seems the wiring was "fried"!
>> In the end the homeowner had to pay for an electrician to install new higher
>> amperage wiring and a higher amperage breaker, plus had the cost of the new
>> heating element, the new water heater, and the new 15 amp circuit breaker.
>> All of this could of been avoided if the homeowner had replaced the heating
>> element with the correct wattage element!

> I learned this lesson trying to install a toilet. Apparently you learn that
> you crack the porcelain the first time you try it.

I took the time to discover this possibility before I replaced my first toilet.

A little research is always worthwhile, and usually easy these days.

Posted by on October 17, 2008, 1:23 pm

Less destructive and costly:

Normally I have my driveway sealed professionally every year for about
$65. I'd had it done two years in a row, and it looked really good
when the sealers came around last spring, so I said bag it.

Well, last week I looked at the driveway and it really needed sealing.
If I didn't the driveway would be rubble by spring with all the wet
and freezing and thawing that goes on around here.

All the pros have moved south by now, so I went to Lowe's and got the
supplies to do it myself. A cheap brush and 5 pails of the cheapest
driveway tar they had: $105.

Posted by DerbyDad03 on October 17, 2008, 2:29 pm

On Oct 17, 1:23=A0pm, mkirs...@rochester.rr.com wrote:

> Less destructive and costly:
> Normally I have my driveway sealed professionally every year for about
> $65. I'd had it done two years in a row, and it looked really good
> when the sealers came around last spring, so I said bag it.
> Well, last week I looked at the driveway and it really needed sealing.
> If I didn't the driveway would be rubble by spring with all the wet
> and freezing and thawing that goes on around here.
> All the pros have moved south by now, so I went to Lowe's and got the
> supplies to do it myself. A cheap brush and 5 pails of the cheapest
> driveway tar they had: $105.

re: If I didn't the driveway would be rubble by spring with all the
wet and freezing and thawing that goes on around here.

Please explain that statement.

I live in western NY, near Lake Ontario. I know all about wet and
freezing and thawing.

My asphalt driveway is over 20 years old and has never been sealed -
not once. There's not one sign of the "rubble" you speak of.

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