Thread: Calf reg hits again

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Ok I get up Frid morning, turn on the shower, no hot water, fiqure it was the thermo coupler again, cant get one to match, OK so the water heater is 35 years old, fiqure its time to replace, after I start looking at waterheaters they`ve gone up considerably, but its all the Calif regs that got me, surge tank, earthquake straps, ball valves, triple wall stack for the ceiling, disposal of my asbestos stack, and inspection fee of 150.00, so I just called an contractor to do it, so now my mad money (rod parts) is short by $2000.00. I`m just venting, didn`t want to take it out of the house hold budget.

damn rich that is crazy.

406,not being smart here,but how much of your new rules and regs have been implemented in the last few years by your greenie ex film syar governor??or am I treading on sacred ground here??Its just that he seems to be leading his own little crusade to clean up America,if you know what I mean..

The asbestos law has been around for the last twenty that I know of, the earth quake deal is just another way for them to fatten their coffers, ain`t no way in heck I`m gonna be going out thru my garage if I HAVE AN EARTHQUAKE, the last state inspector that came over after we installed new heating and air unit a few years ago never even looked at a thing, just asked if I was happy with it and signed it off, never left the front sidewalk two foot from his truck...
And as far as our ( I`LL BE BACK ) he`s just a yes man, its all the other idiots making the laws.

Fair enough,,we have the asbestos thing going on down here too..And the earthquake laws,re strapping...good idea,but it still makes you wonder how much people get paid for sitting around dreaming up schemes to shake more money out of your pocket..

i`m not one to debate politics but some day we`ve ( all of us as a nation ) got to vote some people in office with some common sense ..

Originally Posted by HOSS429

i`m not one to debate politics but some day we`ve ( all of us as a nation ) got to vote some people in office with some common sense ..

Unfortunately, if they have any common sense, they probably know enough not to go into politics.

One of the reasons I left California some 40 years ago, the hand writing was on the wall and for some reason they elected the same idiot that started it all.

Im not sure how they come up with codes and regs out there, but here in Fla its mostly done by the insurance companies. They have board members and panels that are made up primarily of lawyers and insurance guys that approve building codes and practices that help them out! very little of it has to do with life safety.

Well- I'm a California Plumbing & HVAC business owner, so I'll shed some light on your concerns.

Earthquake straps have been required here for more than 20 years. It's nothing new. This is earthquake country so strap it! When the Northridge quake hit- many older tanks were either not strapped or wrapped with flimsy plumbers tape. Get a house swaying w/ a water heater on a platform full of water- something will give which means the tank will be on the floor if quake is big enough. Broken water pipes, broken gas lines, fires- I saw them all during Northridge.

Asbestos vents should be replaced & have been for the last 20 years. That doesn't mean all contractors or homeowners are doing it though. Problem with asbestos vents are stack temperature. As the water heaters become more efficient, the stack temp drops & if it get's low enough, it will produce condensate which is extremely corrosive.
A triple wall flue is not required on a storage type water heater. B vent (double wall) is approved for that application. Triple wall is usually stainless & is reserved for instantanous water heaters w/ no stroage (tankless on demand).

Ball valves are not a requirement. Most water heaters over 10 years old equipped w/ a gate valve we find are usually stuck open. It should be replaced as a part of the installation with either a gate or ball valve. Ball valve are better & nearly the same price as a gate. They did good.

Surge tanks have always been required but were rarely enforced in the past. If your home has a pressure regulator installed in the main water supply to your home- you now have a closed system. With the closed system & a water heater heating & expanding the water & no faucets open- the added pressure needs a place to go. In some cases it will open the pressure & temperature relief valve. The tank has a bladder in it & is 1/2 charged with air. It will safely handle pressure fluctuations.

Prices. Even contractors complain about water heater pricing! Steel prices shot through the roof & so did the cost of tanks. Requirements changed in 2004 on a Federal level- not just California for sealed burner compartments & again last year for radient burners. This adds up to more money!


Very little of this has anything to do with California. It's all in the Uniform Plumbing Code which is nationwide.

left San Diego in 84 and I will admit, I miss my friends and the weather, but hate all the rest.

We lived in California in the late 70's, for only a year. We left for a couple of reasons, but mainly because we just couldn't afford to live there. My Wife and I were both making better money than we had previously, but still were just barely keeping our heads above water.

Not knocking it, and I know we have a lot of member friends who live in Ca, but I don't know how you guys make it there. Everything is just so much more expensive and they keep thinking up ways to get into your pocket, from the sound of it.

Don

I would never consider anything other than a tankless HWH.
So have you replaced it yet?

I'd consider going to Home Depot, buying a replacement heater and installing it myself.

We already had guests for the weekend, it had to get done, he (contractor) was in and done in three hours, tankless water heater price quote was in and around $6,000 and some change, would need all new gas line into home 1.5 diameter I believe he said and some other issues I don`t remember, the shock made me forget it all..