Issues with Hot Water Mixing Valve

[suezuki650]

Originally Posted by xdarrylx

Are the mixing valves covered under a rental agreement? Curious...

Not with Cricket for sure. Mine wasn't set properly and first sent out was the Cricket repair person who said it was the mixing valve and not the tank and therefore not their problem.

The builder then sent their plumber who fixed the problem and showed me how to do the adjustment.

(this was before I bought out the tank).

[jckth]

Originally Posted by xdarrylx

Are the mixing valves covered under a rental agreement? Curious...

No they're not - we had Enercare in who we rent our hot water tank from and they told us it was not covered as it was part of the plumbing for the house. Said we could sign up for a coverage plan for $18 a month but you had to be in it for a minimum of 2 year and had to wait at least a month before calling in for a repair.

[good2know]

Here's a checklist I run through whenever there is a water temperature issue:

1. Ensure power to water heater. Check breaker on panel. If heater has a plug in (for the powervent) ensure it hasn't come loose.

2. Check water temp setting on heater. If its a tank you want 140F to prevent bacterial growth. Tankless set at 120F

3. Tubs and showers have their own temp control valve. Check water temp coming from heater at a sink. You want 120F.

4. If < 120F you can increase the temp at the mixing valve. Pop off the plastic cover and the adjustment gizmo is there.

5. If max setting is still <120 then its gummed up or defective. Thats when you would follow the steps in the video.

6. If temperature out of heater is 120F (as measured at a sink) and the shower is cold then need to check there. Run the shower at full hot and check the temperature. If its low, you may need to adjust or replace the cartridge in there. Thats another video.

[good2know]

Originally Posted by jckth

Either way I will have to get someone in to do it - I have to get a wrench that will fit the thing to get it off and I don't want to start the repair myself (the online DIY videos always look easier than it is) and then be stuck without hot water until I can get a plumber in if it doesn't go well.

Only you can decide on your comfort level to diy this.

That said, in this case it really is just three nuts. A large crescent wrench will be all you need. $10 maybe? Actually you will want 2 wrenches so that there is no torgue on the pipes.

What I would do is pick up a replacement exact match. If the repair steps dont work, install the new one.

[good2know]

The other thing that is outside any rental contract is the white pipes. They are part of the house.

Another issue is a water heater replacement in an older property. If there is no mixing valve it must be added. If the exhaust pipe(s) are black, they (it) will need to be replaced.