No such thing as a "Hot Water Heater"

I'm so excited! Brian and I have had to go through the drama with our apartment complex about replacing our water heater. We've contacted them over and over for the past six months with no resolution. I was finally sick of it, so I delivered this letter to the manager:

To Whom It May Concern:

For the past two months, the amount of hot water we get when taking a shower has decreased. Recently, the hot water only lasts 6-7 minutes before getting cold. The 40 gallon water heater installed in our apartment is more than capable of providing longer showers. In an informal survey with friends and neighbors with 40 gallon water heaters, respondents tell us that 6-7 minutes is not normal for them.

We have contacted the main office about this problem. Both maintenance personnel have come to "fix"” the problem, but their solutions are not solutions at all. The water heater knob is turned to the hottest possible setting, and no other appliances are using water.

One of the maintenance personnel tells us that the amount of hot water is sufficient to fill our 40-gallon bathtub. When we try the same action under the same conditions, the bathtub only becomes half-full before cold water comes out of the faucet.

Additionally, all of our frequently used faucets (kitchen and bathroom) have recently clogged. Those problems have required maintenance personnel to come and fix the problem. However, their quick fixes have not resolved the root problem. Any sample of water from our faucets contains little white specks of calcium carbonate. Logically, this problem begins at the water heater.

Before you send maintenance personnel to our apartment again, please consider the following problems that our water heater might have:

1. The dip tube in the water heater is damaged (Any water heater made between August 1993 and March 1996 could be affected by a problematic dip tube);
2. The water heater has not been drained; most water heaters require draining once a year.

We would like this problem fixed as soon as possible. Sending maintenance personnel will not help; a professional plumber or water heater technician is required.

Since both of our hours of employment prevent us from communicating with Raintree Apartment management during normal hours of operation, please contact Mr. Nix via phone (801-706-****) or email (*******@yahoo.com).

We appreciate your immediate attention to this matter.

Sincerely,

Jesse Michael Nix & Brian Jay Nicholls

Today, they delivered a new water heater! To top it off, they gave us a 69-gallon water heater instead of our old 40-gallon one! We tested it out and got 15 minutes of hot water. It's still not the 25 minutes I was looking for, but I can deal with it. We're going to get a shower head that expells less water to see if that will elongate our showers. Still, it's much better than 6 minute showers!

Old, Ugly, Unworkable Water Heater ---- New, Shiny, Bigger Water Heater!