I finally figured out why my cheap apartment's water heater kept shutting off

It took me a solid week of checking the pilot light and thermostat before I found the real issue. The air intake vent on the outside wall was clogged with leaves and a bird nest from last fall. I spent about 15 minutes clearing it with a shop vac from my buddy Steve, and it's worked fine ever since. Has anyone else had a simple fix take way too long because you overthought it?

3 comments

3 Comments

james_kim1mo ago

Man, I did the same thing with my dryer last month. It kept stopping mid cycle and I was convinced the motor was dying. Watched so many repair videos. My wife finally pointed out the lint trap was just totally packed, like way worse than usual. Cleaned it out and it runs like new. Felt so dumb for not checking the obvious thing first.

the_jason1mo ago

Wait, you watched repair videos before checking the lint trap?

rowanellis1mo ago

Yeah, that "overthought it" part is so real. I spent a whole weekend trying to fix a flickering light, changing bulbs and the switch. Turns out the lamp was just plugged in loose at the outlet. Felt like a total genius.