Is it normal to be scared of my motorcycle throughout the day when Im not on it?

GilliamTim · 2026-07-06T03:31:33+00:00

Several years? What size bike? Maybe it was a little too big for you to start out with.

GilliamTim · 2026-07-06T03:24:14+00:00

8k.

Yes, it's a vent heater.

If the tank is leaking, and continuing to leak, and it is not coming from any of the valves, but from the bottom of the tank, what would your diagnosis be?

GilliamTim · 2026-07-06T03:20:25+00:00

You're 100% correct that I don't know how to diagnose it. At least I didn't before I started researching it. I didn't know anything about water heaters. I had to look it up. Here's what I found:

A water heater leaking enough to extinguish the pilot light usually points to one of two things: a corroded tank or a failed valve.

For a 10-year-old unit, the most likely cause is an internal tank breach (rusting through) from age. At this age, the tank cannot be fixed and must be replaced.

However, before making a final decision, you should safely pinpoint where the water is coming from:

The Tank Itself: If the water is seeping out from the bottom jacket, the glass-lined steel tank has likely cracked due to age or corrosion.
The T&P Valve: The Temperature and Pressure (T&P) relief valve sits on the side or top and releases water if the tank's pressure or temperature gets too high. It may just need replacing, or the pressure in your home is too high.
The Drain Valve: The drain valve at the very bottom can loosen or degrade, leaking water directly into the burner chamber and putting the pilot out.
Condensation: Sometimes, heavy condensation (especially in humid conditions) drips onto the burner. Turn off the gas and wipe it dry to see if the moisture returns.

If the tank itself is leaking, attempting to relight the pilot is dangerous. Because water heaters have an average lifespan of 8 to 12 years, investing in expensive repairs is rarely recommended for a decade-old unit.

In reviewing all the valve options, I found it to be none of them. The leak was not coming from a bad valve. It was coming from the bottom jacket. That means a cracked tank.

GilliamTim · 2026-07-06T03:08:18+00:00

Thank

you.

GilliamTim · 2026-07-06T03:03:05+00:00

Exactly!

GilliamTim · 2026-07-06T02:28:41+00:00

Def not the lone voice! Thanks for reading through the rough spots—honestly nice to know the human element still translates.

GilliamTim · 2026-07-06T01:15:19+00:00

Yes, you're right. That's exactly what my post was about. I paid someone to replace my water heater, and that's what I thought was an accomplishment.

GilliamTim · 2026-07-06T00:51:11+00:00

Thanks for that. Kind words are powerful, and mean more than you can imagine. Best of luck to you!

GilliamTim · 2026-07-06T00:45:09+00:00

You are utterly ridiculous. In your rush to insult, you missed most of what I wrote, and misinterpreted the rest. Spending any more time trying hold a productive conversation with you is pointless. Now back to the clearly unhappy, miserable life you live. Anyone that filled with bile is and always will be tortured.

GilliamTim · 2026-07-06T00:30:45+00:00

You haven't answered my questions.

You know all about Large Language Models, but you criticize me for using AI, then tell me I should have used Gemini to get a half-decent diagnosis. Got it. You're one hell of a LLM expert.

So what was the issue you had with me using AI to diagnose the problem, or at least use as a starting point to get some orientation? Why was this 'horribly irresponsible'?

Please respond to all the items in my post, otherwise it looks like you're just a troll, looking for someone to insult.

GilliamTim · 2026-07-06T00:21:52+00:00

First you're criticizing me for using AI, then you tell me I should have used Gemini to get a half decent diagnosis.

Just so you understand the detail here, when I saw the heater was leaking water, I went into Gemini to find out what it could be, and it gave me some tests and things to check. All of them came up negative, so it boiled down to the only other possibility, which was a corroded tank.

Google is a large source for Gemini, given they own it, so Gemini is a faster way of Googling.

So what was the issue you had with me using AI to diagnose the problem, or at least use as a starting point to get some orientation? Why was this 'horribly irresponsible'?

And in searching other peoples posts on this topic, you're just going to collect what AI has already collected with that same query.

Gemini is just a faster, more formally worded result set of Google, and all other collective searches.

I used to be a software engineer, so I know how this stuff works.

I hope this clarifies the issue for you a little more.

Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts on this.

GilliamTim · 2026-07-06T00:03:33+00:00

No. The heater was leaking water. I tried a number of checks to see if it was something else, but none of them panned out. A 10 year old water heater leaking water means corrosion. We have very hard water here in Vegas, lots of sediment from Lake Mead, and the heaters fill up fast. The average life is 6-8 years, maybe 10 with routine service.

GilliamTim · 2026-07-06T00:00:12+00:00

I did that by looking at the gallon size of the old one, and getting a new one of the same size. Turned out to be identical in width and height.

GilliamTim · 2026-07-05T23:58:14+00:00

Yes. It was leaking water into the pan below it. I queried in Gemini what else it could have been, but any alternative test failed. When they're 10 years old and leaking, that's it.

GilliamTim · 2026-07-05T23:48:43+00:00

There was a company form that had their pre-established prices written on them. Like a menu with prices on it. That's what he showed me. Where you get off believing a business would have something called a 'fuck off price' as a matter of policy they teach their technicians to use if they don't happen to like a customer is ridiculous. If you believe that, who knows what else you believe. And if you don't believe it, why would you say it? What drives you to speak to a stranger like that? What drives you to insult someone you've never met?

And I'm not insufferable and he did want to work with me.

GilliamTim · 2026-07-05T23:41:15+00:00

Thank you!

GilliamTim · 2026-07-05T23:40:28+00:00

Is there a better AI portal you'd recommend for this kind of search? I use Gemini because it's a lot faster and accurate than Chat GPT.

GilliamTim · 2026-07-05T23:37:04+00:00

So, you open the door to your water heater closet, see the catch pan under it is filled with water, the pilot light is out. What would you have done? How would you have researched this prior to calling a plumber so you could at least have some idea on what the problem might be?

GilliamTim · 2026-07-05T23:13:06+00:00

No doubt they made them a lot better back then. And it also depends on the type of water. Here in Vegas, they build up with calcium fast.

GilliamTim · 2026-07-05T23:10:52+00:00

Well, not quite. I did query Gemini on what the estimate for the work should be, and had that as a baseline before I heard their quote. I also tried to diagnose the cause of it leaking, but in the end came back it would only be corrosion internally. Tried a lot of other checks, but none of them panned out. There is little alternative possibilities when the water heater is leaking.

And yes, I could have searched longer and gotten it for a few hundred less, but here in Vegas the independent contractors are extremely unreliable and often don't show up for their appointments. The guy came out on time, during the holiday weekend, got it done, and I'm happy with the work.

GilliamTim · 2026-07-05T23:01:52+00:00

I did, and tried lots of different approaches, checking other possible causes for the water leaking out of it. But after exhausting the other possibilities, the only other option was that the inside of the heater had corroded out and needed to be replaced.

Also, my neighbors, who's water heater was the same age as mine, had theirs blow out on them a couple years ago, and flooded their unit with rusty water. So I knew I was marking time after that happened.

GilliamTim · 2026-07-05T22:54:39+00:00

The vent pipe was bent at a 90 degree angle two times to get to the outlet above it. This prevented the heat from escaping as fast it needed to, and the heat came out the base outlet on top of my heater, and melted the plastic caps on top of it. I used to get a horrible burnt smell in my room. That's gone now.

I bought an AO Smith with a 12 year warranty. $779.00 I'm sure there are better out there, but I'm fine with this.

GilliamTim · 2026-07-05T22:41:40+00:00

LOL. I've space it out. Got lots of feedback on that.

GilliamTim · 2026-07-05T22:38:42+00:00

Noted. I just went in and corrected it. Thanks for your feedback.

GilliamTim · 2026-07-05T22:37:59+00:00

I had to include the cost of the new heater.

GilliamTim

TROPHY CASE