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st weekender may 1996 p 3 exclusive consumers doesnt follow watts specs from page 1 water started coming from the taps a plumber checked the hot water tank and determined that it needed to be flushed a practice that should be done every 60 days this flushing is something most people dont even know about said smith more important the plumber noticed that the pressure relief value was so corroded that it wouldnt budge the valve couldnt do its job it was stuck the waters so hard in stouffville it caused a buildup of crud and affected the valve said smith corro sion occurred even though the smiths own a water softener smith is worried if the valve cant open to relieve pressure the tank might blow up shes suggesting ive been told it could go off like a bomb said smith im worried about the neighbors sevick said the tank cant blow we have 12 million cus tomers weve never had a tank explode he said the tribune contacted eight plumbers some said a hot water tank cant explode some said an explosion could occur if the conditions were right one plumber said a tank could blow up but it would be a one in a million event a senior plumber meanwhile said life has taught him that things that never can happen seem to have a way of happening at one time or another common sense dic tates that in the interest of safety regular tank inspections are in order he advised ted clark certification man ager for international approvals services a gas appli ance testing laboratory said from a technical standpoint hot water tanks do have the poten tial to explode the relief valve works as a safety backup the valve is on there as a safety function thats its function said clark clark said while hes never seen a domestic tank explode many years ago he did see the aftermath of a commercial tank explosion karla compiton spokesper son for the ministry of con sumer and commericial rela tions said to her knowledge the government has never heard of an incident where one blew up in material published by relief valve manufacturer watts industries canada inc taking care of the valve is viewed as critical watts recommends valve inspections once every three years consumers gas tank inspections are done once every 10 years said sevick failure to reinspect as direct ed by watts could result in unsafe temperature or pressure buildup which can result in judy smith shows the tag which indicates regular service is mandato ry on water heaters photassjoerd witteveen serious injury or death and or severe property damage watts states the gas company follows the guidelines of consumers gas and not that of the valve manu facturer said sevick smith thinks consumers gas should follow watts recommen dations in areas such as stouffville where water is especially hard tank inspections should be car ried out more than once a decade said smith clark said smiths opinion is valid in areas like stouffville extra care could be taken said clark more than once every three would likely be advis able stouffville does indeed have a hard water problem said paul whitehouse whitchurch- stouffville public works director smith wants a message outlin ing the proper care of a tank to be included in the gas or the water bill the request is reasonable said whitehouse the municipality could work in partnership with consumers gas to educate people about the tanks he said education is needed people do need information about the flushing said whitehouse safety is an issue he added smith called consumers gas and reported the problem a service man came and replaced the pressure relief valve the next day smith said she found a ripped yellow tag in a garbage box the warning tag attached to the valve by watts includes important information said smith when the service man installed the new valve he tore- the tag off and threw it away smith speculated smith said shes pays 8 a month for her hot water tank over the past 11 years shes paid about 11 15 for the rental tank the wholesale price of a hot water tank today is about 385 while a tank service charge would cost consumers about 70 take said sevick consumers gas makes a practice of leav ing the tags on sevick stressed doug dyer national sales manager for watts said the tag is put on for a purpose and shouldnt be removed the tag states that the valve lever must be operated at least once a year by the water heater owner to ensure that the waterways are clear also it states that the valves should be inspected once every three years again sevick said that con sumers gas doesnt necessari ly follow the manufacturers guidelines consumers gas ser vice people will do a visual check of the hot water tank when they are responding to calls on other consumers gas rental appliances said sevick they do this freeofcharge he said and if a homeowner asks to have a tank checked itll be done added sevick sevik said he didnt know that the yellow tag r e co m m en d s inspections every three years i didnt know he said smith said shes paid 8 a month for her hot water tank over the past 11 years smith estimates shes paid about 1115 for the rental tank the wholesale price of a hot water tank today is about 385 while a tank service charge would cost consumers about 70 smith estimated theres big profit here said smith theyve got over a million cus tomers the company can afford to consider changing how it does inspections sevick said he plans to con tact smith and review the situ ation yes well be looking at the tag was taken off by mis- our policies said sevick watch for these flyers on saturday may 4th 1996 ultra mart home depot coupon clipper biway loblaws marks work warehouse sears the great canadian bagel ap ashbrooks weston produce iga dominion selected areas only were first in distribution weve delivered 12676832 flyers door-to- door so far this year if you would like your flyers delivered by the best please call arlene maddock at 6402100 the tribune attention flyer advertisers we can deliver your flyers for as little as 35 cents apiece in 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