That 49-Degree Night Hits the Water Heater First

Last week in Battle Creek looked calm until the nights got serious. Monday and Tuesday sat in the upper 70s into the low 80s. Wednesday brought fog and 0.39 inches of rain with almost no overnight cool-down — 74 high, 67 low. Then Friday hit 50. Sunday hit 49, the coldest reading of the month so far, with a 27-mph gust and a trace of rain. That is not a wait-until-October water heater week.

Cold nights mean longer showers and a tank that has to work. An 8-to-12-year-old heater, rust at the base, a wet ring on the floor, or a T&P valve that drips when nobody is home is how a quiet Sunday turns into a soaked utility room. Look at the floor and the bottom of the tank this week. If it is wet where it should be dry, or the unit is past its window, call A.W. Crooks. We are 24/7 residential plumbing and HVAC in Battle Creek, and we do not add a weekend tax during hours. (269) 962-5441 or book at tctcinc.com/contact. The $99 water heater check is live on tctcinc.com/specials — flush, T&P, look at the tank and the floor. Not a new heater. Parts and repairs not included.

Same walk: heat. Friday and Sunday were the first real heating-degree nights of September. Turn the thermostat to heat for ten minutes. You want a clean start, no water on the floor, no burning-dust panic that will not quit. The Fall $99 furnace and $199 boiler tune-ups are still on specials if you want one system checked before the first hard freeze. One system check. Repairs not included.

After Wednesday's rain, glance at the sump crock and the discharge hose in the yard. After Sunday's gust, check any outdoor disconnect or breaker that tripped and will not reset — that is The Michigan Electric Company, residential and light commercial electrical, same number.

If you are building or running commercial or new-construction plumbing, that is The Plumbing Company, not Crooks. Not 24/7. Same call center reaches all three: (269) 962-5441 · tctc@mitctc.com · tctcinc.com.