770-PLUMBER
Water Heater Case Study
- Client Location: West Paces (Argonne Forest) on Verdun Dr NW, Buckhead, Atlanta, GA
- The Emergency: Failing, rusted attic water heaters about to burst and flood a 1955 historic home.
- The Solution: Relocated and upgraded system to two Navien NPE-240A Tankless Water Heaters in the crawl space (0:47).
- Key Result: Minimized the risk of a high-stakes attic flood, improved energy efficiency, and delivered instant hot water via an integrated recirculation system.
Watch the Job Site Breakdown
See the splitting metal jackets and the attic setup exactly as our team found them in this quick video walk-through:
The Challenge: A Ticking Time Bomb in the Attic
A homeowner in the historic West Paces neighborhood (Argonne Forest of Buckhead) called True Plumbing, Heating & Cooling when her hot water suddenly stopped working.
Our licensed plumber, Inacio, arrived at the home in under two hours to diagnose the issue.
Climbing into the attic, he discovered a high-stakes scenario:
- Severe Structural Failure: The home relied on two old 50-gallon gas water heaters stored directly in the attic space.
- Corroding from the Inside Out: Both tanks had rusted so severely that their metal outer jackets were completely splitting open (0:16).
- Imminent Flood Risk: One tank was already actively leaking water directly onto its burner (0:08). Only the emergency drainage pans stood between the splitting tanks and a massive, multi-floor flood destroying the home from the attic down (0:32).
The Strategy: Thinking Outside the Box
While simply replacing the old tanks in the attic was an option, Inacio knew it wasn't the safest or most efficient long-term solution for this specific home.
To maximize safety and comfort, we designed a custom system relocation strategy:
- System Relocation: We safely drained and extracted the failing 50-gallon tanks from the attic, minimizing the threat of high-altitude water damage (0:53).
- Crawl Space Installation: We shifted the infrastructure downstairs, installing two high-efficiency Navien NPE-240A tankless water heaters inside the customer's crawl space (0:47).
- Smart Infrastructure: By moving the system downstairs, we took advantage of Navien’s built-in recirculation system, which ensures faster hot water delivery to the home's taps while heavily reducing energy waste.
The Results: Peace of Mind & Instant Hot Water
By treating this old home with custom care, True Plumbing delivered a flawless system upgrade:
- Zero Flood Risk: The danger of a catastrophic attic-down flood is greatly minimized (0:32).
- Endless, Faster Hot Water: The homeowner now enjoys instant hot water delivery thanks to the premium Navien recirculation loop.
- Lower Utility Bills: Upgrading from bulky, constantly-heating tanks to on-demand tankless technology greatly boosts the home's energy efficiency (0:59).
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"These are the moments we are proud of—saving the day and creating value that requires thinking outside of the box!"
Need Your Water Heater Inspected?
True Plumbing, Heating & Cooling is a family-owned, operated, and fully licensed plumbing & HVAC specialists serving the North Atlanta area.
Don't wait for a leak to turn into a flood. Whether you are in Buckhead, Roswell, Alpharetta, Sandy Springs, Dunwoody, or Brookhaven, we're ready to help.
📞 Call: 404-585-8990
to schedule your water heater service or contact us online with any questions.Â
Here is how the job was successfully completed without damaging the property:
- The Challenge: Safely lowering a failing, heavy appliance down a vertical attic staircase.
- The Prevention: The removal was executed right before the unit completely failed, preventing catastrophic water damage and flooding from the attic down.
- The Strategy: The team relied on a structured, careful removal plan combined with teamwork and muscle to safely navigate the steep descent.