This shouldn't be happening

Around noon I heard water running off the rear of the house and saw this. I would have checked but it's nearly impossible to get up on the roof. I might get a picture of that when the repair guy comes. Anyway, a quick call to the landlord and he comes over, shows me where the shut-off is and says a repair person will be over this afternoon. Probably a broken copper pipe he says. I have a cupola with good sized windows but none of them open. The cupola route would be a safer way to access the roof.

With a ladder almost long enough the maintenance guy finds that one of the tubes of the solar water heater is broken. He's not sure if tubes can be replaced or if a whole new one is needed. Gonna be expensive so might get a gas heater instead.

Landlord just came over and I get a gas heater Saturday. A few birdbaths for me !!!

Solar water heaters are cool

Never taken solar water heaters seriously but my new house has one and I'm impressed. Even with 2 days of overcast I can stand under the shower as long as I want with hot water that has to be cooled with the cold. My only gas bill is from the stove use.

There is also enough street water pressure to fill the tinaco so I don't have a pump going on and off all day. Don't need 2-3 showers a day like I did on the beach in summer ... but still.

Took my 3 meter ladder upstairs to look through the Cupola dirty windows and this is what I saw. A large unit. Not that I'll have another building project in the near future ... but I would seriously consider a solar heater if I did.

Why they didn't make one of the Cupola windows as a roof access with hinges I'll never know. Almost impossible to get to the roof on this house.

Jocotepec, Jalisco, Mexico