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We inherited our water heater when we bought the motel in late 2020. Far more robust than any residential model, twice the size and BTU’s of most. Still, from time to time, we had issues. The pilot light would go out if the winds were strong enough, which was common enough. There’s a meme that has a picture of a heavy chain on a pole with the title “NM wind sock.”
Additionally, we had unexplained pilot light outages - usually occurring overnight - which means it was not discovered until the next morning! Certainly not the experience we want to give our guests! So, we started going down rabbit holes on the internet trying to determine the cause. The control valve was new, so that wasn’t the issue. What struck us was the overnight outages, and mostly during the cold months. With that information, we settled on two likely culprits and set about addressing those issues.
As we spent more time with the water heater, we began hearing the occasional hiss when the burner was on, indicating either condensation (our tap water is about 50 degrees Fahrenheit!) or a slow leak. This was January 2026. Over the next several days, the dripping became faster. We tested to see whether it was a leak or condensation.
It was a leak, and it was getting worse.
With the speed at which the water heater appeared to be worsening, we feared tank failure. Unmonitored, such an event would be a huge mess. We made the decision to shut it down and drain the tank rather than risk a flood. Then we set about shutting off our booking system and notifying guests. Everyone we called was very understanding, and some, mostly people who had stayed with us before, courageously opted to keep their bookings and bravely forego their evening or morning shower.
Being closed, we dug into the research for a replacement. Commercial water heaters cost thousands of dollars, so we wanted to choose wisely. Reliability is a must, and we needed to select a model that would be an upgrade in performance. Once we had a model in mind, we started reaching out to suppliers.
We found the unit we wanted, and expected to spend about $8000 based on the research for that model…but we were quoted a price of $14,000 from the closest supplier.
Back to research. We found a slightly different unit for half the price, but it was still a solid upgrade. However, delivery would take a while. So we ordered it, waited, and prepped.
Changes were needed in the laundry room to provide sufficient combustion air and proper venting for the upgraded model. We bought some vents, some ducts, a stud finder and an oscillating saw!
Freight deliveries to rural New Mexico are always a challenge. What should have been a Friday delivery was scheduled for the following Monday, then it got kicked to Tuesday because all the other businesses on the route were closed for President’s Day. But we were first on the list for Tuesday delivery between 8:00 am and 10:00 am!
By 10:00 am Tuesday morning, there was no word from the delivery driver. So I reached out. Truck trouble, and the driver was stuck about 40 miles outside Raton. Delivery was pushed to Wednesday afternoon. It was hard to keep our cool, but we know from experience that anger often backfires.
We were thankful for a surprise 10:00 am delivery on Wednesday, and our plumber came over immediately to get started. I was his helper, and we muscled the old one out and the new one in. 24 hours later we were back in business!
We were rewarded immediately with a full house for 2 nights. It is February, and we are now back to “normal” – a new normal at that! The new unit is working very well, and the 2-night sellout was a good test for its ability to meet demand, however Spring Break will be the REAL test. Still, the math checks out – even though the unit is 16% smaller, it replenishes at about 3x the rate of the older unit.
Now that we have reopened, we are so happy to be able to do what we love most: Meet new people and give guests a good experience. We really missed it, and we are pleased to be back at it!
We hope to see YOU soon!