Why does my Hot Water Tank run out of hot water quickly now ?
On an electric hot water tank, there are two elements; one on the top of the tank and one on the bottom of the tank. If one is burnt out only half of the tank will be heated at any given time. Effectively reducing your hot water storage by half. The dip tube in a gas fired hot water tank could be broken. This causes the tank to short cycle across the top of the tank not allowing the water to be heated before it is sent to the fixture.
What is the purpose of an vacuum breaker on either my hose bib or my laundry sink ?
The vacuum breaker allows air to flow back into the system piping instead of whatever is in your garden hose or laundry tap hose, in the event of a reverse draw on the city water supply. eg. If a firetruck hooks up to a fire hydrant on your block , it will pull all of the water out of the lines in your house. If you had a sink full of dirty water in your laundry sink with a hose from the tap into the water, it would pull the dirty water back into your house water lines. The same thing would happen if you were spraying your lawn with weed eater, it would be pulled back into the city water supply, poisoning the water.
Why can i smell rotten eggs coming out of the floor drain in my basement ?
The smell is caused by methane buildup in the sewer pipes. The floor drain in your basement has a P-trap on it that is usually full of water, this stops the methane from coming out of the floor drain. The water in the P-Trap has evaporated allowing the sewer gasses to enter your house. Pour a few liters of water back down the floor drain to re-prime the trap , and the smell should go away.