Parts and Inspection of a Water Heater

Sexy, stylish and fashionable your water heater is not. (unless you have one of those tankless systems, but that is another blog) Your water heater is an important part of modern living and it really makes indoor plumbing enjoyable.
There are a few things that I look for and that are important when I am inspecting homes in Salem, Oregon and the water heaters therein, the first thing is:

Where is it?
If it is in the garage there are a few rules that need to be followed for safe operation. If it is gas, the flame source needs to be at least 18″ off the ground. This condition will apply to gas units that are more than 4 years old because we have now gone to a sealed burning unit that does not have an exposed flame. If you can get to the pilot light so can combustible gasses. Combustible gasses in garages tend to hug the ground so if the flame is sealed or 18″ off the ground it will help prevent those combustible gasses from igniting.

I will discuss the other important items in the next posts: Part 2, 3 and yes even 4!