Part Five
Water Heaters
The water heater is the one appliance in this book that stores both heat and pressure, and on many houses a flame as well. So these six chapters are the most careful in the book. They explain how a tank works, why 120°F is the setting we recommend, and why the relief valve is never to be blocked. They cover flushing a tank, finding out why the water has gone cold, and choosing among tank, tankless and heat pump models. You will find more cautions here than steps. On electric heaters, the breaker rule runs through everything. On gas heaters, the printed label, the gas company and a licensed plumber do most of the talking. Read the whole part once before anything goes wrong.