Dear local big box DIY centers......(PAH)

hot_rod

water heaters to the unsuspecting general public, please train your salespeople to not give dangerous advice.

Case in point: New customer called yesterday to ask what we'd charge to purge the air from his gas line to the water heater he'd just finished installing. We like to have new customers, so we quoted the work & went on over. Knowing we're buying into the responsibility for what you've sold and they installed, we were thorough. But it doesn't take much training to know that dryer vent hose is not suitable as the exhaust vent for combustion products where water heaters are concerned! He was instructed by your salesperson to use same. Well it does say "vent" on the box & it sure goes together easy. A little duct tape & we're all set - for disaster that is. The union on the black iron piping, with teflon tape on every joint BTW, was on the upstream side of the valve. Again, he says your people dry-fit & pre-assembled it that way in the store to ease his concerns. You'd be well advised to stop giving such dangerous and poor advice before you manage to kill some customers.

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chuck shaw

This is why

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts has filed a legal document of some type, preventing the DIY stores from giving classes on water heater installations, or to my understanding, giving advice on any plumbing or gas project. In Massachusetts you must be a licensed plumber (or gasfitter) to work on gas or plumbing, even if you own the home. Many homeowners dont like this law. However, I see examples of why this should be in place, and enforced everyday. Not only do Plumbers protect the health of a nation, we protect the saftey of the nation and as I heard on telvision a few days ago. Good Plumbing systems are the arteries of civilization.

Chuck Shaw

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kframe

In the past 20 or so years I've installed probably a dozen water heaters.

All electric, all for myself, friends, or family.

The only ones I've adamantly REFUSED to do are ones fired by gas.

I'll help put the new one in place, but when it comes to the connections I insist that a plumber be called.

A few years ago I walked into a friend's new house, which he was proudly showing me. I nearly stroked out when I saw that in the utility/laundry room he was also storing:

1. His lawn mower.

2. His string trimmer.

3. The full gas can for the lawn mower.

4. The full gas can for the string trimmer.

You guessed it, gas furnace, gas water heater.

After I finished abusing him thoroughly, he told me that the "guy at the home store" said these cans could be used to store gas inside, even hear the furnace.

Uh... SURE! The red polypropylene cans are PERFECT for indoor storage of gasoline near ignition sources!

We went back to the home store, were I was going to beat the guy senseless with one of the gas cans, but he was off duty.

So, as a house warming present (as opposed to a house exploding and burning to the ground present) I bought them a Rubbermaid shed large enough to shelter the mower, gas cans and trimmer outside where it belonged.

Then we stopped by the Fire Marshall's office where I made him make a formal complaint. Nothing ever came of it, though.

Mark J Strawcutter

all trades

I've seen some really butchered electrical installations, too. Mid-line splices into romex with no box and wires just twisted/taped.

Saw one outlet that was actually installed using 4-conductor telephone wire. Must have had some concern over load since they combined red+green for hot and black+yellow for neutral.

In my sister's new-to-her house I discovered an electric water heater on #12 wire with a 30amp breaker.

I, too, cringe and some of the "advice" I overhear being given at the big-boxes. But as a computer person by trade, I really get upset at the computing "advice" I overhear at Staples, Best Buy etc.

Mark

PS - I tend to believe that licensing _or_ inspection should be required for plumbing/electrical/hvac work.

Richard Miller_2

so tell me...

do you hold strong opinions on this subject? LOL

good for you!

Tony_8

reminds me of...

A father of a HS classmate who called me early one AM because his Mr Coffee wouldn't work. Neither would the microwave. His test light showed power at the FUSE panel but not the 1st rec. During the course of conversation he told me they'd just remodeled the kitchen 2 mos previous. Apparently, the existing romex feed wouldn't reach the desired location for the 1st rec so they spliced it. I said," well just open the j-box and ck the connections". He said,"What j-box?". They'd TAPE spliced the cable and buried it in the wall behind the cabinet!!!!! Of course he thought I MUST be joking when I said to pull the fuse AND the cabinets! He saved a lot of money on the remodel, he hired HS kids.