These are the type of questions that we are often asked. Today, almost everyone wants to save money where they can. If it’s in your own home and you are capable of doing the work yourself, then it may be legal to do it without a licensed plumber…but just maybe!
There are several reasons to use a professional licensed plumber. The most important reason is for you and your family’s safety! The main reason for city codes and permits is for the safety of the members of a community. The quality of work in your home must be maintained, and when it isn’t, your home and therefore your family could be at risk.
Building Codes and Permits
As in many professions, there are many more ways to do a project wrong, rather than to do it right. That is an axiom that is especially true when it comes to plumbing problems or issues. A licensed plumber must know all of the relevant state and city codes and requirements for changing out water heaters or any other plumbing work, as well as safety codes that apply.
One requirement is that a permit is required to change a water heater out and have the completed work checked by a city inspector. The only two people that can pull a permit are a licensed plumber or the homeowner, and then only if they are going to do the work themselves. In addition, if you’re the homeowner, you cannot have your neighbor or another person come over and help you change your water heater out, or pay him to change it out.
There are also people that work as a Handyman or a general repair person; they have possibly done something like that in the past, but they normally do not have all the right materials to complete a repair or water heater replacement, or necessarily the expertise to know what to do in the event of a real problem or issue.
Again, if you are going to have anyone else besides yourself perform the replacement or repair of a water heater, then it must be a licensed plumber to pull the permit, do the work and call for the final inspection.
What Else Might Be an Issue?
It is recommended to have a licensed plumber perform maintenance and a safety inspection on your water heater. This should be done at least once a year, along with flushing the water heater. The build-up of minerals and sediment in your water heater is probably the biggest cause of water heater inefficiency and/or failure. If this is correctly and consistently performed, the cost of the maintenance is more than paid for with the extra years that you will be more likely to get out of that existing water heater.
Also, things happen! When storm winds blow, it may damage or blow off the actual vent that’s on top of a gas water heater. If it’s knocked loose and doesn’t properly function, you just might have carbon monoxide fumes building up inside your home. Some city codes now require carbon monoxide detectors be installed because this has become such an issue.
Another issue can be a faulty ‘Pressure Relief Valve’. Since these are not often used, there is always a chance that it might build up a corrosion (remember that it’s a path into the holding portion of the water heater tank) and malfunction. This is another component that should be examined during a professional maintenance inspection and replaced if found defective. Too much pressure in a water heater tank will definitely cause serious problems and serious damage to your home.
Hopefully you understand that these are just a few of the issues that can become very serious, very quickly and why it is so important to have a professional, trained licensed plumber work in your home.
The Professionals
Leak Geeks Plumbing provides hot water heaters, tankless water heaters and plumbing services in Southlake TX and the surrounding area on water heaters. For more information on water heaters and plumbing services by Leak Geeks Plumbing, connect with us on Facebook, Google+, Twitter, YouTube or LinkedIn.
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