In thirtysomething years, I have replaced dozens of water heaters and often there's so much sand in the bottom of the tank that the drain is completely plugged and the water only trickles out. In those situations, you have to make more holes to get all the water out. The thermostat on a gas heater is one of the openings that you can get to fairly easily to effect the draining.

It sounds like he was in a rush so, cutting the thermocouple to free it from the thermostat (so the thermo can be unscrewed out of the tank) would be easier than unscrewing it. Unfortunately, it's irreversible if you run into other problems.
Your plumber was headed the right way to complete that job but, shouldn't have subjected you to a loss of hot water because of his lack of planning/foresight.

(edit) That photo looks like he cut the gas line to the pilot, not the thermocouple. Also, the handle is missing from the drain so, there's a pretty good chance that drain is somehow screwed-up too.

Still, that's no excuse leaving you with a cold shower. These days, it seems that level of service (piss-poor) is becoming more and more common in the trades. One thing: in all the WH swaps I did, I NEVER left a customer w/o hot water and believe me, I had some pretty nasty swaps.

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Never a dull moment at Berry Hill Farm.

if the vent was legal when it was installed it should be legal now.

"existing non conforming use."

imho

tom w

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[SIGPIC] Diesel loving autocrossing grandpa Architect. 08 Dodge 3/4 ton with Cummins & six speed; I have had about 35 benzes. I have a 39 Studebaker Coupe Express pickup in which I have had installed a 617 turbo and a five speed manual.[SIGPIC]

..I also have a 427 Cobra replica with an aluminum chassis.

Thanks Tom. I was under that impression as well, but this guy acted like my house was going to burn down. Maybe the Chicago codes are stricter, I don't know.

When it comes to chimneys that is the farthest thing from the truth. If any type of deterioration is found by anyone in the building trades or power company the system is "red tagged". No exceptions; that is the rule in Michigan.

deterioration is not a code compliance issue.

i believe what this guy was talking about was an upgrade to conform to today's codes (which i think was a bogus claim).

of course if it is deteriorated, it must be repaired. that just makes good sense.

tom w

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[SIGPIC] Diesel loving autocrossing grandpa Architect. 08 Dodge 3/4 ton with Cummins & six speed; I have had about 35 benzes. I have a 39 Studebaker Coupe Express pickup in which I have had installed a 617 turbo and a five speed manual.[SIGPIC]

..I also have a 427 Cobra replica with an aluminum chassis.

Potential for carbon monoxicide leakage or fire is RED TAG period end of story.

I have seen people get red tagged for bad igniters, I have seen people call because of a water heater issue and get the furnace red tagged; I have seen vice versa.

If you change the water heater you have to change anything attached to it that is not compliant with current code.

In our jurisdiction, plumber's don't red tag anything, the utility company or building inspector does.
The question is whether there was a code violation or not. The simple fact that a vent is behind drywall can't violate a code in and of itself.

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1977 300d 70k--sold 08
1985 300TD 185k+
1984 307d 126k--sold 8/03
1985 409d 65k--sold 06
1984 300SD 315k--daughter's car
1979 300SD 122k--sold 2/11
1999 Fuso FG Expedition Camper
1993 GMC Sierra 6.5 TD 4x4
1982 Bluebird Wanderlodge CAT 3208--Sold 2/13

There is no grandfathering for safety issues via the National Fire Code; the plumber may not red tag a house or appliance but it is his responsibility to report it.

so, are you a fire inspector?

your first sentence is true of course, and i never said otherwise.

second sentence is true, and i never said otherwise.

third sentence is true, and i never said otherwise.

his post talked of a power vent, which i have never heard of and sounded bogus to me. as it turns out it was.

tom w

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[SIGPIC] Diesel loving autocrossing grandpa Architect. 08 Dodge 3/4 ton with Cummins & six speed; I have had about 35 benzes. I have a 39 Studebaker Coupe Express pickup in which I have had installed a 617 turbo and a five speed manual.[SIGPIC]

..I also have a 427 Cobra replica with an aluminum chassis.

In my school trained and previous profession.....sort of. As you know the NFPA encompasses everything from building code to medical equipment safety standards.

I had a power vent on a tankless water heater. It's fan in the vent that drives the exhaust from combustion out the side of the house rather than letting it naturally rise through a traditional vent. It's wired into the burner so that it comes one when the burner ignites. Power vent doesn't come on, burner wont ignite. (I think)

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1977 300d 70k--sold 08
1985 300TD 185k+
1984 307d 126k--sold 8/03
1985 409d 65k--sold 06
1984 300SD 315k--daughter's car
1979 300SD 122k--sold 2/11
1999 Fuso FG Expedition Camper
1993 GMC Sierra 6.5 TD 4x4
1982 Bluebird Wanderlodge CAT 3208--Sold 2/13

Too be honest I have no clue what he was talking about but when a plumber makes a safety call you have a few options:

1. Get a second opinion
2. Get it inspected.
3. Don't go cheap on anything that emits carbon monoxide.

I opened the drain last month to check for sediment and the water came out fast and hard. The drain works fine.

Bad plumber, no donut.

Down here, any WH older than 4-5 years will easily have 6" of concrete-like sediment inside.

__________________
Never a dull moment at Berry Hill Farm.

He cut the pilot light gas tube and the thermocouple wire, even though both of those have threaded connections to the regulator.

Thanks to everyone for their opinions.

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