On the news this morning, it was reported that a home in Springfield, MO was demolished because of a water heater explosion. The homeowner had replaced his own water heater without the help from professionals. He and his family then left the home and went out to dinner. While gone, his house was blown up and demolished, also damaging 8 other homes in the surrounding area. Luckily, no one was hurt, but a lot of damage was caused by this incident. Being a prior insurance agent, I hope this homeowner's insurance will cover this claim and that he has enough to cover all his neighbors' damages. What a risk they took on by replacing their own water heater.
We see a few things that make the news yearly on do-it-yourself water heater installers, showing: the garage door was blown off, the house was damaged, someone was hospitalized, etc. All caused by wrong installation both by homeowners, shady licensed plumbers or a homeowner trying to repair a water heater. These are only the ones that make the news, the majority are damages we don’t even hear about, but they happen ALL the time. I hear from many people, how the water heater caught on fire, burned someone, etc. A local story made the news last year ('08) when a homeowner worked on his own water heater, in Paradise Valley and it blew through his roof at night and landed over 150 yards away, rocking the house's foundation 4" and damaging many surrounding neighborhood homes.
Consumers NEED to be educated : Water heaters can be harmful when working on them, and understand the risk taken on when not using a licensed plumber and without current insurance to protect their neighbors, their own family.
Below is a clip by the news station in Springfield, MO reporting on the water heater disaster. For all of your plumbing, and water heater, needs call Benjamin Franklin Plumbing (866) 867-5309 or Contact Us Online!
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