A quick call to our agent with copies of the letters from the agencies strongly suggesting no repairs are made were included. Hours later, we had an official reply: we would likely be covered if at some point in the future, any problems arose, but that would not prevent a lawsuit being filed based upon our having ignored the warnings while performing repairs instead of replacements. Their advise: repairing flooded appliances exposes us to increased exposure to liability and they strongly urged we replace or walk away from the work.

Checking an electric water heater for leaks: unless the tank itself has a large enough pin-hole to create a clearly audible “here-I-am” under the jacket, you need to poke and probe for the answer. It's a straight-forward logical series of steps.

Returning from the overly-warmed cavernous mechanical room, I was once again invited to join my new old friends at the kitchen table. One option always suggested is solar thermal (reminder: it’s not my money), which was rejected due to the up-front costs.

“Help — our water heater is leaking and we need an estimate for a new one.” In addition, a few questions during the phone call revealed they would be interested in pricing for a new furnace and central air conditioning. This is a new potential customer who was referred by a friend of theirs who is a customer — the best kind of introduction.

"What's the first best investment: upgrade the shell by sealing infil-exfiltration air leaks, adding insulation, installing new windows and doors, or replacing the heating and air conditioning equipment? You can only afford to do one or the other."

For most of the past four decades, my hydronic training centered on choosing a circulator that met or exceeded the required system flow rate, while overcoming the system’s head losses in each zone.

What's the angle? Or, in other words, what's in it for your customer? Stop, look, and most importantly, listen. Your customer asks, "What's the least expensive way for making hot water?"