Runs with Bison
Member
Nothing was "dumped" on the next guy as the parts had been replaced and we didn't do without hot water for very long from what I recall. Info about repair was in disclosure. What exactly do you think they would get from a call to Whirlpool if something fails now? The parts were already replaced and the water heater is out of Whirlpool warranty. There is simply no reason to expect the same problem since it went 5 years without happening again...and the problem components were gone. Are you so dense that you can't understand this? I not only don't expect it to require repair under the home warranty, I expect it will last until the tank leaks. Based on the life of its predecessor, and what people say about tank life in recent years I expect that to be another 3 to 7 years.
A smart plumber would have kept one of the off the shelf Whirlpool thermostat/gas control valves and one of the TC's in his van/truck so that he wouldn't have to run around town when he came across one of these...they were pretty generic at the time and the water heaters were common. The valves weren't that pricey to have in inventory and doing so could save several hours or the ridiculously expensive solution of changing out a tank because parts were unavailable, when only the gas control valve was actually needed. But, this lack of inventory forethought isn't a surprise to me. In my experience in several states plumbers often show up without the most basic fittings, valves, and bushings in their vans (despite having the job explained/scheduled in advance.) I end up loaning tools and sometimes going out for parts.
A smart plumber would have kept one of the off the shelf Whirlpool thermostat/gas control valves and one of the TC's in his van/truck so that he wouldn't have to run around town when he came across one of these...they were pretty generic at the time and the water heaters were common. The valves weren't that pricey to have in inventory and doing so could save several hours or the ridiculously expensive solution of changing out a tank because parts were unavailable, when only the gas control valve was actually needed. But, this lack of inventory forethought isn't a surprise to me. In my experience in several states plumbers often show up without the most basic fittings, valves, and bushings in their vans (despite having the job explained/scheduled in advance.) I end up loaning tools and sometimes going out for parts.