While this is certainly not as serious as a fire, the repairs can be quite expensive. Other factors such as proper combustion air, proper flue and exhaust, accessibility for service, and location of the gas shut off valve must also be considered with any installation or replacement of a gas fired appliance. In the vast majority of cases, the service or advice of a licensed plumber can avert a host of potential problems. In fact, a good plumber can easily save a customer far more than his fee simply by eliminating unnecessary expenses and hazards. Home buyers should be fully aware of water heater and other safety related problems that may be present in any home they plan to purchase.
Accidents can and do happen.
Inevitably they occur when they are least expected. But If I were asked to name the one single item that has had the greatest impact on our American standard of living, I would have to say electricity. Nothing else even comes close. Electricity lights our homes and streets, powers our factories, pumps water into our homes and offices, heats our buildings, runs our T.V.s, radios and computers, and even helps some people brush their teeth. It really does just about everything for us that is imaginable, yet most of us simply take it for granted.