Most water heater projects don't fail because a contractor made one dramatic error — they fail because small, cheap-looking decisions stack up.
These are the mistakes we see most often on Houston jobs, and the ones we vet every scope against before we start.
1. Wrong size or fuel
Undersizing kills recovery; oversizing wastes money. Get sizing right upfront.
2. No expansion tank on closed systems
Modern PRVs close the system. Without an expansion tank you get code violations and rupture risk.
3. No drip pan or drain
Interior installs without a drained pan cause $5,000 floods the day the tank fails.
4. No isolation valves or unions
Future service takes six hours instead of one. Add valves and unions on install.
5. Wrong venting
Direct-vent, power-vent, and atmospheric each have clearance rules. Wrong venting = CO risk.
How to vet your contractor
Read your water heater bid line by line and ask which of these mistakes are being avoided — in writing. A contractor who welcomes the question is the one you want; a contractor who deflects is the one to walk away from.
If you'd like a second set of eyes on a scope of work or an existing bid, we're happy to walk through it with you.
