Do you practice residential hot water heater safety? It’s a safe bet that most homeowners have probably never heard of water heater safety — and that can really be a problem because a malfunctioning water heater can cause damage — a lot of damage — to your home and to yourself as well.

Perhaps the most obvious danger from a residential hot water heater would be the danger of scalding or burning, due to an excessively high water temperature. Most people don’t realize that if your water temperature reaches 190°F, it can cause a third degree burn instantly! And if the temperature of the water in your residential hot water heater goes above 212°F it can come out of your faucet and inflict steam burns.

An important device that you can have installed on your residential hot water heater is a temperature and pressure relief valve. This special-purpose valve will cause water to be ejected if it gets too hot, or has developed too much pressure (usually through a pipe that runs down the side of the tank). When purchasing a residential hot water heater you should make sure that this type of valve is installed.

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If you are a professional plumber I guess you won’t need to read this, but for the rest of us who are homeowners, it’s important to stay up on the latest innovations in plumbing and plumbing supplies — if for no other reason than to be a more knowledgeable buyer of these products.

Of course some plumbing supplies are not cheap — their purchase represents a significant investment. For example, good-quality faucets and shower fixtures can cost you some serious money — but if you will check out a reputable manufacturer you will see that this extra expense is more than amply compensated for by the many more years of service you will get from this equipment.

As an example, Kohler plumbing fixtures are extremely beautiful — some of them have the appearance of a fine work of art — yet they are designed for decades of trouble-free, constant use. In fact, many homes have Kohler plumbing fixtures still operational — which were installed from the very beginning of that homes’ existence!

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Looking for a plumbing contractor? There are lots of qualified, licensed plumbers who will do a good job, but beware of the “others” that only claim to do a good job, contractors urge.

Consumers would call with minor repairs like leaky faucets, but the contractor would talk the customers into unnecessary major repairs or would intentionally damage plumbing to persuade customers that the problem was major. Consumers also should be cautious if a contractor gives vague verbal estimates or wants to perform major work in response to a minor problem. Consumers should get at least three bids and have them put in writing.