Fear of Lawsuits Changes Procedures

[win231]

Yesterday, I was in the shower & the hot water started to quit. I checked my water heater & found that it stopped working. It was only 5 years old.
I called a plumber & he found the problem - the installer didn't connect the vent properly. After he completed the job, he told me to turn on the hot water to test it. The water wasn't hot enough for me; it was just warm. When I told him it wasn't hot enough, he explained that they weren't allowed to turn it up any hotter due to liability, but he could show me how to adjust it so I could do it; it was just a dial that is turned.
LOL - as I turned the dial to make it hotter, he actually video taped me with his phone to prove that HE didn't make it hotter.

 

[Chet]

When I got a new water heater 2 years ago, I asked him to turn it up a little and he did. He said kids might scald themselves but no kids here, just me.

 

[Disgustedman]

Be glad you weren't being operated on and they saw your gallbladder was infected and they were just removing your appendix.

"Stop screaming please, we need to have a talk!"

 

[chic]

Yesterday, I was in the shower & the hot water started to quit. I checked my water heater & found that it stopped working. It was only 5 years old.
I called a plumber & he found the problem - the installer didn't connect the vent properly. After he completed the job, he told me to turn on the hot water to test it. The water wasn't hot enough for me; it was just warm. When I told him it wasn't hot enough, he explained that they weren't allowed to turn it up any hotter due to liability, but he could show me how to adjust it so I could do it; it was just a dial that is turned.
LOL - as I turned the dial to make it hotter, he actually video taped me with his phone to prove that HE didn't make it hotter.

You actually got hold of a plumber? Amazing.

 

[win231]

When I got a new water heater 2 years ago, I asked him to turn it up a little and he did. He said kids might scald themselves but no kids here, just me.

I also told him there were no kids here. He said it didn't matter; he still wasn't allowed to adjust it.

 

[Gaer]

Yesterday, I was in the shower & the hot water started to quit. I checked my water heater & found that it stopped working. It was only 5 years old.
I called a plumber & he found the problem - the installer didn't connect the vent properly. After he completed the job, he told me to turn on the hot water to test it. The water wasn't hot enough for me; it was just warm. When I told him it wasn't hot enough, he explained that they weren't allowed to turn it up any hotter due to liability, but he could show me how to adjust it so I could do it; it was just a dial that is turned.
LOL - as I turned the dial to make it hotter, he actually video taped me with his phone to prove that HE didn't make it hotter.

Yes, I adjusted mine to make it hotter. Just a dial.

 

[Nathan]

When I told him it wasn't hot enough, he explained that they weren't allowed to turn it up any hotter due to liability, but he could show me how to adjust it so I could do it; it was just a dial that is turned.
LOL - as I turned the dial to make it hotter, he actually video taped me with his phone to prove that HE didn't make it hotter.

Yep, that's the way-of-the-world nowadays, everyone and their uncle ready to sue over each and every tiny matter...

 

[Nosy Bee-54]

I replaced mine recently and it was preset by the manufacturer (hot enough for me). I make adjustments when going on vacation depending on the time of the year.

 

[Bella]

I had a new heater installed last summer, and they set it too high. The water was scalding. I don't need it that hot, so I turned it down myself.

 

[Farrah Nuff]

Yesterday, I was in the shower & the hot water started to quit. I checked my water heater & found that it stopped working. It was only 5 years old.
I called a plumber & he found the problem - the installer didn't connect the vent properly. After he completed the job, he told me to turn on the hot water to test it. The water wasn't hot enough for me; it was just warm. When I told him it wasn't hot enough, he explained that they weren't allowed to turn it up any hotter due to liability, but he could show me how to adjust it so I could do it; it was just a dial that is turned.
LOL - as I turned the dial to make it hotter, he actually video taped me with his phone to prove that HE didn't make it hotter.

Maybe he just had a feeling that you might be of the type that files a lawsuit at the drop of a hat.
Some people give off vibes, fairly or not, that other people can sense or at least they claim to.
It's great though that he was able to do something to help you. He's just protecting himself
the same way any concerned citizen might do. He just used a camera as his protection.

It's important to protect oneself these days, I think, don't you?

 

[fuzzybuddy]

A lot of people poo poo the idea of legal liability. They think it's a myth about getting sued for some minor event, until they are sued. I was a R.N., and carried liability insurance-you'd be stupid to not have it. I could be dragged into a lawsuit for a million and one ways. Plus, there are people like my ex- sister in law, who dreams of that one lawsuit to put her on easy street. Yes, the medical field has changed because of lawsuits, and frankly, that's because people are getting sued. If I were a plumber, I'd definitely have liability insurance, and use all the risk avoidance measures I could, because it's not IF, but when you're going to get sued. The US is the most litigious nation on the planet.

 

[OldFeller]

One time, back when I was renting an apartment, I turned the dial past the red mark that basically indicated the maximium you should set it at.
In a couple days the pressure relief valve gave out and water was all over the basement.

The landlord who was an ex-plumber said you should never set it beyond that recommended red marked setting or else it would create too much pressure and the one-time relief valve would blow and have to be replaced.

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/nvBuoBeGMqM

 

[Farrah Nuff]

A lot of people poo poo the idea of legal liability. They think it's a myth about getting sued for some minor event, until they are sued. I was a R.N., and carried liability insurance-you'd be stupid to not have it. I could be dragged into a lawsuit for a million and one ways. Plus, there are people like my ex- sister in law, who dreams of that one lawsuit to put her on easy street. Yes, the medical field has changed because of lawsuits, and frankly, that's because people are getting sued. If I were a plumber, I'd definitely have liability insurance, and use all the risk avoidance measures I could, because it's not IF, but when you're going to get sued. The US is the most litigious nation on the planet.

Liability lawsuits are are most definitely a case of the pen being mightier than the sword.
Protecting oneself needn't always necessitate a weapon capable of doing bodily harm.

 

[win231]

You actually got hold of a plumber? Amazing.

Yes, and it was the same day, after only a 2-hour wait. BUT there's a good reason. I spent a fortune with them, copper re-piping the house, replacing all the drain pipes & gas lines. And plumbing companies are very happy to do a big job on a large house.