OK, I admit it. I don't know the first thing about plumbing. I DO know enough to know I better call a plumber when my hot water heater goes out, even if it is just the pilot light. I had heard of Clark Kent Plumbing on KUT and frankly, since I liked the name, I called them. The plumber they sent, Kenneth LIghtfoot, was prompt and courteous, and he took the time to teach me how to light my own pilot the next time it goes out. (We did need a new thermocouple so I felt a little bit justified in calling in the experts.) Here's what I really liked. I asked Ken how much it would cost to drain the water heater and clean out the sediment, and he told me it would be better if I learned how to drain it so I didn't have to pay a plumber to come sit around for a couple of hours watching the water flow out. I wrote down what I thought he said to do, and then he reviewed my list of steps and corrected a few errors in the sequence. Now I feel confident that I can at least get the process started and then call if I need to. Was it expensive? Yes. Was it worth it? Yes, emphatically yes.
more