Couldn’t agree more—saves me headaches down the road.
I get what you mean about heat near water tanks, but honestly, I've never had an issue as long as I keep the flame focused and don't linger. Sometimes penetrating oil just doesn't cut it, especially on older tanks. As for the T&P valve—yeah, those things can be drama queens. I actually had one start hissing after I drained the tank... freaked me out for a sec.
Heat near the tank makes me nervous, honestly. I get that a quick blast can work when oil fails, but I’ve seen insulation catch or old fittings crack from just a little too much heat. Maybe I’m just paranoid, but I’d rather fight with a stuck valve for an hour than risk a leak or worse. T&P valves are wild though—mine started hissing once and I thought it was about to launch into orbit... Turns out it was just pressure equalizing, but still, not fun.
Man, I hear you on the heat thing. Last winter I saw a guy try to loosen a stuck fitting with a torch—insulation went up in seconds and we spent more time dealing with that than the valve. I’ll take a stubborn part over a fire risk any day. T&P valves can be jumpy, but honestly, as long as they’re hissing and not spraying, it’s usually just them doing their job. Still gets your heart racing when it happens, though...
I get what you’re saying about the T&P valves, but I don’t know if I’d call hissing “just doing their job” every time. Sometimes that’s a sign there’s a pressure issue starting up—especially if it happens more than once in a short period. I’ve seen folks ignore it, then a few months later they’re dealing with a leaking valve or worse. Ever check for scaling or sediment buildup? That can make those valves act up more than they should.
I get where you’re coming from, but honestly, a little hissing from the T&P valve isn’t always a red flag. Sometimes it’s just thermal expansion doing its thing, especially if you don’t have an expansion tank. I’ve seen valves hiss for years without any real issue. That said, yeah, sediment can definitely mess with them—flushing the tank once or twice a year helps a lot. Just saying, not every hiss means trouble’s brewing.