Read the pattern
Record the data plate from a safe position, fuel or electrical type, age if shown, temperature behavior, visible water source, relief piping, drain route, error code, recent work, and affected fixtures.
Decision terrace 36
Move from evidence to a bounded authorization
Hold the safety line
Leave for gas odor or combustion danger and use the current emergency path outside. Avoid wet electrical components, hot discharge, blocked relief piping, and unqualified reset or gas-control work.
Place the Seattle boundary
Public Health administers Seattle plumbing and gas permits. Its current page says water-heater replacement permit requirements begin July 1, 2026, so the live rule and exact scope should be checked before work.
Write the visit
State diagnosis, repair parts, replacement trigger, fuel and vent work, electrical work, shutoff, drain and pan, relief discharge, seismic restraint, permit, removal, commissioning, and excluded finish work.
Keep the closing evidence
Confirm stable temperature at representative outlets, dry connections, correct controls, safe relief and drain arrangement, completed permit or inspection step, operating instructions, and documented model details.
Current public source