How to Inspect Water Heater Tanks Course


Welcome to InterNACHI's free, online How to Inspect Water Heater Tanks video course.
Goal:

The goal of this course is to teach home inspectors on how to inspect residential water heater tanks, including fuel and electric water heater tanks.
 
Objectives:

Upon successful completion of this course, the inspector will be able to:
  • identify components of gas-fired and electric water heater tanks;
  • recognize and describe defects and safety hazards in relation to modern standards and requirements;
  • communicate how a flammable vapor ignition resistance system (FVIR) works;
  • understand the importance of temperature-and-pressure relief valves; and
  • check hazards of confined spaces with fuel-fired water heater tanks.

Course includes:
 
  • 8,141 words;
  • 113 minutes of video;
  • student book;
  • inspection and writing assignment;
  • research and writing assignment;
  • 60-question final exam (drawn from a larger pool of questions);
  • instant grading;
  • a downloadable, printable Certificate of Completion.

You will learn the following topics:

  • Components of a water heater tank
  • Water heater as a space heater
  • Sacrificial rod
  • Drain valve
  • Access
  • Labeling
  • Pressurized expansion tanks
  • Tankless water heaters
  • Tankless temperature control
  • Tankless size
  • Tankless coils in boilers
  • Indirect water heaters
  • Water heater tank locations
  • Located in storage closets, bedrooms and bathrooms
  • Located in garages
  • Located in attics
  • Confined space and combustion air
  • Seismic supports for tanks
  • Water valves for water heater tanks
  • Inspecting the valve
  • Dip tube hole
  • Fuel shutoff valves or electric disconnects
  • TPR valves
  • Location of TPR valves on water heater tanks
  • Relief valve importance
  • Expansion tank on a boiler
  • Discharge pipe on TPR valve
  • Water leak catch pan
  • Defects at a water heater tank
  • Hot water
  • FVIR
  • Bradford White
  • Maintenance recommendations
  • Suggested inspection report narratives
 

How to Inspect Water Heater Tanks Course 

Course # 3504

nachi.org/how-to-inspect-water-heater-tanks-online-course

Activity

Assignments

Estimated hours for the average student

Academic Engagement

Reading online course instructional material at 140 words per minute.

1.0

Watching and listening to instructional video
1.8

Taking the exam

1.0

Conducting a directed and independent inspection study performed according to the Standards of Practice, including the development of an inspection report 

4.0

Submitting an inspection and writing assignment

0.5

Submitting a research and writing assignment
0.5

Total

8.8



Preparation

Studying and reviewing instructional material in preparation for taking quizzes and exam 

2.0

Reading the downloaded student course book including taking the quizzes with the book

1.0


Reading, research, and studying related to completing the research and writing assignment

4.0

 Studying and preparing for inspection processes according to a Standards of Practice, including capturing and storing digital images with a camera or device, making observations, evaluating conditions, deducing, formulating opinions, communicating observations in written form, attaining competency in performing inspections and using an inspection checklist or software and other inspection tools in producing a report. 
10.0

Total

17.0




Sub Total

25.8

Overall Total


26.0 clock hours. 

2.6 CEU. 

 
 
In keeping with InterNACHI's commitment to Continuing Education, this course is open and free to all members, and can be taken again and again, without limit.
 
Reminder to members:  InterNACHI's Code of Ethics 1.10 requires that you comply with all government rules and licensing requirements of the jurisdiction where you conduct business.  InterNACHI's courses and Standards generally exceed the Standards of Practice that you are required to abide by locally.  
 
This course has been approved by:
 

Upon completion of this course and passing of the 20-question final exam (drawn from a larger pool), the student can download and print their own Certificate of Completion which is auto-generated in their own name.
 
The student's (InterNACHI member's) information is recorded on InterNACHI's servers for membership compliance verification, and automatically logs completion into InterNACHI's online Continuing Education log.
 
Non-members may view only the first page of the course.
 
Members will need their username and password.  If you have forgotten your password, CLICK HERE (instant response) or email fastreply@internachi.org and request it (don't forget your name). 
 
InterNACHI... #1 in inspection education.
 
Some features which make InterNACHI's courses superior to existing continuing education options:
  • The course is free for all InterNACHI members.
  • The course is written in pure XHTML code for quick loading.  The course loads fine on old computers and loads fast, even with dial-up.
  • The course is designed using a hierarchal menu coupled with a sequential page navigation.  This provides the student with the option to easily repeat areas of weakness.
  • The course permits the student to start, stop and restart any part of the course as often as desired.
  • There are a variety of images within the course, including diagrams, illustrations and photos. 
  • The illustrations can be enlarged for clearer viewing by clicking on them.
  • The text is integrated into InterNACHI's Inspector Glossary.  Rolling over blue-colored terms provides their definition.
  • The final exam uses multiple-choice questions that reference the images. 
  • The course's quizzes and final exam have numerous advantages over traditional exam systems:
    1. The course, quizzes and final exam incorporate built-in intelligence which identifies and strengthens each student's unique subject weaknesses.
    2. Not only is each question weighted with regard to score, but each answer is weighted, as well as the correctness of each answer being weighted.
      1. Answers to easy questions are weighted such that the student is penalized, in terms of score, for answering incorrectly, but rewarded modestly for answering correctly.
      2. Answers to difficult questions are weighted such that the student is rewarded, in terms of score, for answering correctly, but not penalized for answering incorrectly.
      3. Answers to questions regarding basic safety, or questions every inspector should know the answer to, are weighted such that the student is severely penalized, in terms of score, for answering incorrectly.
  • Upon passing the final exam, the student can print out a Certificate of Completion which is auto-generated in their own name.
The student's (InterNACHI member's) information is recorded on InterNACHI's servers for membership compliance verification, and automatically logs completion into InterNACHI's online Continuing Education log.
 


 

Why online inspector education is better than classroom inspector education.