Defective Water Heater Causes Explosion

Case Overview

This case takes place in Arizona and involves a residential hot water heater that exploded immediately after installation, causing serious injuries as well as thousands of dollars of property damage. The Plaintiff in this case is a woman and her family, who owned a home in a remote area of Montana that they intended to use as a vacation property. The house had undergone extensive renovations after it was purchased by the Plaintiff, including an overhaul of its plumbing system. On the day of the incident in question, the Plaintiff was preparing to turn on the hot water system, which was new from the factory and had just recently been installed. The house was equipped with external propane tanks for heating and cooking, which were also newly installed and filled. After testing to make sure there were no leaks in the propane tanks or lines, the Plaintiff returned to the house to ignite the burner under the water heater tank. When the Plaintiff activated the pilot light, an explosion occurred, causing third-degree burns as well as serious structural damage to the house. After an inspection of the property, it was determined that the house would need to be demolished and rebuilt. The Plaintiff claimed that she followed all of the necessary steps to ignite the heater safely, and that the explosion was caused by the lack of pressure testing or a defect in the unit’s design and/or manufacture.