Donna Ohl, Grady Volunteer Coordinator wrote:
The only good thing was you had already admonished us to have tepid water
in the tank and that's what saved us from getting scalded as Bill stuck his
finger in the hole (it was just the right size) to stop the leak and I
bucketed the water outside.

Another trick to totally avoid the plastic drain valve is to have a 3/4"
pipe fitting ready that can attach to a hose, then unscrew and remove
the gas valve and thermostat assembly and slide the pipe and hose in its
place.