Ike wrote:
I had a 4-1/2 year old 50 gallon Bradford White gas hot water heater
spring a leak. I called B-W and their customer service rep said the
heater was still under the 6 year warranty. However, because of a
federal law passed last year I would have to pay for the upgraded
model that has the sealed pilot light and burner. She would not say
how much the upgrade would cost and that I would have to get it
replaced by a licensed plumber and the price from them. She would not
tell me who to call for service and that I should call numbers in the
Yellow Pages to find someone who could handle a B-W warranty repair.
snip

Ah, don't you love the federal government. Here in Phoenix we used to
have a weekend talk show that talked about home repair. The host was Ken
Moon. He had a rant about this new regulation.

With the "older" design, if someone were to store gasoline next to the
water heater, the vapors would travel to the water heater and ignite.
Ken Moon said something like 8 or so people die a year from this.

He also stated that it's stupid to make a law that about doubles the
cost of the water heater, and requires the old water heaters to no
longer be manufactured. Is it really worth all that cost for 8 people a
year who do something like store gasoline next to the water heater?

Perhaps the market should make the choice? Perhaps you can have the
choice between the older and newer model? If you want to be more safe,
than buy the safer model. But if you are on a budget, and don't plan to
store gasoline next to the water heater, then save your money and buy
the cheaper water heater.

I think there are other ways to stop/reduce deaths per year that are far
cheaper and more effective!
--Mike