The T&P discharge pipe — most-missed inches in the building

The temperature-and-pressure relief valve discharge pipe has to run to a safe discharge point — and the gap at the bottom is where cites live: too high, too short, capped, threaded at the end, or missing entirely. Measure your last five water heaters honestly. How many would have passed, and what does your replacement standard look like?

I will confess the pattern I have seen again and again: the water heater gets replaced in a hurry, the old discharge pipe almost fits the new unit, and 'almost' becomes a pipe that ends too high, too short, or capped by somebody who meant well. It is the most-missed inches in the building because nobody owns the detail at install time. Put the discharge run on the install checklist and this cite dies. Be honest — out of your last five water heaters, how many had a fully correct T&P discharge run, and what is your swap-out standard now?