Fix a tankless water heater a company called 'shot' with Grok and ChatGPT

Posted

Jul 15, 2025 by @XTownSquareX

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Last checked

Oct 17, 2026

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Method:

How we verify

Evidence: Described by posterThe person describes what happened in words, without screenshots or video.

Outcome

After a repair company said their tankless water heater was shot and quoted $6,900 to install a new one, a homeowner watched YouTube videos and chatted with Grok 4 and OpenAI's o3 model. The homeowner says they fixed it themselves the next morning in less than 30 minutes and then called the company to get their $100 back.

Agent

Grok, ChatGPT

The source didn't share its exact prompt, so we wrote this from what it describes.

Before you start, ask me 1–3 short questions about anything important that's missing below. Keep them quick. Then do the task, checking in with me at the key points.

Goal: Give me a second opinion on a repair diagnosis and help me check whether it's fixable before I pay for a replacement.

What I can give you (ask for whatever's missing):
- Appliance brand, model and age
- What the technician said and the quote
- Error codes, symptoms and photos
- My skill level and tools

Safety first: if this involves gas, the electrical panel or mains wiring, structural work, or anything that smells of burning or gas, stop and tell me to call a licensed professional.

Rules:
- List the common fixable causes for these symptoms on this model.
- Order checks from safest and cheapest first.
- Point me to the manufacturer's manual or official videos for each step.
- Tell me which checks need a licensed pro (gas, high voltage).
- If a site asks for a login, a CAPTCHA or payment details, stop and hand control back to me.
- Ask for my OK before you pay, book, send, submit or cancel anything.
- Check facts that can change (prices, opening hours, dates, availability, rules) against the official source, and tell me anything you couldn't verify.

Output: A ranked list of possible causes with a check for each, and when to accept the replacement quote.

You'll know it worked when: it's fixed, or I'm confident the replacement is really needed.

Before you start, ask me 1–3 short questions about anything important that's missing below. Keep them quick. Then do the task, checking in with me at the key points.

Goal: Give me a second opinion on a repair diagnosis and help me check whether it's fixable before I pay for a replacement.

What I can give you (ask for whatever's missing):
- Appliance brand, model and age
- What the technician said and the quote
- Error codes, symptoms and photos
- My skill level and tools
- Gas or electric unit

Safety first: ask whether my heater is gas or electric. For a gas unit, don't have me open or touch the gas valve, burner, flame area or venting. For an electric unit, have me switch it off at the breaker before any cover comes off, and leave the electrical panel and mains wiring to a licensed electrician. If I smell gas or burning, tell me to leave the house and call the gas utility or a licensed technician.

Rules:
- List the common fixable causes for these symptoms on this model.
- Order checks from safest and cheapest first.
- Point me to the manufacturer's manual or official videos for each step.
- Tell me which checks need a licensed pro (gas, high voltage).
- If a site asks for a login, a CAPTCHA or payment details, stop and hand control back to me.
- Ask for my OK before you pay, book, send, submit or cancel anything.
- Check facts that can change (prices, opening hours, dates, availability, rules) against the official source, and tell me anything you couldn't verify.
- Before I pay for any replacement, list the questions to ask the company about why it can't be repaired.

Output: A ranked list of possible causes with a check for each, and when to accept the replacement quote.

You'll know it worked when: it's fixed, or I'm confident the replacement is really needed.

Before you finish: re-read my goal and constraints, check your answer against each one, and list anything you assumed or couldn't confirm.

Source

https://x.com/XTownSquareX/status/1945202539730968577