Licensing through the Department of Labor and Training
The state's Department of Labor and Training licenses master and journeyperson plumbers, and heater installs belong to a master or someone working under one. Permits are local, so a Pawtucket job goes through Pawtucket's inspector and a Newport job through Newport's, each checking the flue, gas piping and relief line.
Soft water and old cellars statewide
Providence Water's Scituate supply reaches Providence, Cranston, Johnston, Warwick and many other communities, and it is very soft, so the concern is corrosion of anodes and fittings rather than scale. Pawtucket, Newport, Westerly and Woonsocket run separate systems, and rural South County homes often drink from private wells with more iron. Fieldstone foundations and shared chimneys in Woonsocket, Pawtucket and Providence triple-deckers make venting the trickiest part of many swaps. Rhode Island Energy supplies gas and power across most of the state, and a single-part fix usually costs $175 to $700; read about Ocean State tank swaps.