Our first step was to get a used hot water heater. So Caroline and I emptied out the back of the station wagon and headed over to Porfie's Thrift. Porfie had about 10 tanks to choose from. They were all outside and kind of beat up looking, but he swore that they all worked and that none of them had any leaks. We spent about $20 on a smaller tank, loaded it up and took it home to see if it would work.