Cap for a water heater, extraction tool, and method of manufacture

An extraction tool for extracting a cap from a spud of a water heater, comprising:

• a housing that defines an output feature housing region and includes a mouth that defines a mouth hollow in communication with the output feature housing region and a mouth opening distal from the output feature housing region;
• an output feature disposed within the output feature housing region of the housing and operable to move between a first position and a second position within the output feature housing region responsive to actuation of an actuator operably coupled thereto;
• and
• a plurality of engagement fingers operably coupled with the output feature and extending within the mouth hollow, wherein movement of the output feature from the first position to the second position prompts movement of the plurality of engagement fingers relative to the output feature from disengaged positions, wherein the plurality of engagement fingers are configured to extend within a pass-through hollow of the spud and along a side wall of the cap, to engaged positions, wherein the plurality of engagement fingers are configured to impinge on the side wall of the cap to plastically deform the side wall radially-inboard.

A method of manufacturing a tank for holding hot water, comprising the steps of:

• concealing a threaded portion of a spud coupled to the tank from an interior volume defined by an interior surface of the tank with a cap by inserting the cap into a pass-through hollow that is defined by the spud and that extends from an outer opening that is distal from the tank to an inner opening that is proximal to the tank;
• applying a coating to the interior surface of the tank;
• and
• revealing the threaded portion of the spud to the interior volume by plastically deforming the cap to remove the cap from the pass-through hollow through the outer opening.