Special offer

I see you replaced the water heater, how about the floor under it?

By
Home Builder with Dry Rot and Water Damage www.tromlerconstruction.com Mobile - 916-765-5366 CSL#642819

 

 Sacramento Water Heater Installation

Missed an Important Step

 

 

 

The leaky water heater has been replaced; no more leaking into the downstairs unit. That’s great; the new water heater was installed in Sacramento soon after being called for replacement. The installers came and got that new unit in and were done.

Problem solved right?

What about the water damaged flooring under the unit? That rotted wood is structurally weak; I’m surprised that the weight of the water heater hasn’t crashed through the floor already. Why didn’t the floor get repaired while the water heater was out? I wondered the same thing.

Maybe the installer didn’t know how to do that sort of repair. The need for repair could not have been missed, it is dangerously soft. Management did not know of this situation. The leak had been corrected and everyone thought things were “good to go”.

So now what?

The floor does need attention and should be replaced with new framing and subflooring. This means that the water heating unit has to come back out and the damage fixed. As you can see, much of the same steps that were already taken will have to be repeated. It would have been a great opportunity to do the repairs while the new water heater was being installed in Sacramento.

 

 

 

 


View Larger Map
Bob Crane
Woodland Management Service / Woodland Real Estate, KW Diversified - Stevens Point, WI
Forestland Experts! 715-204-9671

I have seen a few of these Tom, just replaced a bathroom floor last week in a foreclosure that was so bad that I think the only thing holding up the residents was linoleum, the joists and wood were gone.

Jun 23, 2013 04:19 PM
Hella Mitschke Rothwell
(831) 626-4000 - Honolulu, HI
Hawaii & California Real Estate Broker

Tom: Isn't anyone thinking? Unbelievable...

Jun 23, 2013 05:21 PM
Jay Markanich
Jay Markanich Real Estate Inspections, LLC - Bristow, VA
Home Inspector - servicing all Northern Virginia

I see the earthquake strap, which, you have to understand I have never seen here, but don't see the drip pan with a drain underneath, which is required here!  Different strokes.

Jun 23, 2013 06:51 PM
Roger D. Mucci
Shaken...with a Twist 216.633.2092 - Euclid, OH
Lets shake things up at your home today!

Replacing or reparing the floor under the water heater is just as important.

Jun 23, 2013 08:11 PM
Sheila Anderson
Referral Group Incorporated - East Brunswick, NJ
The Real Estate Whisperer Who Listens 732-715-1133

Good morning Tom. Hard to believe no one would have caught this while the old heater was out. So sad and you're right, when one hand doesn't know what the other is doing........

Jun 23, 2013 08:21 PM
Debbie Gartner
The Flooring Girl - White Plains, NY
The Flooring Girl & Blog Stylist -Dynamo Marketers

omg, that is so dumb and short sighted. they need to bring them back. they should have done at the same time and they should have called it out.

Jun 23, 2013 08:47 PM
Tom Arstingstall, General Contractor, Dry Rot, Water Damage Sacramento, El Dorado County - (916) 765-5366
Dry Rot and Water Damage www.tromlerconstruction.com Mobile - 916-765-5366 - Placerville, CA
General Contractor, Dry Rot and Water Damage

Bob - Good thing the linoleum is so resilient!  :)

Jun 23, 2013 11:33 PM
Tom Arstingstall, General Contractor, Dry Rot, Water Damage Sacramento, El Dorado County - (916) 765-5366
Dry Rot and Water Damage www.tromlerconstruction.com Mobile - 916-765-5366 - Placerville, CA
General Contractor, Dry Rot and Water Damage

Hella - Not that day!

Jun 23, 2013 11:33 PM
Tom Arstingstall, General Contractor, Dry Rot, Water Damage Sacramento, El Dorado County - (916) 765-5366
Dry Rot and Water Damage www.tromlerconstruction.com Mobile - 916-765-5366 - Placerville, CA
General Contractor, Dry Rot and Water Damage

Jay - I think that missing drain pan would have prevented all the water damage that was caused by the faulty water heater.

Jun 23, 2013 11:33 PM
Tom Arstingstall, General Contractor, Dry Rot, Water Damage Sacramento, El Dorado County - (916) 765-5366
Dry Rot and Water Damage www.tromlerconstruction.com Mobile - 916-765-5366 - Placerville, CA
General Contractor, Dry Rot and Water Damage

Roger - It will seem even more importantwhen the water heater falls through the floor to the unit below.  :)

Jun 23, 2013 11:34 PM
Tom Arstingstall, General Contractor, Dry Rot, Water Damage Sacramento, El Dorado County - (916) 765-5366
Dry Rot and Water Damage www.tromlerconstruction.com Mobile - 916-765-5366 - Placerville, CA
General Contractor, Dry Rot and Water Damage

Sheila - You would think that at some point someone would have thought that it would make sense to fix the floor first.

Jun 23, 2013 11:34 PM
Tom Arstingstall, General Contractor, Dry Rot, Water Damage Sacramento, El Dorado County - (916) 765-5366
Dry Rot and Water Damage www.tromlerconstruction.com Mobile - 916-765-5366 - Placerville, CA
General Contractor, Dry Rot and Water Damage

Debbie - My guess is that the plumber doesn't do flooring and was only told to replace the heater. He did. I'm certainly not defending the events but I see this happen all the time.

Jun 23, 2013 11:34 PM
Margaret Rome Baltimore 410-530-2400
HomeRome Realty 410-530-2400 - Pikesville, MD
Sell Your Home With Margaret Rome

I can just hear the words: But it's not my job!

Jun 26, 2013 10:48 AM
Tom Arstingstall, General Contractor, Dry Rot, Water Damage Sacramento, El Dorado County - (916) 765-5366
Dry Rot and Water Damage www.tromlerconstruction.com Mobile - 916-765-5366 - Placerville, CA
General Contractor, Dry Rot and Water Damage

Those words seem to come out way too often Margaret.

Jun 26, 2013 11:09 PM
Kathy Streib
Cypress, TX
Home Stager/Redesign

Tom- i'd bet a lot of people don't think about the flooring underneath the water heater!  

Jun 28, 2013 09:54 AM
Tom Arstingstall, General Contractor, Dry Rot, Water Damage Sacramento, El Dorado County - (916) 765-5366
Dry Rot and Water Damage www.tromlerconstruction.com Mobile - 916-765-5366 - Placerville, CA
General Contractor, Dry Rot and Water Damage

You would think that many would notice when the floor is crumbling and the water heater is out Kathy.  :)

Jun 28, 2013 05:09 PM