Just inspected! Yesterday, one of the team members for Complete Home Inspections had the opportunity to inspect a nice, rehabbed brick cottage in the East Nashville area. The young couple that was purchasing the property had recently been transferred to the area and was looking for a starter property in which to start and raise their family.
As with any rehabbed project, there will always be areas in which to make improvements. Often times, many of the rehabbers do the work themselves in order to save money.
One of the areas that caught my eye was the water heater. It was recently 
installed and did not follow current installation standards.
1) A shut off valve was not installed on the cold water inlet of the water heater.
2) An expansion tank was not installed on the water heater. Expansion tanks are used to prevent water leaks from the hot water heater. When the hot water heater turns on, the water within the piping system begins to expand. Without the expansion tank, the expanding water can create too much pressure 
which can cause either the tank or pressure relief valves to fail. The expanding water enters the expansion tank.
3) Although the water heater was installed on a stand and in a drain pan, the pan was open to the basement floor which defeats the purpose of the pan. Typically, pans are drained outside or into a trapped plumbing drain. Because the water heater is below the level of the sewer system and ground, installation of the water heater may need some rethinking.
Just the cost of repairs on this one item more than covered the cost the clients paid for the inspection.
The Complete Home Inspections, Team
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