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Holy crap! Now that's something to come home to! Hey honey, there's a hot water tank on our bed and Niagara Falls is coming through the ceiling. WHAT???!!
Yeah when they told us that we pretty much had the same reaction. I was a little freaked when we moved in, terrified it would happen again. But 11 years later and it was probably the only dang thing in the house that never needed touching and/or fixing in any way.
The seller disclosed that there was water damage in the home caused by water heater malfunction in 2014. I had no idea what a big mess they had to deal with until I asked for documentation of repairs. The records say that pretty much the entire house was affected. It's a 2-story home and the documented repairs included:
*water extraction and carpet removal/replacement in halls upstairs, the game room, closets,
*water extraction and carpet removal/replacement in master bedroom and closet, as well as tearing of base boards
* tearing of drywall and baseboards in the utility room
* tearing of base boards in the kitchen and water extraction
* replacement of the wood flooring in the office (downstairs)
* removal of carpet on stairs
The water heater obviously had an overflow. There was A LOT of money involved in these repairs per the documentation. I'm talking between $60K- $80K total. Now this scares me, and my option period ends this Friday. I had inspection done and the inspector said he didn't see enough evidence of moisture in the walls after using his thermal scanner. Should I worry about molds? What other problems could possibly arise from this water damage in the future? Would you walk away now if you were the buyer?
The water heater is in the attic, I'm guessing.
I wondered about what would happen if a water heater in the attic overflows. Now I know.
There is supposed to be a pan underneath AND a line that directs water to the outside in the event of an overflow. Be warned though that a pan can drop or so much water leak that the line to the outside can't keep up. I don't like the idea of a water heater in the attic, but there are lots of 'em. It also costs more to have them serviced and replaced because of having to carry it up there and the confined work space.
Mold is a big concern, if you worry about mold. Your ins. co. may not cover mold for the house because of this incident.
How much do you love that house? I'd be concerned because of the immensity of the leak and damage.
Did they replace or repair the water heater? I'd be concerned about it happening again.
Most homes have leaks over time. So a leak isn't a biggie. It's the enormity of that one that seems unusual.
The only thing that matters is you find the leak history objectionable... you are the buyer and presumably you have an exit clause in the purchase agreement?
I've also come to believe that some simply do not have the temperament for ownership... far too stressful when simple things become items to obsess over.
Assuming that "no disclosure" somehow means "no maintenance" is ridiculous. I'm pretty sure you don't say this kind of bunk out loud to your clients, when you know there are many listings that are well-maintained and have no disclosed defect or malfunction BECAUSE THERE IS NO DEFECT OR MALFUNCTION. Believing otherwise is incredible.
The seller disclosed that there was water damage in the home caused by water heater malfunction in 2014. I had no idea what a big mess they had to deal with until I asked for documentation of repairs. The records say that pretty much the entire house was affected. It's a 2-story home and the documented repairs included:
*water extraction and carpet removal/replacement in halls upstairs, the game room, closets,
*water extraction and carpet removal/replacement in master bedroom and closet, as well as tearing of base boards
* tearing of drywall and baseboards in the utility room
* tearing of base boards in the kitchen and water extraction
* replacement of the wood flooring in the office (downstairs)
* removal of carpet on stairs
The water heater obviously had an overflow. There was A LOT of money involved in these repairs per the documentation. I'm talking between $60K- $80K total. Now this scares me, and my option period ends this Friday. I had inspection done and the inspector said he didn't see enough evidence of moisture in the walls after using his thermal scanner. Should I worry about molds? What other problems could possibly arise from this water damage in the future? Would you walk away now if you were the buyer?
No, I would not walk away. The water heater did not "overflow" -- it probably broke down and leaked, possibly when the owners were out of the house. It happens. It happened to me -- in a completely, beautifully finished basement. I went downstairs one morning, and was shocked when my bare feet squished in the carpet. Omigod, what a MESS. $22,000 later . . . Believe people when they say to replace a water heater every 15 years whether you think you need to or not.
But it sounds like the owners did everything right in addressing the damage. They removed the water, they replaced the carpets, they tore out the baseboards to get behind the drywall, replaced floor. In my case, they had the dryers going for four days, and punched holes in the drywall after tearing out the baseboards to insure air flow behind the dry wall. I had a mold inspection before we started to replace drywall, etc. and all the work a few months later, and there were no issues.
Have a mold inspection if you're worried, but given the steps the owners went through, I suspect everything is probably ok.
Wow. A simple drain pan underneath the water heater would most likely have prevented this, yes? What a headache.
No, not necessarily. The pan catches drips, it doesn't catch a full-blown breakdown.
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