The $9,000 surprise that was actually 14 years in the making
Not really a horror story about a tenant or a scam, just a slow motion one about a water heater.
Bought a duplex a few years back, inspection said everything was "functional," which technically it was. What it didn't say was the water heater was already 11 years old. I filed that away and forgot about it, no percentage-based budget I was using flagged it as urgent since nothing was broken.
Three years later it failed on a Friday night, took out part of the flooring underneath it, and the total bill between replacement and water damage came to just over $9,000. In hindsight the system was never a mystery, it was 14 years old the day it finally gave out, right in line with what water heaters typically last.
The part that still bugs me isn't the cost, it's that the information to see it coming was sitting right there the whole time. I just wasn't tracking it against anything.
Anyone else have a "failure" that, looking back, was completely predictable once you knew the age of the thing?
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#4 General Landlording & Rental Properties Contributor
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- Northeast PA
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#4 General Landlording & Rental Properties Contributor
- Real Estate Broker
- Northeast PA
Enquiring minds want to know about water heaters--
Don't know how the manufacturer can warrantee the unit for 'x' years?
There is a sacrificial rod placed inside the tank by the manufacturer. It's there to oxidize itself, instead of letting the water corroding the actual tank.
Those rods are tested so the company knows they will last say 5 years, 7 years or whatever the guarantee on the heater.
Once they are corroded out, the tank itself will start to corrode. Then, splash, the tanks leak or plain 'blows out'.
BTW, those rods are actually replaceable on many units if you have the skills, or a skilled plumber.
Side note: during the last 20+ years, I've never replaced an 'on demand/instant' water heater. Just FYI.