For those who know me on Facebook, you probably saw the picture I posted. After a pretty tough day in the real estate world, I came home to the picture you see here. Actually most of the entire driveway at the rear of my house was covered with water.
The Temperature Relief Valve (TPR) was overflowing and was actually continuing to leak out water. Having been on over 200 home inspections, I knew this was the design, but I didn't really know what I should do about it. So of course I called my plumber, and he will be out there today (he told me to turn the temperature down to stop the leaking :) ).
It got me thinking about some of the items that sometimes we don't pay much attention to in the home inspection. Here are some thoughts.
- Condo Buyers - It is often impossible to have the TPR valve routed to the exterior of the building, so make sure that your water heater is in a drip pan. If you had the same problem as me, it could have ruined your flooring.
- Down Pipe - The pipe that points down from the TPR Valve is designed to protect your hand from burning when the water pours out. In my case it was there so I could safely turn the water temperature down.
- Home Warranty - Make sure you get that Home Warranty for the first year to protect yourself in the event this happens. We have used Diane and Courtney of Old Republic and they would walk you through how their company could help in a situation like this.
So those home inspections are pretty valuable as they can help you be properly prepared for events like this. Although water heaters can last 10 years or more, when it does go out, you don't want cabinets or flooring getting damaged.
0 comments:
Post a Comment