Many houses on the market have been remodeled as part of the listing. The house may look great, but often many deficiencies exist. Below is a water heater in a recently remodeled house. The installation of the water heater is incorrect and has several safety hazards.
A) The water heater is designed as a standard draft unit which should vent up through the roof and not out the sidewall. This deficiency could allow Carbon Monoxide to backdraft into the house.
B) No drain line exists for the temperature/pressure relief (TPR) valve. A person near the water heater could be scalded if the relief valve discharges.
C) No earthquake straps are installed on the water heater. The water heater could tip over during an earthquake causing the water and gas pipes to break.
Always have the home you are purchasing inspected, even if it looks great and everything is new.
