Re: water heater maintenance - Landlord Forum thread 349501

Re: water heater maintenance by MrDan on December 1, 2016 @14:23

As was pointed out, many landlords are unaware of their potential liability for inspecting and maintaining water heaters.

It's not about extending the life of the water heater, but the safety of the residents and protecting the landlords investment.

Failure to inspect and maintain water heaters cause an estimated 6,200 reported home structure fires, 36 deaths, 354 injuries and $82 million in direct property damage in 2015 according to the National Fire Protection Association.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, unintentional carbon monoxide poisoning causes more than 400 deaths each year and more than 20,000 visits to the emergency room from improper water heater maintenance. Electric water heaters seem to have even more problems than gas water heaters and their potential for blowing up is greater.

There is a common rule in home inspections, for most home related issues there is a $10 dollar fix and a $10,000 dollar fix. With a small amount of knowledge, the landlord can usually pick which bill they want to pay. Without proper knowledge, they get stuck with the bigger cost. In the case of water heaters the inexpensive fix is free, simply exercise a thorough inspection of the water heater at least annually to catch any potential problems. If the landlord is checking filters and smoke detectors during their regular property inspections, a few minutes to checkout the water heater is time well spent to prevent potential problems.

Like all things, water heaters have a limited life span. Since residential water heaters fall into the 5 year IRS depreciation category, depreciation is used up between 5 to 9 years. Not using the depreciation tax laws and replacing an aging or inefficient water heater is often overlooked by DIY landlords and often results in damage from neglected service and inspections procedures.

Manufacturers, government agencies and insurance company's rely on data based on hundred of thousands of water heater issues, which far exceed the limited experience a landlord might have. A smart landlord would be careful to follow the manufacturers recommendation on proper inspection guidelines and maintenance of their water heaters.

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Re: water heater maintenance by J (FL) on December 1, 2016 @21:46	[ Reply ]

In my experience the only issue with water heater is if they get old they eventually start leaking and have to be replaced. Exploding water heater issues sounds like more exaggeration and scare stories from Mr. Dan. Things that will never happen. However I do turn down the temperature on the heater a bit on it's thermostat if it's been set too high by the factory (or whomever), so that tenants don't get scalded.

Re: water heater maintenance by Anonymous on December 1, 2016 @23:21	[ Reply ]

advice from a very helpful professional landlord dismissed by lowly a little person who misses the point also. facts verses your experience? facts will always win!

Re: water heater maintenance by Anonymous on December 2, 2016 @00:31	[ Reply ]

I'm always amazed by some small fry landlord dissing advice from seemingly a more professional landlord such as Mr. Dan. Nothing wrong with his advice, point was well made with facts. And that was to protect your tenants and your rental property by inspecting the water heater when you do your quarterly or seasonal inspections. Didn't see any claims of violent explosions happening being stated either. Just facts that a landlord should be aware of. If memory is correct, J is is a small fry 4 property landlord with little experience behind him. He surely is no expert in water heaters!

Re: water heater maintenance

Re: water heater maintenance by Anonymous on December 9, 2016 @00:10	[ Reply ]

Thank you Mr Dan!