The more you have, the more it costs

[mpruet]

This probably doesn't belong in this category but I couldn't think of a better place.  And I really needed a place to vent...

Here goes...

The More You Have the More It Costs!!!

I have a condo in Colorado that I bought relatively cheap.  I was able to purchase it for about the cost of a used Class-A or Class-C.  I spend most of my summers at my condo.  I use it as a base camp for my Prius Camping in the Rockies and southern Utah.  I have an upper unit.

So my downstairs neighbor just did a renovation this past year.  I got a knock on my door the other day and they were saying that the ceiling in their unit had a fairly dramatic water spot.  We looked around my unit and we couldn't find any evidence of water anywhere, so we decided that it must be coming from the outside wall. 

Well, I walked to the door in my bare feet today and noticed that the mat at the door was wet.  This is something that I do every morning when I let my dog out for his morning business.  I had not noticed any moisture up until today so my initial thoughts were that we might have had a leakage from outside since we have been having some rather heavy rain storms the past few days.

Nope, I discovered that the drain to my hot water heater was dripping.  So now I'm facing the possibility of having to replace the hot water heater and having to pay to repair the downstairs unit's ceiling.  ARGGGGGG!!!!

Like I said

The More You Have the More It Costs!!!

 

[XFILE36]

I've been the downstairs neighbor too many times. No comment.

 

[jimindenver]

First, your hot water heater should have been in a tray leading to a drain. Also your home owners insurance will cover the damage if substantial. I would wait until finding out to call them because if you call and then not make a claim, it counts against you. I would not make a claim unless it was well above the deductible. Once you know you can decide to pay it yourself or give the agent a call for your damages and the agents info to the people downstairs. Your claim will be damages and the repair to fix the leak, possibly the water heater.

The best thing is you caught it as soon as it was noticeable. Make sure you stop the leak or contain it so that you can say/show that you tried to mitigate further damage. A hose will thread to the drain and could be put in a drain or bucket to watch. You could also drain it with the hose which will need to be done if you repair the drain or replace the water heater. Draining will stop any leaks and being it the drain, the dripping will continue as long as there is water in it. The hose to the drain will leave it usable in the short run but I would worry about a heater that age getting worse. When they go it's not just the contents but also the stream of water trying to refill it.

Leaks are a fact of life in condos and apartment buildings. It's kind of like a dweller accepts that someday they may be broke down on the side of the road, you deal with it with as little stress possible.