Seeking advice on behalf of my daughter.. please read and comment if you can.

[NM_Shooter]

My daughter is in the midst of purchasing a condo in Austin for her first home.  The market is a seller's market, and trying to find something turns into a competitive bidding war.  She is successfully under contract and just had the inspection today, which turned up a few things.  I am unfortunately in Albuquerque, so I can't just pop over and check things out or repair them for her. 

There are two major items that I'm not sure how to mitigate.

1)  Water heater needs to be replaced (33 years old!!!!). No drain pan under it.  Sadly, this is in the center of the structure, slab floor, no drain near by to drain a pain if one was under it.  We could raise it up a little (maybe 8 inches), and put a condensate pump for an A/C unit under it and run the drain tube through the wall into the bathroom on the other side.  Sadly, there is not a sink on that side, so we would have to build a small enclosure along the wall.  Can we use a condensate pump to push the water along if it starts to leak?   Are they ok for hot water?  Any other suggestions?

2)  The upstairs bathrooms do not have ceiling vents nor windows.  She has an attic space above her.  She does not have a gable end on her condo bedrooms upstairs and the baths are in the center of the unit and are back to back.  Can a bath vent be placed on the soffit and routed to the bathroom?  What would be the minimum diameter vent tubing?  Or does this need to go straight up through the roof?  Can one vent support both bath fans, or does each fan require its own penetration and vent?  Suggestions? 

There are a bunch of misc items too... mis-sized breakers, missing GFIs, broken light fixtures, two cracked windows, stair ballusters incorrectly spaced, homeowner screwed up some do it themself plumbing.  Cracked toilet.  Hard to believe that folks get into a bidding war, but they do. 

Thank you for any input you might be able to provide.  She has to come to a decision very soon as her inspection objection deadline is monday.

Regards,

Frank

[GaryT]

1.  There are warning units you can place in the pan (they are designed to be placed under hot water heaters), that will at least give her a heads up that there is a leak in the tank.
2.  Others may know better, but it isn't a good idea to exhaust a bath (or any) fan to the soffit.  Needs to go thru the roof or out a gable end.
3.  No windows in the bathroom?  Is that even legal?

Just my 2 cents (retired renovation contractor), but sounds to me like she might want to steer clear of this place.

Gary

[NM_Shooter]

Thanks... I am having her call a plumber to see if a drain from the leak pan is required by code, or if a warning unit will suffice. I did some research last night, and also found that vents to a soffit are a bad idea.  She is going to ask the property association if they allow roof penetrations if done by a contractor.  I think she and I will install the fan unit and attach it to flex vent, and then have a contractor make the penetration and hook up the flex vent. 

The big question right now is the water heater pan and if code requires it to drain to outside or a drain. 

If so, second big question is if a condensate pump is allowed to be used to push the water. 

[John Raabe]

Check also on the temp/pressure relief valve on the heater. That has to be vented to the outside and is more important in some areas than the pan drain.

[MountainDon]

The latest plumbing code here where I live in NM calls for a permit to replace a water heater, even if done by the homeowner as a DIY. Once the permit is bought, the new heater tank requires a drain pan. A sump pump is permitted if there is no way to gravity drain from the pan. We were able to run a line up to a hole drilled in a vent stack for that. 

In addition we need to install an expansion tank so that when cold water is heated the water will not backup into the supply lines. That is a recent addition and is being enforced on replacements as well as new construction. Plus we need to install earthquake straps to retain the tank in the event of an... event. .

All that to meet our current code. If a plumber gets involved here on a replacement water heater that all adds up in a hurry. More $$ than the tank itself.  But code requirements vary so check what the situation is in Austin.

[hpinson]

You just had to tell me that Don... 

[NM_Shooter]

Don, do they make a small sump pump?  This heater is in a small closet with a flat floor.  I'm hoping to use something like this : http://www.supplyhouse.com/MARS-21780-125-GPH-Condensate-Removal-Pump-w-Safety-Switch-115V-6-Cord?gclid=CO2ZgaKYvssCFQwPaQodnRkGxg

I've got a friend who has a plumbing background, and he says that the pans are there to provide you notice of an impending problem.  That tanks usually leak a little before they go, and if you do have a catastrophic failure, no amount of drain provided by the pan is going to protect you.   Makes sense to me.  But I'm trying to figure out if a small condensate pump will make the inspectors satisfied.

I've told her that a new tank along with bringing the place up to code needs to be a mandatory obligation on the seller.  She's already well over asking price for the condo, and it simply has to meet code in order to sell at that price. 

There were a bunch of other things that were relatively inexpensive to fix.  Needs GFIs, needs the breakers sized correctly, damper stop on the fireplace, some weather sealing, fireproof ceiling and proper venting in the heater closet, cracked toilet lid, etc.  Much of this I can talk her through or I can show up for a weekend and knock most of it out. 

The water heater has me flummoxed though.  She said she called a plumber yesterday, and he said that he would not do work in Austin because of their tough code and inspection issues.  If you pull a permit, they are likely to inspect, but the inspection is not just the item under the permit.  They inspect the entire place. 

Thanks,

frank

P.S.  I'm likely going to be a Pagosa Springs property owner by the end of April 

[Redoverfarm]

Frank I think you have gotten ample information on the HWH.  In regards to the exhaust of the bathrooms.  I have two and they both were vented to the soffit area.  I was cautioned about venting vertical as condensation would drain back to the fan area. I did pitch the exhaust pipe to the outside so any condensation would drain to the vent.  In regards to sistering the two together I had that same question and the majority of the people ( knowledgeable) advised against it.  Is there an exterior wall in either of the bathrooms.  If so you could use one of the wall mounted vents.  Maybe something like one of these.  https://www.google.com/search?sourceid=navclient&ie=UTF-8&rlz=1T4TSNA_enUS401US438&q=wall+mounted+bathroom+ventilation+fans   

If the other is not then vent it to the soffit.  Here is some info on soffit venting. https://www.google.com/search?sourceid=navclient&ie=UTF-8&rlz=1T4TSNA_enUS401US438&q=soffit+venting+a+bathroom+fan+

[Dave Sparks]

I have seen places that require a permit to change a water heater also have contractors that will change one and try to meet the intent of code. There are always issues that old construction just really can't address without tearing down walls.

You might just have her call around and get more quotes to see who will and will not do the job.  I may be wrong but there has to be some halfway point. If you bought a heater at your Home Depot who would know?
As John said the P & T valve is the scary part and must be addressed before you loved one get's in the door.

[NM_Shooter]

Sorry.. I should have been more clear.  I didn't ask about the TPV and vent line because they are in place and appear to be operational.  We'll still replace it with a new one though, as they are cheap.