TOPIC: Hide and Seek Water Heater

The water heater was no where to be found.

There was this fine laundry room, beside the fine "bathroom" (door to the right).  That bath could be a story in itself, but I digress.

The laundry room was special in its own right.  You can see the water connection on the wall.  And there was no drain, so I assumed that the washer drained into that special floor drain in the foreground.  That is packaging tape over it now - keeps the snakes out.

I don't know where that floor drain goes.  Perhaps to the creek behind the house.

The dryer receptacle is on the wall, just hanging around waiting for a dryer.  It really was hanging - it should have been attached to a stud, assuming there is actually a stud back there.

That receptacle strip on the floor probably serviced the washing machine, or so I assumed.  It comes from somewhere - I never did find out where it was plugged in.  Perhaps to a receptacle behind the drywall, but I did NOT want to assume that.

The dryer vent is on the wall just to the left of that dryer receptacle.  I know you don't see it, but it is there.  At least it's outdoors, and from it you can see the back side of what I assumed to be the drywall.

Where does that plug in the receptacle strip come from?  Ah, the mystery!  I had to bet it was from something in the water heater closet.  That is, IF, the biggest word in the English language, IF the water heater is where we assumed it to be.

As you know, I cannot be invasive on a home inspection, and wasn't.

But what about the Realtor?!  I think we found ourselves a LOOP HOLE!!

And there it was!  With just a gentle invasion of the wall we found the water heater!  The Hardy Boys could not have done better!  The shut-off valve for the rear hose bib was there too!

This is very comical!  You need to know all that is going on here.

To the left is the fabulous "kitchen" "sink" "installed" in the "counter."  I use those terms loosely, hence the ""s.  There was a lot of leaking, creating what I assumed to be mold.  I cannot say it was mold, for legal reasons.  We would have to do a mold test.  But, it was mold...

The "sink" drains into an ejector pump in the floor in front of the water heater.  The "bathroom" drains there too.  I did not have to assume that because the cover was not sealed and when we ran the "bathroom" water you could tell that it must have been draining there for some time.  A long time.  You catch my drift?

Good thing you aren't catching the drift I did when we gently opened that space up...

Do you see the cable coming out of the wall?  That is connected to the ejector pump, and that's what is plugged into the receptacle strip in the upper photo.  The vertical drain line for the ejector pump is visible just to the left of the gentle wall opening.

When we ran the ejector pump it seemed to drain into the house DWV line.  I assumed that anyway because I could hear it.  It might go into that creek behind too, for all I know...

I get to have fun like this nearly every day!

Laughing is good medicine.  I am very healthy, and now you know why!  I LAUGH A LOT...!!

You can assume that I love my job.  Fortunately I live in an area where the local, shall we say, population provides me lots of opportunity to laugh and very good health.  Don't assume otherwise!

My recommendation:  If you can't find a water heater, you should assume you need to get a Realtor involved.  A strong one...

And, unlike a mortgage, that would be a great assumption!

Well come on now Jay, you can't expect a home owner to tolerate, in their "beautiful" kitchen, a big, nasty, ugly water heater can you????  ;D
As for that creek out back...maybe it's just being recirculated through that nasty, ugly water heater...assumption????
Not only are you laughing and staying healthy, I am as well...said it once, I'll say it again...Awesome, simply awesome!

That's crazy. How were the gas fumes in there? I guess they would know if the thing leaks by watching the color of the wall around it! Wow....

It was an electric water heater, so no fumes from it.  There WERE fumes from the ejector pump!!  WOWOWOWOWOW...

And Casey - I get to see this kind of stuff 4 or 5 times a week!  The "backbone of our economy" don't you know...

Nice and healthy way to live! No exhaust in there I'm sure?

You get to have all the fun Jay!!