An inspector reach out regarding an interaction that he had with a builder after inspecting a new construction home. The water heater was located in the attic, and it was a tankless unit. From what I understand, there was no overflow drain pan below the water heater and the builder was challenging the inspector for including this fact in his inspection report, arguing that a pan was not required by the building code. Things like this are all too commonplace in the inspection industry, with agents, sellers, and contractors constantly disputing everything we say and do. It’s a given that the stress from all those attempted arguments is coming; how we handle these sticky situations determines exactly how much more stress we’ll have to suffer.
When someone challenges our professional opinion, the first thing we need to do is keep our cool. It’s only natural to become defensive when someone disputes our findings. It’s a normal human reaction, but it’s something that can only complicate the situation. By remaining calm, especially when the other person doesn’t, we retain the upper hand in the discussion, and have the best chance of “winning the argument.”
The next thing we should do is to get our ducks in a row. We need to find the code and/or manufacturer’s specs that prove our point. It’s pretty hard to dispute indisputable facts, and bringing a (big) gun to a knife fight gun is always a good idea. Putting the facts in front of someone that’s wrong has an amazing ability to end an argument.
In today’s modern world, it’s much easier to do this than at any time in history. We no longer need to rummage through piles of books; we can simply look online. While I know for certain that Louisiana requires an overflow drain pan system for all tank-style water heaters that can cause damage to the property if they leak (and an attic installation certainly qualifies), I’m less certain about the requirements for tankless units.
In this instance, I checked ChatGPT for information on this question. While AI has certainly been a benefit to inspectors everywhere, this conversation illustrates two important points. First, the way in which you phrase your questions has an incredible impact on the answers you get from AI (the more detailed your question, the more precise your answer.) And secondly is something that’s written across the bottom of the ChatGPT homepage: “ChatGPT can make mistakes. Check important info.” In this instance, I checked the source material that ChatGPT used to draw it’s conclusions as well as the up.codes website and found that what it was saying was, in fact, different from what the code stated.
When challenged, ChatGPT walked back it’s original answer that a pan is a code requirement for tankless water heaters. Ironically enough, it ended up settling on the same reasoning that I would use to justify the information that my human mind would think to include in my report about this situation: that it makes sense to limit a homeowner’s possible damages due to component failure.
Below is the text message that I sent to the inspector about this issue:
LA code specifically references “storage tank-type water heaters” as needing a pan if “water leakage from the tank will cause damage.” Unless the manufacturer requires a pan, it’s not required. However, the intent of the code is to protect the property from water leaks, and a tankless unit can certainly leak. In my experience, quality plumbing contractors put pans under a tankless unit in the attic. Looks like your plumber may not meet that quality standard… I would write something touching on the leakage issue and say that an inexpensive pan could protect the house from very expensive water damage in the event of a leak.
In this particular instance, code is not our friend, as it (not so clearly) states that tankless water heaters don’t need an overflow drain pan assembly when installed in an attic. While I’m not doing a code compliance inspection, I certainly would’ve used the code to my advantage if it said that a pan is required. My job, as a professional home inspector, it to look out for my client’s wellbeing. The fact that code doesn’t demand a pan be installed in this particular instance does not take away from the fact that water heaters can (and often do) leak, as there are plenty of pipe connections and joints that can fail during prolonged use. Simply installing an inexpensive, exterior-terminated, overflow drain pan could save my clients from a really expensive headache if that water heater decides to start leaking.
From a contractor’s point of view, I understand not wanting to spend the extra money on a drain pan when code doesn’t require it. But from a marketing perspective, why would you even want to take that risk? Remediation costs from a water-related event in a home can easily reach into the thousands of dollars. Angry homebuyers can easily take to the social media airwaves and slam your company over such an occurrence. (And you know that every home inspector they talk to is going to tell them that a good contractor would’ve put a pan under that water heater…)
Proving that we’re right in our inspection assessments is always an important endeavor, but the big takeaway here is that a small investment now, over and above what we “have to do,” usually pays big dividends down the line, especially when it comes to our reputation. The inspectors that do more than just inspect to the standards are often more successful, have fewer problems, get more referral business, and get more enjoyment from what they do for a living.
It’s simply mind-boggling that more people don’t give just a little bit more.
Give, and the universe gives back in ways you cannot imagine.
Rumi
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Thanks, Joe
