A home inspector may have saved the life of a family with a young child after pushing the first-time homebuyers to replace their water heater.
The tale spotlights a hazard that may be lurking in your home while draining your wallet. Fortunately, an upgraded next-gen device can help you tackle multiple issues at once, and current tax incentives could help you get up to $2,000 off installation costs.
In Reddit's r/FirstTimeHomeBuyer community, the homeowner explained that their inspector discovered the property's water heater had improper piping and venting. He emphasized to the buyers, who have a 3-year-old, that they needed a new one ASAP.
"Got busy with move in and thought about waiting a couple weeks on the hot water heater replacement, but decided not to because of the inspector's words," the original poster shared, adding that they hired a plumber to install a tankless water heater two days after they moved in.
During the installation, the plumber realized the old water heater's primary PVC pipe connection was burned practically beyond recognition.
"He said it was the biggest fire hazard he had seen in his 20 year career, and since our hot water heater is next to our gas line, we were lucky it didn't blow up the house," the OP shared.
Beyond the risk of explosion, gas-powered water heaters are less energy-efficient than electric water heaters — and particularly heat pump water heaters, which are up to three times more efficient than conventional electric resistance water heaters, per the U.S. Department of Energy.
In short, that means upgrading to a heat pump water heater could save your household hundreds of dollars each year, and taking advantage of those IRA incentives now could help you maximize your savings in the long run.
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While the rebates through the IRA still exist, the tax credits for upgraded home appliances will disappear at the end of the year. This means that acting fast could be worth thousands of dollars.
Companies such as LG have a wide variety of efficient water heater options for those looking to upgrade and snag the disappearing incentives. Plus, LG has a free tool to find available appliance rebates based on your ZIP code.
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How old is your current water heater? Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. |
10 years or older 😬 As for the OP, they had one final piece of advice for homeowners.
"Spend the money folks. Get a good inspector and get all the things fixed," they wrote.
"This is why I will never buy a home with gas. One of my biggest fears!" one commenter said.
"Glad you're safe!" another wrote.
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