For some reason, our smaller townhouses have hot water heaters in the attic. Maybe the developer thought there wasn’t enough space in a one-bedroom unit to build another closet or create an exterior utility room.

The issue with putting a tank full of 40 gallons of water in the attic is that if it fails, there is a lot more damage. That’s what happened here.

When the hot water heater in this townhouse failed recently, it spilled out over the pan due to a corroded heating element. It ruined the ceiling in the bathroom and bedroom and created a new “skylight.”

Thankfully no one was hurt and the tenant was very understanding. We had people there within an hour to minimize damage and provide support.

We ended up replacing the hot water heater (still in the attic), adding a more robust leak pan, installing new ceilings, and painting everything. There was also a ton of cleanup.

We took this unfortunate issue as an opportunity to upgrade the townhouse. The new hot water heater is much more energy efficient. We also replaced nearly all of the old insulation in the whole townhouse, which will keep utility bills down for anyone who lives there.

We debated between replacing just the damaged portion of the bedroom ceiling or everything. In the end, we replaced it all because it would have been nearly impossible to match the texture.

It took us eight days from the time we got the call to the time everything was finished. Now it looks much better than before.