Need a Contractor in Houston, STAT.

[Andyzipp]

Came home this evening to find my 7 year old son's ceiling on the floor and gallons of water spraying from a busted water heater hose.

So I need the sheetrock replaced on the ceiling (and likely one/two of the walls) the carpet and pad removed/replaced, and any damaged electrical to be repaired.

Time is of the essence, so if anyone can recommend someone, I'm listening.

In Spring Branch, if that makes a difference.

[cougar]

My friend does contractor and home renovation work.  PM me if you still need his number.

[Fynn]

Andy,  I had the same problem-hot water tank in attic had a huge leak while I was away and I ended up staying in a hotel for 3 months while every board on my floors were replaced, along with my upstairs and garage ceiling and several walls.  Entire cost was 50K, which my insurance thankfully covered.  I replaced the system with a tankless waterheater in the garage, and can now sleep at night knowing this is one less disaster to worry about.

[Andyzipp]

Andy,  I had the same problem-hot water tank in attic had a huge leak while I was away and I ended up staying in a hotel for 3 months while every board on my floors were replaced, along with my upstairs and garage ceiling and several walls.  Entire cost was 50K, which my insurance thankfully covered.  I replaced the system with a tankless waterheater in the garage, and can now sleep at night knowing this is one less disaster to worry about.

Thankfully the wife was home, so the water ran unabated for 30 to 45 minutes. Then there was the abating.

The damage was limited to one bedroom, which ServPro came out and stripped yesterday.  My son, of course wants to move back into the room because he thinks all the black plastic sheeting where the ceiling should be is "cool".

The clean-up bill was more than 2k, so I'll be interested in seeing how much the estimate/settlement is going to be.

I'm thinking 5k, but we'll see.

[S.P. Rodriguez]

Thankfully the wife was home, so the water ran unabated for 30 to 45 minutes. Then there was the abating.

The damage was limited to one bedroom, which ServPro came out and stripped yesterday.  My son, of course wants to move back into the room because he thinks all the black plastic sheeting where the ceiling should be is "cool".

The clean-up bill was more than 2k, so I'll be interested in seeing how much the estimate/settlement is going to be.

I'm thinking 5k, but we'll see.

Coming into this late, but you may want to check what type of plumbing was used.  If it's a newer home (last 10-15 yrs) odds are the builder use KITEC plumbing (obvious indicator is a blue coating for cold water, orange for hot).  There is a major recall on this material due to de-zyncification of the brass fittings resulting in a build up of zync in the PEX-AL-PEX (three layered, flexible) piping that potentially leads to burst pipes.  I hope it's not the case but if it is, you and your insurance may have a claim against IPEX, the manufacturerer of the product.  Oh, and there are several class action lawsuits, primarily in Nevada, but also some developing in Houston. 

[Andyzipp]

Coming into this late, but you may want to check what type of plumbing was used.  If it's a newer home (last 10-15 yrs) odds are the builder use KITEC plumbing (obvious indicator is a blue coating for cold water, orange for hot).  There is a major recall on this material due to de-zyncification of the brass fittings resulting in a build up of zync in the PEX-AL-PEX (three layered, flexible) piping that potentially leads to burst pipes.  I hope it's not the case but if it is, you and your insurance may have a claim against IPEX, the manufacturerer of the product.  Oh, and there are several class action lawsuits, primarily in Nevada, but also some developing in Houston. 

My house (and the plumbing) are from 1971.  The water heater was replaced in 2002.  So the copperflex was at least 8 years old, but after looking at it, I suspect it's significantly older than that.  Either way, I have the culprit sitting on my counter waiting for the adjuster to come collect it.

[chuck]

Coming into this late, but you may want to check what type of plumbing was used.  If it's a newer home (last 10-15 yrs) odds are the builder use KITEC plumbing (obvious indicator is a blue coating for cold water, orange for hot).  There is a major recall on this material due to de-zyncification of the brass fittings resulting in a build up of zync in the PEX-AL-PEX (three layered, flexible) piping that potentially leads to burst pipes.  I hope it's not the case but if it is, you and your insurance may have a claim against IPEX, the manufacturerer of the product.  Oh, and there are several class action lawsuits, primarily in Nevada, but also some developing in Houston. 

Good thought. My brother went through replacing all of the KITEC plumbing in his house in the Vegas area a couple of years ago and the community is indeed involved in a class action suit.

[S.P. Rodriguez]

Good thought. My brother went through replacing all of the KITEC plumbing in his house in the Vegas area a couple of years ago and the community is indeed involved in a class action suit.

I have it, learning of it when my neighbor sold his house.  FOX Svcs reported the recall to the pending buyer.  Apparently they ran some diagnostic to check for the recall condition on the brass fitting.  They found no issues.  The articles I found indicated IPEX puts the blame on water conditions (i.e. very hard water) in Nevada, but agreed to compensate home owners for replacing the brass fittings.  My neighbors and I  concluded it must involve the presence of water softeners in most homes, which reduces the particles that cause much of the corrosion.  I have no information on whether water softeners are common in Nevada homes. 

Anyway, when we found out, we started to looking for evidence of issues in Texas.  The only info I found were for lawyers recruiting class action participants.  My neighbor the lawyer took it further, contacting a colleague about possible avenues to seek compensation.  This colleague confirmed that IPEX is providing compensation to most anyone who files a claim, once verifying the product is in place, to repair/replace the faulty brass fittings.  However, it's far from the financial windfall some of my neighbors were hoping for...  Me, I'd like to know if it's an actual problem.  I still don't have a friggin clue if it is.