The Moonlight Job and the Lanai Water Heater

Every part of it. Converting a tub to a shower changes the drain, the trap, the valve, and often the vent, and moving a gas water heater changes gas piping and venting; both are permitted plumbing work subject to inspection. Contracting directly with the property manager is the bigger problem: under Hawaii's plumbing licensing law (HRS chapter 448E) the license to do plumbing work for the public sits with the licensed plumber and the licensed contractor, and a journeyman working for a contractor is an employee, not a contracting party. Taking the job personally is unlicensed contracting under HRS chapter 444, and your employer's license and insurance do not follow you to it. No permit means no inspection, so a failed shower pan or a gas leak lands on you with no coverage; the owner's insurer will pursue you, and the state can pursue the license you actually hold. The cash arrangement and the secrecy request also put you on the wrong side of an appraisal, which is a fraud exposure you do not want. Decline in writing and let your employer bid it properly.

Work from the appliance out. Gas: size the new run for the added length and fittings, install a shutoff, union, drip leg, and a listed connector, and pressure-test the piping per the adopted code before the gas is turned back on, with the gauge visible and the test witnessed if the county requires it. Venting: a covered lanai is not automatically outdoors for venting purposes, so confirm the heater is listed for that location, that the vent termination meets clearance to windows, doors, and openings, and that combustion air is adequate for an enclosure that may be partly closed in. Clearance to combustibles must be maintained, and a lanai used for storage needs protection from that. The temperature and pressure relief valve must be piped full size, without reduction, to a termination that drains by gravity, typically not more than 6 in. above grade and not where it can scald or freeze someone. Because the existing unit has no discharge line at all, the closet installation is also defective. Seismic strapping: two straps, in the lower and upper thirds of the tank, per the adopted code. Finally, a drain pan with a drain where leakage would cause damage.

Separate the two issues. On the prior work: do not conceal it, do not build on top of it, and do not certify anything about it. Put in writing that the garage conversion and its plumbing appear unpermitted, that permit records are public and the appraiser will likely pull them, and that the path forward is a legalization permit with the existing work opened for inspection where required, plus confirmation that any drain or waste system serving the conversion was approved. If it discharges to a drywell or cesspool, the county and the health department also need to be involved, and that can change the whole scope. On secrecy: say no plainly, in writing, with the reason stated as your license and the owner's insurance rather than a lecture. Then give her a practical route: your employer bids the shower conversion, the water heater relocation, and any legalization work as a permitted job. If she will not permit it, walk away and document that you did. A licensed plumber who agrees to hide a defect owns it forever.