Ploni borrowed someone’s house to stay in over Pesach.At the end of Pesach he discovered that the themostat on the water heater had broken on its own, not thru any action of his.Is he chayav for onsin as a shoel. Does it make a difference whether heater is bolted bown to floor or wall- talush u’levasof chibro?
Answer:
According to most Poskim, the water heater is considered regarding the Shoel as Karka since it is made to connect to the ground, and so the Shoel should be exempt from paying for it. In addition, if the thermostat broke, it is possible that when he entered the house it was already about to break, in which case one could say that it had no worth at that point and so even if it subsequently broke there is no cost that need be paid.
