Return of the water heater: A feud based in dumpster justice just got weirder

Chad Winberg thought he'd seen the last of a 200-pound water heater that was dumped at his South Anchorage business last week, which — in a case of do-it-yourself justice that has turned Winberg into a local internet hero — he promptly returned to the owner's driveway.

But on Wednesday, Winberg got an update on Facebook: Someone had spotted the water heater yet again. This time it was behind a dumpster in Midtown.

In a brief interview Monday, the owner of the water heater, whom the Anchorage Daily News has not identified because he has not been charged with a crime, admitted he left the huge metal shell at Winberg's business.

He then said he took it to the dump.

[Don't dump your trash on this Anchorage man's property. He'll find you]

But when Winberg drove to the dumpster off Latouche Street, he found the water heater leaning against a fence. The water heater had easily identifiable spray paint markings made by Winberg the week before.

It wasn't clear how long the water heater had been there. Winberg picked it up, spray-painted it some more and wrote: "Return to sender. Address not deliverable. Thanks, Anchorage."

On Wednesday afternoon, Winberg drove back to the man's South Anchorage house and, once again, dropped it off in the man's driveway. He later recorded a Facebook Live video of the man rolling the water heater up the driveway.

In a second video, a grinning Winberg drives past the house, and sees the man with the water heater at the top of the driveway. "Looks heavy! Take it to the dump this time!" he yelled.

"Whatever," the man can be heard saying.

Winberg, in a phone interview Wednesday, said he was both amused and disappointed that the water heater had resurfaced.

He also said that while he doesn't really have time to deal with it again, it would be funny if it showed up anywhere else in town.

At this point, Winberg said, a lot of people in Anchorage are keeping an eye out for it.