04-30-2007, 01:30 PM
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Member
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Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: Houston, Texas
Posts: 216
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Re: Catch pan drain termination
Maybe we are not asking the right question here? Consider these three possibilities.
Possibility one…A pan is required by code for the installation in question.
If a pan is required by code then that pan must be present, must be suitable for the purpose, and must be installed along with its associated drain piping in a code compliant manner. (Just as Jerry has pointed out in his code recitations above.)
Possibility two…A pan is not required by code for the installation in question and is not present.
If a pan is not required by code then no pan need be present. If no pan is present, then there would naturally be no associated drain piping or termination to worry about.
Possibility three…A pan is not required by code but one is present anyway. (Which may well be the case in the photo above.) Then the question evolves to…
"Does the superfluous pan and piping system as installed provide, at minimum, an equivalent level of protection against potential water damage as that required by code? (Before you answer, keep in mind that that code requires no pan or piping system at all in this situation!)"
If you understand that is possible to install a pan and piping system under a water heater that does not require such by code and create an out-of-code condition in so doing, then you understand why its important to ask the above question when a pan is present in a no-pan-required situation.
Now lets revisit the photo at the top of this thread and ask our question again…
"Does the superfluous pan and piping system as installed provide, at minimum, an equivalent level of protection against potential water damage as that required by code? (Before you answer, keep in mind that that code requires no pan or piping system at all in this situation!)."
I would have to say that the setup pictured at the top of the thread probably provides a little more protection than the applicable minimum code standard of having no pan or drain piping at all. (But then I have always had my doubts about some of the minimum code standards. )
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