Thread: Waterheater in garage

If a gas water heater is in a utility room with a door off the garage is itstill required to be 18 inches above the ground? Pool equipment (pump andheater) in same room.

Also wrote this up same water heater 25yro:
http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/j...gh82/photo.jpg

Similar Threads:

• Pull down stairs in the garage- fire rated?
• garage door terminology
• garage door reversing informationm - by request
• Grandma's Garage Explosion Story
• Garage Door reinforcement

Originally Posted by Terry Ewald

If a gas water heater is in a utility room with a door off the garage is itstill required to be 18 inches above the ground? Pool equipment (pump andheater) in same room.

Also wrote this up same water heater 25yro:
http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/j...gh82/photo.jpg

A gas water heater is required to be elevated 18" above any source of ignition.
Exception would be a FVIR water heater ( the one you pictured is not).
The pool pump and heater are most likely sources of ignition.

But in general, yes, a non FVIR WH in a utility room off a garage should be raised 18" above the garage floor.

I would still raise a FVIR type heater 18" off the floor, which some plumbing inspectors around here require. The FVIR system is supposed to help prevent any ignition or flash of flammable vapors beyond the combustion chamber. As we all know systems tend to fail, or be altered.

I have seen FVIR heaters that had clogged fresh air inlet screens, have the site glass busted out. Also seen people open the sealed combustion chamber access and not install a new seal when they had to change out a thermocouple.

We are also required to have electric water heaters elevated, due to when an heating element and or thermostat shorts out, it generates heat and at times a large spark.

I would write up the venting on that water heater as not approved material.

Thanks guys in did write both up and the coroded pipes

I believe as long as the mechanical room door is the proper type for fire separation, self closing and weatherstripped, the equipment does not have to be raised. At least that is how I've always written it up. A garage closet is no more a part of the garage than the house is.

Originally Posted by Benjamin Thompson

I believe as long as the mechanical room door is the proper type for fire separation, self closing and weatherstripped, the equipment does not have to be raised. At least that is how I've always written it up. A garage closet is no more a part of the garage than the house is.

If the closet in the garage opens to the garage and there is a water heater in the garage, then the code requires that water heater to be raised to a height that the ignition source is at least 18" above the garage floor. *IF* the closet floor is raised above the garage floor, there is a chance that the ignition source will be 18" above the garage floor, but if not, then the water heater is required to be raised to the extent necessary to get the ignition source at least 18" above the garage floor.

What say we try a little common sense here. As we all know the requirement for raising the WH is to reduce the risk for ignition from gasoline or other flammables which are much more common in a garage than in any other part of the home. So, if we have a flammable gas lurking along the floor (gasoline and some other flammable are heavier than air) and we come along and open the closet door the WH and everything goes BOOM then who really cares about code? Code is great to know and we should all be able to parrot most of it when needed; however, knowing the mechanics or functionality of the defect is much more important. It's the difference between rote learning and learning 'how to think' in school. Also, some of the FVIR water heaters are useless junk after just one reaction to a flammable vapor incident and must then be replaced. So, whether or not code calls for it we as inspectors should be able to put two and two together and recommend repair. No?

Looks like corrosion could be caused by chlorine gas stored in pool equipment hot water tank storage room definitely a combustion hazard; best to get the hell out of there as soon as possible! Good god a gas fired hot water tank should never be installed in a pool equipment closet.

"Good god a gas fired hot water tank should never be installed in a pool equipment closet."

Does this mean a gas pool heater should not be installed with pool equipment?