Thread: To Pan or not to Pan

Ok, so reviewing drain pan requirements for a water heater, and I am pretty sure I am reading this right.

Per IRC / up tp and including the 2012 edition:
P2801.5 Required pan. Where water heaters or hot water storage tanks are installed in locations where leakage ofthe tanks or connections will cause damage, the tank or water heater shall be installed in a galvanized steel panhaving a material thickness of not less than 0.0236 inch (0.6010 mm) (No. 24 gage), or other pans approved for suchuse.

Then in 2015 it changed stating:
P2801.6.1 Where a pan drain was not previously installed, a pan drain shall not be required for a replacement water heater installation.

So my question, if a new water heater was installed by a DIY'er in 2001 who did not install a drain pan, does that mean when a new unit was installed in 2022, that a pan is not required as it was not previously installed ?

My only suggestion would be to comment that a pan is not required but suggested !

How do you handle this.

I'm old and jaded. My template has a sentence saying roughly that a pan should be used under the water heater. I leave that sentence in the report if it's applicable, which it normally is. I've never gotten any response from a seller or buyer about it. If a seller pushed back about it not being required, I would just respond that they should confirm that with the plumbing AHJ. I'm not about to argue with a seller whether a drain pan is a good idea or not.

I don't know the IRC plumbing section Joe,

Your location indicates California. If you are still here, then we use the California Plumbing Code, which uses the Uniform Plumbing Code as the model.

Unfortunately, I do not have the current CPC, this is from the 2019 CPC. There is no confusion.

507.5 Drainage Pan. Where a water heater is located in an attic, in or on an attic ceiling assembly, floor-ceiling assembly, or floor-subfloor assembly where damage results from a leaking water heater, a watertight pan of corrosion-resistant materials shall be installed beneath the water heater with not less than V* of an inch (20 mm) diameter drain to an approved location. Such pan shall be not less than VA inches (38 mm) in depth

Originally Posted by Gunnar Alquist

There is no confusion.

507.5 Drainage Pan. Where . . .damage results from a leaking water heater, a watertight pan of corrosion-resistant materials shall be installed

Oo, I hates such language. Does "where damage results" mean "where damage has resulted" or "where damage would result"?

As for the IRC, in my obviously hot off the press 2012 edition, P2801.5 Required Pan, says ". . .in a location where leakage will cause damage. . ." and specifies size, material, drain, and end point of drain.