Stand required in garage?

[sinister99]

I'm looking at moving my electric water heater to a room built into my garage. The room is fully drywalled, and has a door which opens into the garage. With an electric water heater, do I need the 18" stand? I'm in Kitsap county, Washington.

The heater would be a little too tall if I had to have a stand.

 

[DonL]

I'm looking at moving my electric water heater to a room built into my garage. The room is fully drywalled, and has a door which opens into the garage. With an electric water heater, do I need the 18" stand? I'm in Kitsap county, Washington.

The heater would be a little too tall if I had to have a stand.

Welcome to Terry's Forums.

That rule is for Gas.

Good Luck.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[hj]

The rule is to keep the heater from being impacted by a vehicle. IF you put pipe "bolsters" in front of it to prevent that it will work. As for gas heaters, the same applies if the city has adopted the latest code which recognizes heaters with the FVIR systems as being safe when on the floor.

 

[DonL]

I

The rule is to keep the heater from being impacted by a vehicle. IF you put pipe "bolsters" in front of it to prevent that it will work. As for gas heaters, the same applies if the city has adopted the latest code which recognizes heaters with the FVIR systems as being safe when on the floor.

If you run into your water heater, You may need your brakes fixed. lol

Never heard of that rule. Must be a GM thing.

I thought is was for gas Fume protection.

 

[hj]

How many people drive through store fronts when they mistake the gas for the brake? It can happen in your garage also. It originally was for "explosion prevention" to raise the pilot light above any gas fumes on the floor. The FVIR system shuts the burner off even if the heater is setting in a pool of gasoline, so the elevation is not needed according the the most recent codes, but not every area has adopted them yet, so I have to instruct the inspectors when we have a conflict.

 

[Dj2]

"I thought is was for gas Fume protection."

I thought that too. Fumes from paint containers, gas and other petrol product containers. But aren't these gases as dangerous at 20" high as on the floor?

Besides, why do we need to raise water heaters equipped with flame guards off the floor?

 

[Jadnashua]

There are two issues at play...all newer (up to a certain size) gas WH now come with a FVIR burner design, and as a result, aren't a threat for igniting any gas vapors from outside. Many of the problematic gas vapors are heavier than air (NG is an exception) that will pool near the floor, and that burner design should prevent igniting those. Previously, they raised the base of the WH to provide a similar, but not as effective, protection.

The second issue is similar to having to use flexible connections and strapping the WH in an earthquake zone...it is to prevent the thing from breaking a connection or toppling over in an earthquake. In a garage, unless it is protected some way, a vehicle hitting it could cause similar issues, and some codes enforce that so a bollard or some protection around the WH is required, if it is in the path of a vehicle.