Foam block under water heater?

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hj

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foam

"Foundations" are NOT poured over foam. Floor slabs are, or foam can be inserted around the floor perimeter. The foam under a slab is subjected to such ridiculously low loadings that the concrete will NEVER compress it.
 

Dana

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Since concrete building foundations are sometimes poured over foam, perhaps foam of sufficient density can be regarded as structural?

Not exactly a good argument. The concrete slab can handle 500psi, but disburses that weight over a much wider area of the foam. Putting any type of rigid skin over the foam gives it a structural monocoque with much higher mechanical ratings. (the OSB EPS OSB sandwich is a standard structural-insulated-panel aka "SIP", and stronger than either matieral on their own.)

But like I posted, standard 2lb density XPS can handle 25psi with 10% compression, which is 3600lbs per square foot,and you only need ~275psf. The footprint of a 20" diameter tanks is ~2.2 square feet, so nominally it'll carry the ~600lb load of a flat bottomed 50 gallon tank pretty handily in a static load condition. (600lbs over 2.2 square feet it a bit under 2psi, less than 8% of the load rating for XPS that yields 10% compression. I think you'd be good. 1.5lb EPS would probably be fine as well.
 

Tail

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Terry, does the foam pad you get from your supplier have a product name? I am getting ready to swap out my electric tank and would like to get a pad to set the new tank on but I am having a hard time finding anything of this nature in Ohio.
 

bobwilli

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In the Seattle area, we install electric water heaters on foam pads.
We buy them from the supplier that supplies the water heaters.

Do you install the heater directly on the pad, which in turn is in a drain pan?

I have a GE GeoSpring 50 gal heat pump hybrid water heater to install.

Thanks.
 

bobwilli

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Thank you guys for your advice. You're a valuable resource. Here's what I did: put the water heater directly on the foam pad, which is in a drain pan on a plywood stand. The water heater went easily on the foam pad and didn't seem to compress it much. Of course it was empty. Filled it doesn't seem to either. Anybody see a problem with this?

Hybrid Water Heater installed clipped - 8-28-10 - IMG_2056.jpg
 

Terry

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It should be fine.
We just place the electric heaters on the foam pads.

I'm surprised that "plumbingpro" would add plywood over the foam. I've never seen that done in all my years plumbing.

You will need to Earthquake Strap though, you're on the West Coast.
 

SeattlePlumber

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If it has feet, you don't need a pad...

The feet have to extend to something structural, not resting on foam. If it's a flat-bottomed beast with mere dimpled sheet metal for feet it calls for building some. The last tank heater I owned was ca. 1982, had about 1.5-2" of clearance under it between some fairly substantial welded on feet, but I'm sure they're everything from dead-flat to fairly tall. I've seen a number of them with 2-3" structural rings beneath them for supporting the tank with some clearance,but I have no idea what/if there's a standard (I expect not.) Clearly it's easy to exceed 25psi many times over if it's a 3 metal feet or a stamped angle-iron ring holding up 600lbs. Looks like electric tanks often come with minimal clearance, whereas gas versions build in the necessary clearances for combusion air intake & burner heat issues:

hot-water-heaters.312193446_std.jpg

The whole point of the pad is to eliminate heat loss due to direct contact with the concrete floor. If the tank has feet that are more than just dimples in the sheet metal, a pad isn't necessary. Therefore, you wouldn't need to place a water heater with feet on a pad to begin with. That being said, if you try it the weight will sink the feet right through the pad. And if it's gas, it will melt the foam (seen it on an old style gas water heater).
 

InterociterOperator

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Washington State Iinstallation Code

The whole point of the pad is to eliminate heat loss due to direct contact with the concrete floor. If the tank has feet that are more than just dimples in the sheet metal, a pad isn't necessary. Therefore, you wouldn't need to place a water heater with feet on a pad to begin with. That being said, if you try it the weight will sink the feet right through the pad. And if it's gas, it will melt the foam (seen it on an old style gas water heater).
I was advised that the Washington State Installation code now requires the foam pad on electric water heater installs.
Even with the new heaters there is significant heat loss from the bottom of the heater to the cold dense concrete floor below.
Insulfoam makes the high-density "Insulpad Electric Water Heater Insulation" pad (7-32813-10043-0) $11.87 at Home Depot.
I'd prefer to put in under the drip pan and get a little height for drainage, but I've never seen it installed that way.


(It makes a poor frisbie)
 

Charles2

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I guess it didn't come up because it's only available in stores. 2" seems a little thin - I'd like to see about 12", but of course you could stack them.
 

Terry

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2" is plenty. It's closed cell foam. I don't know if you ever sat on a small wafer of closed cell foam on snow before, but it colds the cold very well. When I sleep on snow, having just a thin pad to sleep on works wonders.

I have seen drain pans installed over the 2" foam before. It's a good way to install them.

DCP_8345.jpg
 
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