Should I Raise the new Water Heater?

[MG70]

I'm fixing a 1970s house for me to live in. I'll be replacing the old, dripping, water heater with a 50 gallon Rheem Hybrid water heater and will be installing it in the basement, not too far from where the old heater is. The new one will be closer to the well pressure tank and a couple of sump pits, where the condensate can easily flow into.

The basement floor has been dry since I bought the property a little over a year ago. With that said, the sump pits and pumps were put in for a reason (which I suspect was poor grading/gutters/downspouts, which I've corrected 75% off, and will only be able to complete the job after removing the low deck, but that's another story).

The new water heater drain is 3 5/8" high, which is more than enough to direct the water to the nearby sump pit. As with most basements, it's always cooler than the main floor of the house.

Other than facilitating draining of the water heater, are there any other reasons, for the situation described above, to elevate or raise the water heater?

If so, what do you recommend as a base? The old water heater sits on a couple of cinder blocks, but it's further away from the sump pits, so I suspect it was done that way to make it faster/easier to drain.

Also, I was planning on resting it in a drain pan thinking that perhaps it'll protect the bottom from any water that may come in contact with it. If you know a good reason for me to buy a synthetic drain pan over an aluminum one, please let me know.

Thanks in advance for any help and a safe week for everyone!


BTW. According to the specs, the darn thing weighs 218lbs, packed!

 

[Sarg]

If I had the option I would elevate our heater for the convenience of observing the base for signs of rust and "old age" leaks plus it would keep the base dry(er) from simple gravity. ( Our very first electric heater was replaced because the base started leaking )

And another suggestion that we did when installing our replacement electric heater = change out the factory drain valve with a ¾" ball valve made for flushing the tank. We did it not to flush the tank but it reduces the actual drain time significantly. We service our heater every six months........ replacing the elements ...checking the anode and using a wet vac through the bottom element hole to remove the sediment.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[jasperwkingsley]

I'm fixing a 1970s house for me to live in. I'll be replacing the old, dripping, water heater with a 50 gallon Rheem Hybrid water heater and will be installing it in the basement, not too far from where the old heater is. The new one will be closer to the well pressure tank and a couple of sump pits, where the condensate can easily flow into.

The basement floor has been dry since I bought the property a little over a year ago. With that said, the sump pits and pumps were put in for a reason (which I suspect was poor grading/gutters/downspouts, which I've corrected 75% off, and will only be able to complete the job after removing the low deck, but that's another story).

The new water heater drain is 3 5/8" high, which is more than enough to direct the water to the nearby sump pit. As with most basements, it's always cooler than the main floor of the house.

Other than facilitating draining of the water heater, are there any other reasons, for the situation described above, to elevate or raise the water heater?

If so, what do you recommend as a base? The old water heater sits on a couple of cinder blocks, but it's further away from the sump pits, so I suspect it was done that way to make it faster/easier to drain.

Also, I was planning on resting it in a drain pan thinking that perhaps it'll protect the bottom from any water that may come in contact with it. If you know a good reason for me to buy a synthetic drain pan over an aluminum one, please let me know.

Thanks in advance for any help and a safe week for everyone!


BTW. According to the specs, the darn thing weighs 218lbs, packed!

elevating the water heater can indeed help with inspecting the base for rust and leaks, and it keeps the bottom drier. The suggestion to swap the drain valve for a ¾" ball valve is good , it makes draining much faster and more efficient. As for the drain pan, a synthetic one would be a better choice since it won’t corrode like aluminum, which can extend its lifespan. Cinder blocks should be fine as a base, just ensure it’s level and stable.

 

[MG70]

Sorry for the delay and thank you both for the suggestions! Sarg, I hadn't thought to use a shop vac on the water heater but will attempt to do so since the one water test I had done showed very hard water and the heater wasn't exactly cheap. Once the house is replumbed, I'll have the water tested again.

If I have enough room to check and replace the sacrificial anode rods and replace the heating elements (I have not checked that part), I'll keep the cinder blocks, buy a ball valve hose bib such as the above, and look for an undrilled, synthetic, drain pan!

I hope everyone is having a warm and safe Holiday and may God bless us all!

Thanks again!

 

[Fitter30]

Sorry for the delay and thank you both for the suggestions! Sarg, I hadn't thought to use a shop vac on the water heater but will attempt to do so since the one water test I had done showed very hard water and the heater wasn't exactly cheap. Once the house is replumbed, I'll have the water tested again.

If I have enough room to check and replace the sacrificial anode rods and replace the heating elements (I have not checked that part), I'll keep the cinder blocks, buy a ball valve hose bib such as the above, and look for an undrilled, synthetic, drain pan!

I hope everyone is having a warm and safe Holiday and may God bless us all!

Thanks again!

Probably have to go back with is a segmented rod from not enough head room to get a 44 " rod in.

 

[Sarg]

Sorry for the delay and thank you both for the suggestions! Sarg, I hadn't thought to use a shop vac on the water heater but will attempt to do so since the one water test I had done showed very hard water and the heater wasn't exactly cheap. Once the house is replumbed, I'll have the water tested again.

If I have enough room to check and replace the sacrificial anode rods and replace the heating elements (I have not checked that part), I'll keep the cinder blocks, buy a ball valve hose bib such as the above, and look for an undrilled, synthetic, drain pan!

I hope everyone is having a warm and safe Holiday and may God bless us all!

Thanks again!

Some follow-up info:
We use a 30" length of automotive heater hose on the wet vac to clean through the lower element hole and we also insert the led light (Amazon ) shown below into the top element hole which makes the job much easier to see.

Also- We drain the well pressure tank and verify the air PSI is set at several psi lower than the pressure switch starting water psi. We also open the faucet at the pressure tank and flush it several times by turning the water on & off. The water always comes out initially dirty.

 

[Sylvan]

Cinder blocks are known to fall apart especially in damp places.

Better off with cement blocks or a concrete house keeping pad

 

[Master Plumber Mark]

I'm fixing a 1970s house for me to live in. I'll be replacing the old, dripping, water heater with a 50 gallon Rheem Hybrid water heater and will be installing it in the basement, not too far from where the old heater is. The new one will be closer to the well pressure tank and a couple of sump pits, where the condensate can easily flow into.

The basement floor has been dry since I bought the property a little over a year ago. With that said, the sump pits and pumps were put in for a reason (which I suspect was poor grading/gutters/downspouts, which I've corrected 75% off, and will only be able to complete the job after removing the low deck, but that's another story).

The new water heater drain is 3 5/8" high, which is more than enough to direct the water to the nearby sump pit. As with most basements, it's always cooler than the main floor of the house.

Other than facilitating draining of the water heater, are there any other reasons, for the situation described above, to elevate or raise the water heater?

If so, what do you recommend as a base? The old water heater sits on a couple of cinder blocks, but it's further away from the sump pits, so I suspect it was done that way to make it faster/easier to drain.

Also, I was planning on resting it in a drain pan thinking that perhaps it'll protect the bottom from any water that may come in contact with it. If you know a good reason for me to buy a synthetic drain pan over an aluminum one, please let me know.

Thanks in advance for any help and a safe week for everyone!


BTW. According to the specs, the darn thing weighs 218lbs, packed!

We have had issues with some of the Rheem hybred units that have a moisture sensor on them that
will shut down the unit if it senses any kind of moisture.... I found out the hard way one time and had
to go back out and re-install the unit

If you have that model I suggest you at least raise the heater up off the floor on concrete blocks