THE HOUSE DETECTIVE
Complying with water heater codes
DEAR BARRY: We're buying our first home and are having problems with the home inspection. The report cites the water heater because it sits on the floor of a laundry room, and the laundry room door opens into the garage. According to the home inspector, the water heater must be installed on a raised platform, but the local building department disagrees. The city inspector says the water heater complies with code because the garage and laundry room are separated by a self-closing door. So we have a stalemate. We want the sellers to provide a platform, as advised by our home inspector, but they are unwilling to do so, preferring to believe the city inspector. Both inspectors seem to know what they're talking about, so who is right? John
DEAR JOHN: Disputes over requirements for water heater placement commonly occur in some municipalities because of misinterpretations of the plumbing codes and mechanical codes.
According to these standards, a gasfueled water heater or an electric water heater that is installed in a garage must be placed on an elevated platform so that a pilot flame or spark inside the water heater is at least 18 inches above the floor. The purpose for this requirement is to prevent ignition of vapors from gasoline or other flammable liquids that might have spilled onto the garage floor. Flammable vapors are often heavier than air. In the event of a spill or a leak, fumes spread across the floor of a garage. A pilot light or electrical spark in a water heater can ignite these vapors, triggering a fire or explosion.
The plumbing code specifies garages as the primary location where water heaters are to be elevated. Therefore, some building inspectors assume that the requirement does not apply to water heaters in adjoining rooms or closets with doors that open into the garage. The bottom line to this controversy is found in the specific wording of the code. It is worded as follows:
"Appliances in garages and in adjacent spaces that open to the garage and are not part of the living space of a dwelling unit shall be installed so that burners and burner-ignition devices are located not less than 18 inches above the floor unless listed as flammable vapor ignition resistant."
The central consideration here is access to the garage. If the laundry room has direct access into the garage, the code plainly requires that the water heater be elevated, just as though the fixture were in the garage itself. The exception to this rule is that water heaters that are “flammable vapor ignition resistant” are exempt because they are designed to prevent vapors from entering the fixture.
To gain a clearer perspective of this requirement, let's look again at the intent of the code. Suppose a gasoline leak occurs in the garage. Gas fumes cover the floor but are unable to enter the laundry room because the door is closed. Suddenly, there you are with an armload of dirty clothes. You open the laundry room door, gasoline fumes drift toward the pilot light of the water heater, and BOOM! No more house, no more laundry, and no more you!
The conclusion is obvious: The water heater in the laundry room should be installed on a raised platform, as wisely mandated by law, and as necessitated by common sense.