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Water Heater Drain Code
Posted on 5/3/24 at 12:44 pm
Posted on 5/3/24 at 12:44 pm
We have a second floor condo we rent out. I just noticed the water heater (inside the condo) is not piped to a drain or outside.
It sits in a dip pan and the pressure relief pipe is piped down to the drip pan, but there is no connection to a drain or the outside (in case the water heater starts leaking). Is this against code?
It sits in a dip pan and the pressure relief pipe is piped down to the drip pan, but there is no connection to a drain or the outside (in case the water heater starts leaking). Is this against code?
This post was edited on 5/3/24 at 11:03 pm
4
Posted on 5/3/24 at 12:48 pm to greenbean
Electric or gas? I'm imagining it has to be electric, otherwise you'd have a really dangerous situation with a gas water heater not being vented at all.
Based on what I Googled, it's not necessarily required to have a drain pipe for a water heater, but it's highly recommended and that's why they are installed.
Based on what I Googled, it's not necessarily required to have a drain pipe for a water heater, but it's highly recommended and that's why they are installed.
This post was edited on 5/3/24 at 12:51 pm
Posted on 5/3/24 at 12:54 pm to BilbeauTBaggins
Electric.
Posted on 5/3/24 at 1:02 pm to greenbean
There's no combustion source/risk of gas leaking in an electric heater, so it won't need ventilation. The drain pan would be the only thing that would tell you there's a leak of some sort in that event. It should still have somewhere to drain the heater for maintenance purposes, but that doesn't have to be hooked up. More than likely since you're in a second story condo, it wouldn't make sense to route plumbing to drain the heater out of the building, especially if there are a lot of units there.
Posted on 5/3/24 at 3:10 pm to greenbean
quote:
Water Heater Vent Code
To clarify, venting is what you'd do for a gas-fired water heater so the exhaust is vented outside the dwelling. It doesn't sound like that is what you are asking about. If I'm wrong, let me know.
quote:
We have a second floor condo we rent out. I just noticed the water heater (inside the condo) is not vented to a drain or outside. It sits in a dip paint and the pressure relief pipe is piped down to the drip pan, but there is no connection to a drain or the outside (in case the water heater starts leaking). Is this against code?
Your location may make a difference here since building codes vary based on locality. Also, keep in mind that "code" changes all the time and your condo may have met the code at the time it was built.
quote:
504.7 Required Pan
Where a storage tank-type water heater or a hot water storage tank is installed in a location where water leakage from the tank will cause damage, the tank shall be installed in a pan constructed of one of the following:
- Galvanized steel or aluminum of not less than 0.0236 inch (0.6010 mm) in thickness.
- Plastic not less than 0.036 inch (0.9 mm) in thickness.
- Other approved materials.
A plastic pan shall not be installed beneath a gas-fired water heater.
quote:
504.7.2 Pan Drain Termination
The pan drain shall extend full size and terminate over a suitably located indirect waste receptor or floor drain or extend to the exterior of the building and terminate not less than 6 inches (152 mm) and not more than 24 inches (610 mm) above the adjacent ground surface. Where a pan drain was not previously installed, a pan drain shall not be required for a replacement water heater installation.
if you are in Louisiana, here you go.
https://up.codes/viewer/louisiana/ipc-2021/chapter/5/water-heaters#5
Posted on 5/3/24 at 3:24 pm to greenbean
OP, your verbiage may confuse people.
Venting - toxic fumes
You talking about a vent or a drain in the event pipe bursts or pressure issue, etc.?
Venting - toxic fumes
You talking about a vent or a drain in the event pipe bursts or pressure issue, etc.?
Posted on 5/3/24 at 10:35 pm to TaderSalad
Sorry, I meant drain.
Posted on 5/4/24 at 8:40 am to greenbean
Building codes generally require drip pans to be drained via an independent line (not plumbed into a vent, for example) that terminates at a visible place outside the building. Logic there is that way you can see there’s a leak, but the reality is it’s highly unlikely you wouldn’t have already seen it. 
Posted on 5/4/24 at 1:56 pm to greenbean
quote:
It sits in a dip pan and the pressure relief pipe is piped down to the drip pan, but there is no connection to a drain or the outside (in case the water heater starts leaking). Is this against code?
Depends on a lot of things but the TPR is supposed to terminate just above the drain pan with nothing threaded or able to be threaded on.
Posted on 5/5/24 at 3:19 pm to Clames
quote:
Depends on a lot of things but the TPR is supposed to terminate just above the drain pan with nothing threaded or able to be threaded on.
It does. I'm more concerned about the tank actually leaking.
Posted on 5/5/24 at 4:14 pm to greenbean
I'd be concerned too. But your setup isn't that uncommon....neither is a shitload of water damage due to a WH issue. T&P valves fail often enough. I'd aleast put a water alarm in the pan so hopefully someone can hear it before it overflows. Be great if it was a alarm linked to wifi or security system. Usually they start as a drip when failing. Leaking tanks aren't unheard of either so the T&P valve isn't the only concern.
WHs in areas where they can cause a lot of damage if they start leaking are ticking time bomb imo.
WHs in areas where they can cause a lot of damage if they start leaking are ticking time bomb imo.
Posted on 5/6/24 at 8:54 am to Turnblad85
quote:
I'd be concerned too. But your setup isn't that uncommon....neither is a shitload of water damage due to a WH issue. T&P valves fail often enough. I'd aleast put a water alarm in the pan so hopefully someone can hear it before it overflows. Be great if it was a alarm linked to wifi or security system. Usually they start as a drip when failing. Leaking tanks aren't unheard of either so the T&P valve isn't the only concern.
WHs in areas where they can cause a lot of damage if they start leaking are ticking time bomb imo.
I just ordered an alarm that connects to WIFI.
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