Replacing hot water heater in attic

It should have leaked into a sheet metal pan, and drained outside thru one inch pvc.

Most of the issues as to why it didn’t is too small of a pan, and the bottom outer shell blocked the exit.

Thats why you need to intervene with your plumber. Make it clear what happens alot, and that you want a big pan. Even if you need to go to a sheet metal shop and have it made. Supply house pans are usually junk and too small.

Have your pan made ahead of time before plumber comes. Plot out in attic that your new pan will actually fit.

Some trades people especially in st tammany, are in a race to see how fast they can get in & out, and when you start specifying a large pan, they begin telling you how long they been in business. Tough sheet. This is what i want.

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We are considering going with a waterless tank. Know someone who’s tank just leaked all through the attic and ruined the ceilings and was a nightmare. Trying to prevent this.

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You are aware that tankless water heater also has the potential for leaking as well, and if attic installed it will (should) have drip/overflow pan, plumbed to the outside, beneath it.

Another thing my plumber BIL pointed out to me when we changed out my two attic water heaters last year, is to periodically check the water heater drip pan for debris, particularly small pieces of attic insulation that somehow constantly find their way into the pan, and remove it, because if you do have a water heater leak that drips into the pan, the debris will clog up the drain line and cause the pan to overflow causing ceiling damage.

OP you may have good reasons for going tankless, and changing out a 15 water heater probably is a good idea (my two were nearly 30 years old) but I’m not sure that going tankless to minimize your risk of an “attic leak” is the best reason. When I changed out my two tank water heaters, I went tankless for one (bedroom wing) and tank for the other.

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Before you go tankless you need to research the cost to do so, over a tank. Tankless is several thousand more.

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Really depends on the situation as that really isnt true at all across the board. 80 gallon tanked water heaters used to be common in larger homes and now they are considered ‘commercial’, the cost of a new one is about the same as a tankless unit.

Plumbing and what not costs are a different story and some of that depends on your diy ability.

Overall OP, the leak issues and water damage for a unit in an attic will always be there. You can do anything you want but the fact is water in the ceiling can always leak.

A friend had two 50 gallon tanks in the attic. We put in a tankless, with a government rebate. Not much difference in price.

Gas tanks will work in a power failure.

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I removed two 50-gallon tanks, and replaced with one 11-gallon per minute tankless. It's been a great investment/addition/replacement. $4,500 all said and done. I used Atta-Boy Plumbing out of Zachary. Louis Mechanical wanted nearly $13K

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I also use Sam with Atta-Boy Plumbing.

My neighbors got a tankless placed OUTSIDE on their house, near the gas gauge. They didn't insulate it at all for some odd reason, and it was completed about a week before the big freeze in 2021. It burst while they were out of town and they had to buy a new one shortly after.

8 people (parents and 6 kids) live in that house., so I imagine they moved their original water heater to an exterior tankless was because they are trying to conserve space in their already heavily occupied home. I also imagine that they got the system because it might (in theory) be easier to have 8 people take hot showers on a tankless than on an average sized water heater.

If you haven't experienced any leaks/issues with your current tank water heater setup, I don't see any reason to change it up other than just upgrade to a newer tank. Like the saying goes, "if it ain't broke, don't fix it."

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Have a hot water heater in the attic that is approximately 15 years old. We are considering going with a waterless tank.

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Is the 15 year old water heater in the attic electric or gas?

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But there is no need for a plumber to install. This is something anyone can do...

Get a few buddies and a pulley system to get the water heater in and out attic

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Careful! EF Douchon says plumbers need to eat to and we should pay a premium even if you can do it yourself