Tankless Water Heater In Attic
Whether or not you can install a tankless water heater in your attic depends on your attic.
Tankless water heater in attic. The water heater must be located within 20ft of the attic hatchway. Plus they are very easy to maintain. Does a tankless water heater in an attic require a drain pan. Giant tanks of water happen to take up a lot of square footage and primarily for that reason many builders have opted to place water heaters in the attic of new homes.
Even if the attic is an excellent place to install the tankless water heater you should be aware of some possible problems. The remaining heat creates a hot exhaust gas that requires metal venting typically stainless steel or thick aluminum. Non condensing tankless water heaters typically transfer to the water only about 80 percent of the heat they generate. Simply put as long as there is enough combustion air provided tankless water heaters can be installed in any area of your home from a utility room to a garage to yes even an old dusty attic.
Need charlotte plumbing services. Another option is to choose a tankless water heaterto be installed in your attic. The only time that attic tankless water heaters are installed are typically in warmer climates like the caribbean and they are solar powered hence the need for them to be placed higher in the household basically installing the unit inside the attic can be done but it would require extra work and knowledge with your local codes etc. A tankless water heater doesn t carry the same risk of leakage that a traditional water heater does so there is less chance you will have a leak.
Also the international residential code irc requires that a drain pan be installed where leakage of the tanks or connections will cause damage. When there is proper drainage available to the unit an indoor installation reduces the risk of water damage to the home as well. For instance the attic has to be very well made and able to handle the weight of the water heater. Tankless water heaters can create heavy levels of condensation during operation.
Every major manufacturer of tankless water heaters specifies that a catch pan and drain piping be installed under the unit if leakage would cause damage to the immediate area and that is certainly the case when one is installed in an attic. The local building codes must allow you to install the water heater in the attic. Wednesday july 11 2018. Installing both tank type tankless water heaters in the attic has been a common practice if florida calif and other regions in the sun belt for years.