Since my previous owner decided to perch the hot water heater on this unsafe
contraption involving 3 on end cinder blocks (of different manufacture and
style I might add) holding up a circular concrete pad (paving block
probably). It does not look safe at all, nor do I want to keep it. I think
it meets code though, since the water heater is nominally 18" off the floor
of the garage.

I looked around the web some and didn't really find any good examples of
what people put their gas heaters on to keep them 18" off the floor. Taking
a leaf from my engineering days (oh boy!) I decided that placing it on 2
cinderblock stacks should suffice - a ciderblock is 8x8x16 and that should
give me 16" + the concrete pad which is about 2", plus the water heater
itself has a 2" air intake foot under the pilot light. So I'm looking at 2
rows of 3 cinderblocks stacked on each other (12 total cinderblocks) plus
the pad as my water heater stand.

What's normally done here. I was fully expecting to find a pretty standard
water heater stand - but I'm not pulling anything up.

Eigenvector wrote:
Since my previous owner decided to perch the hot water heater on this
unsafe contraption involving 3 on end cinder blocks (of different
manufacture and style I might add) holding up a circular concrete pad
(paving block probably). It does not look safe at all, nor do I want
to keep it. I think it meets code though, since the water heater is
nominally 18" off the floor of the garage.

Use scrap 2x4s to build a sturdy box.

The water heater weighs, oh, 150#. Fifty gallons of water weighs 400#.

Total: 550#. Not a lot. If your box will support you and two male friends,
you're good to go.

Eigenvector wrote:
Since my previous owner decided to perch the hot water heater on this unsafe
contraption involving 3 on end cinder blocks (of different manufacture and
style I might add) holding up a circular concrete pad (paving block
probably). It does not look safe at all, nor do I want to keep it. I think
it meets code though, since the water heater is nominally 18" off the floor
of the garage.

I looked around the web some and didn't really find any good examples of
what people put their gas heaters on to keep them 18" off the floor. Taking
a leaf from my engineering days (oh boy!) I decided that placing it on 2
cinderblock stacks should suffice - a ciderblock is 8x8x16 and that should
give me 16" + the concrete pad which is about 2", plus the water heater
itself has a 2" air intake foot under the pilot light. So I'm looking at 2
rows of 3 cinderblocks stacked on each other (12 total cinderblocks) plus
the pad as my water heater stand.

What's normally done here. I was fully expecting to find a pretty standard
water heater stand - but I'm not pulling anything up.

24" x 32"? I'd go 4 full block & 1 half block...two layers it will
give you a square platform

normally these things are framed out during constrcuton of the garage
if you go with with wood make sure the 2x4's against the concrete are
treated

I'd go with cinder blocks (CMU's) & use a little SIKA construction
adhesive to glue everything together...if you're in e/q country doin't
forget the strapping

cheers
Bob

just buy a stand they arent expensive..

wood is flammable and not very strong with 600 pounds ion such a
small footprint.

BobK207 wrote:

I'd go with cinder blocks (CMU's) & use a little SIKA construction
adhesive to glue everything together...if you're in e/q country doin't
forget the strapping

I just put in a water heater and saw where the sucker, if in California, had
to be strapped to the wall.

Why?

It's not like it's going to fall over from fright or something or even get
knocked over! And even if the water heater just got so tired it collapsed
from exhaustion, so what?

In article ,
HeyBub wrote:

I just put in a water heater and saw where the sucker, if in California, had
to be strapped to the wall.

Why?

It's not like it's going to fall over from fright or something or even get
knocked over! And even if the water heater just got so tired it collapsed
from exhaustion, so what?




Part of the code in Ca for increased earthquake survivability.

--
Every complicated problem has a simple solution that doesn't work.

Larry Wasserman Baltimore, Maryland
lwasserm(@)charm(.)net

HeyBub wrote:
BobK207 wrote:

I'd go with cinder blocks (CMU's) & use a little SIKA construction
adhesive to glue everything together...if you're in e/q country doin't
forget the strapping

I just put in a water heater and saw where the sucker, if in California, had
to be strapped to the wall.

Why?

It's not like it's going to fall over from fright or something or even get
knocked over! And even if the water heater just got so tired it collapsed
from exhaustion, so what?


We have earthquakes in California and anything approaching (or above)
a 3:1 height to base ratio is a possible tipping hazard.

A DIY installation of strapping is cheap insurance to help prevent
water damage or a gas leak (fire)

cheers
Bob.

wrote:
just buy a stand they arent expensive..

wood is flammable and not very strong with 600 pounds ion such a
small footprint.

per hallerb's suggestion

http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?actio...22U&lpage=none

This thing would never fly in CA as sold....no lateral resistant, but
you could box it out with four plywood skins

cheers

BobK207 wrote:
HeyBub wrote:
BobK207 wrote:

I'd go with cinder blocks (CMU's) & use a little SIKA construction
adhesive to glue everything together...if you're in e/q country
doin't forget the strapping

I just put in a water heater and saw where the sucker, if in
California, had to be strapped to the wall.

Why?

It's not like it's going to fall over from fright or something or
even get knocked over! And even if the water heater just got so
tired it collapsed from exhaustion, so what?


We have earthquakes in California and anything approaching (or above)
a 3:1 height to base ratio is a possible tipping hazard.

A DIY installation of strapping is cheap insurance to help prevent
water damage or a gas leak (fire)

Thanks, Larry and Bob. I forgot about earthquakes.

where do you get the 600 lbs figure from?

--
Steve Barker



wrote in message
oups.com...
just buy a stand they arent expensive..

wood is flammable and not very strong with 600 pounds ion such a
small footprint.

Steve Barker LT wrote:
where do you get the 600 lbs figure from?

--
Steve Barker



wrote in message
oups.com...
just buy a stand they arent expensive..

wood is flammable and not very strong with 600 pounds ion such a
small footprint.


Yeah, the 600 lbs is a little high but I think installers just multiply
the w/h capacity by 10 to get a rough (but conservative) weight
estimate....

At 10 lbs per gallon you'd be about 20% on the weight of the water
alone but the w/h hearter probably wieighs about 1 lb per gallon of
capacity so 10 lbs per gallon for the entire installion isn't all that
"wrong"

plus its much easier to do the arithmetic

cheers
Bob