putting spacers under the water heater
 

Someone here recommended putting bricks under an electric water
heater, so the bottom won't rust out, I think it was.

Do many people do this?
Do you think it is important?

Is it very common for a bottom to rust out so much there are problems?
The pan around my last water heater had an inch or two of water in it
once in a great while, but it was bone dry 99% of the time. There are
small rust marks, but just on the surface.

I have height issues, so was thinking of putting in 3 or 4 tiles,
maybe a quarter inch high, like bathroom wall tiles maybe. Would that
be high enough to accomplish what bricks are for?

Should I do that.

TIA.

putting spacers under the water heater
 

"mm" wrote in message
...
Someone here recommended putting bricks under an electric water
heater, so the bottom won't rust out, I think it was.

Do many people do this?
Do you think it is important?

Is it very common for a bottom to rust out so much there are problems?
The pan around my last water heater had an inch or two of water in it
once in a great while, but it was bone dry 99% of the time. There are
small rust marks, but just on the surface.

I have height issues, so was thinking of putting in 3 or 4 tiles,
maybe a quarter inch high, like bathroom wall tiles maybe. Would that
be high enough to accomplish what bricks are for?

Should I do that.

TIA.

1st you should know how a hot water tank is built. It is a tank wrapped
with insulation, then covered with an outer skin. There is insulation
between the bottom of your hot water tank and the bottom of the outer skin.

Unless you have water in your basement that is condusive to rusting,
then put spacers. If you have a dry basement and are installing in a
recomended enviroment...then the Hot water tank should come with it's own
bricks....No? Think abot that...Jimi...

putting spacers under the water heater
 

Jimi wrote:
"mm" wrote in message
...
Someone here recommended putting bricks under an electric water
heater, so the bottom won't rust out, I think it was.

Do many people do this?
Do you think it is important?

Is it very common for a bottom to rust out so much there are problems?
The pan around my last water heater had an inch or two of water in it
once in a great while, but it was bone dry 99% of the time. There are
small rust marks, but just on the surface.

I have height issues, so was thinking of putting in 3 or 4 tiles,
maybe a quarter inch high, like bathroom wall tiles maybe. Would that
be high enough to accomplish what bricks are for?

Would it raise it enough to make the drain valve more accessible? If
not, then raise it some more. Personally, I wouldn't use tiles, they
are decorative rather than structural.

Should I do that.

Your call, but I reckon most people don't do it, cause they don't
think about it. I do it, and a few others I know do because they
like the valve being above the pan edge.


TIA.

1st you should know how a hot water tank is built. It is a tank wrapped
with insulation, then covered with an outer skin. There is insulation
between the bottom of your hot water tank and the bottom of the outer skin.

Unless you have water in your basement that is condusive to rusting,
then put spacers. If you have a dry basement and are installing in a
recomended enviroment...then the Hot water tank should come with it's own
bricks....No? Think abot that...Jimi...



In certain areas of the west gas water heaters are required to be
18" above the floor. Seen any gas water heaters with their own
stilts? No? Think about that too.

Raising the water heater two to three inches out of the pan keeps
the base out of any water AND provides better access to the drain
valve (its not sitting in the pan where you couldn't hook a hose up
to it anyway). Makes flushing the tank easier; and if its easier its
more likely to be done.

--
Grandpa

putting spacers under the water heater
 

Don't use bricks. They will wick the water up to the bottom of the
water heater.

putting spacers under the water heater
 

mm wrote:
Someone here recommended putting bricks under an electric water
heater, so the bottom won't rust out, I think it was.

Do many people do this?
Do you think it is important?

Is it very common for a bottom to rust out so much there are problems?
The pan around my last water heater had an inch or two of water in it
once in a great while, but it was bone dry 99% of the time. There are
small rust marks, but just on the surface.

I have height issues, so was thinking of putting in 3 or 4 tiles,
maybe a quarter inch high, like bathroom wall tiles maybe. Would that
be high enough to accomplish what bricks are for?

Hey, 1/4" tiles don't cost nothing! I'd do it. As for whether it works,
consider how much water would have to be on the floor to reach the bottom of
the heater. Say you're in a 20'x30' basement.

..25 x 240 x 360 = 21,600 cu in = ~93 gallons.

putting spacers under the water heater
 

On Wed, 09 May 2007 04:40:08 GMT, Grandpa wrote:

Jimi wrote:
"mm" wrote in message
...
Someone here recommended putting bricks under an electric water
heater, so the bottom won't rust out, I think it was.

Do many people do this?
Do you think it is important?

Is it very common for a bottom to rust out so much there are problems?
The pan around my last water heater had an inch or two of water in it
once in a great while, but it was bone dry 99% of the time. There are
small rust marks, but just on the surface.

I have height issues, so was thinking of putting in 3 or 4 tiles,
maybe a quarter inch high, like bathroom wall tiles maybe. Would that
be high enough to accomplish what bricks are for?

Would it raise it enough to make the drain valve more accessible? If

No, the drain valve is accessible without anything to life it up.

not, then raise it some more. Personally, I wouldn't use tiles, they
are decorative rather than structural.

Then something else that's only 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick that I could
use?

It's usually been bone dry, but this last time that it sprayed water
out around the drain valve, the water level never went down blow an
inch and a quarter. So I"m thinking maybe spacers that lifted it up a
little would help the pan drain. When I get the water heater out
today, I'll be better able to tell why it isn't draining all the way.
...
1st you should know how a hot water tank is built. It is a tank wrapped
with insulation, then covered with an outer skin. There is insulation
between the bottom of your hot water tank and the bottom of the outer skin.

Gotcha.

Unless you have water in your basement that is condusive to rusting,
then put spacers. If you have a dry basement and are installing in a
recomended enviroment...then the Hot water tank should come with it's own
bricks....No? Think abot that...Jimi...


I'm thinkin'. I'm going to keep thinkin' tonight and tomorrow.

In certain areas of the west gas water heaters are required to be
18" above the floor. Seen any gas water heaters with their own
stilts? No? Think about that too.

Raising the water heater two to three inches out of the pan keeps
the base out of any water AND provides better access to the drain
valve (its not sitting in the pan where you couldn't hook a hose up
to it anyway). Makes flushing the tank easier; and if its easier its
more likely to be done.

putting spacers under the water heater
 

On May 9, 8:55 am, "HeyBub" wrote:
mm wrote:
Someone here recommended putting bricks under an electric water
heater, so the bottom won't rust out, I think it was.

Do many people do this?
Do you think it is important?

Is it very common for a bottom to rust out so much there are problems?
The pan around my last water heater had an inch or two of water in it
once in a great while, but it was bone dry 99% of the time. There are
small rust marks, but just on the surface.

I have height issues, so was thinking of putting in 3 or 4 tiles,
maybe a quarter inch high, like bathroom wall tiles maybe. Would that
be high enough to accomplish what bricks are for?

Hey, 1/4" tiles don't cost nothing! I'd do it. As for whether it works,
consider how much water would have to be on the floor to reach the bottom of
the heater. Say you're in a 20'x30' basement.

.25 x 240 x 360 = 21,600 cu in = ~93 gallons.

I think this becomes less of an issue if you have a plastic catch pan
under the water heater, which most should. That isolates it from the
possibly damp basement floor. Even in an unfinished basement this is
a good idea, because water is going to flow downhill and basement
floors aren't perfect. I've seen basements where even though the
French drain was close by, the water went the other way.