Installing a new water heater over a porcelain tile floor
 

Should I put a piece of plywood (or something with a little "give")
under the new heater? My concern is that if I don't install the four
12x12" tiles under the heater so they are all the same height, the
weight of the filled 50-gallon heater might crack the highest tile. My
thought is to distribute the weight of the heater more evenly.

I'm not sure if a drip pan is a solution.

Thanks for your advice.

Ray

Installing a new water heater over a porcelain tile floor
 

On Apr 27, 5:01*pm, Ray K wrote:
Should I put a piece of plywood (or something with a little "give")
under the new heater? My concern is that if I don't install the four
12x12" tiles under the heater so they are all the same height, the
weight of the filled 50-gallon heater might crack the highest tile. My
thought is to distribute the weight of the heater more evenly.

I'm not sure if a drip pan is a solution.

Thanks for your advice.

Ray

Dont forget a plastic drain tray with hose leading to a drain, save
headaches when it fails, extra wood cant hurt.

Installing a new water heater over a porcelain tile floor
 

Ray K wrote:
Should I put a piece of plywood (or something with a little "give")
under the new heater? My concern is that if I don't install the four
12x12" tiles under the heater so they are all the same height, the
weight of the filled 50-gallon heater might crack the highest tile. My
thought is to distribute the weight of the heater more evenly.

I'm not sure if a drip pan is a solution.

Thanks for your advice.


Good idea. Make it a THICK bit of plywood (so the legs don't punch a hole in
the lumber).

Installing a new water heater over a porcelain tile floor
 

ransley wrote:
On Apr 27, 5:01 pm, Ray K wrote:
Should I put a piece of plywood (or something with a little "give")
under the new heater? My concern is that if I don't install the four
12x12" tiles under the heater so they are all the same height, the
weight of the filled 50-gallon heater might crack the highest tile. My
thought is to distribute the weight of the heater more evenly.

I'm not sure if a drip pan is a solution.

Thanks for your advice.

Ray

Dont forget a plastic drain tray with hose leading to a drain, save
headaches when it fails, extra wood cant hurt.

I should have mentioned that the tile will be installed over a concrete
slab at ground level. So there is no springiness under the tiles.
Unfortunately, there also isn't any floor drain, so all a drain tray
could do is keep small amounts of water from directly falling on the
floor, and with luck I'll notice the water as I pass the heater with
every trip to the garage.

The heater will be new, so I don't really expect any problems for at
least 10 years. The present Kenmore heater is 20 years old; still no
problems, but why take a chance.

Installing a new water heater over a porcelain tile floor
 

In article ,
Ray K wrote:

ransley wrote:
On Apr 27, 5:01 pm, Ray K wrote:
Should I put a piece of plywood (or something with a little "give")
under the new heater? My concern is that if I don't install the four
12x12" tiles under the heater so they are all the same height, the
weight of the filled 50-gallon heater might crack the highest tile. My
thought is to distribute the weight of the heater more evenly.

I'm not sure if a drip pan is a solution.

Thanks for your advice.

Ray

Dont forget a plastic drain tray with hose leading to a drain, save
headaches when it fails, extra wood cant hurt.

I should have mentioned that the tile will be installed over a concrete
slab at ground level. So there is no springiness under the tiles.
Unfortunately, there also isn't any floor drain, so all a drain tray
could do is keep small amounts of water from directly falling on the
floor, and with luck I'll notice the water as I pass the heater with
every trip to the garage.

The heater isn't likely to fail catastrophically; it will likely just
begin to leak. In "out of the way" installations where accumulations of
water from a leak may not be noticed, a battery-operated water alarm in
the drip pan is cheap insurance.


The heater will be new, so I don't really expect any problems for at
least 10 years. The present Kenmore heater is 20 years old; still no
problems, but why take a chance.

Installing a new water heater over a porcelain tile floor
 

Ray K wrote:
Should I put a piece of plywood (or something with a little "give")
under the new heater? My concern is that if I don't install the four
12x12" tiles under the heater so they are all the same height, the
weight of the filled 50-gallon heater might crack the highest tile. My
thought is to distribute the weight of the heater more evenly.

I'm not sure if a drip pan is a solution.

Thanks for your advice.

Ray
Why install tile under the water heater at all? Is this exposed inside
finished space or something? I'd edge a suitably sized opening in the
tile with a small curb, and make a catch pan out of it, sealed with
epoxy. A small sensor-activated pump like used with dehumidifiers can
pump out any water, if there is a nearby drain such as a washing machine
drain standpipe.

--
aem sends...

Installing a new water heater over a porcelain tile floor
 

aemeijers wrote:
Ray K wrote:
Should I put a piece of plywood (or something with a little "give")
under the new heater? My concern is that if I don't install the four
12x12" tiles under the heater so they are all the same height, the
weight of the filled 50-gallon heater might crack the highest tile. My
thought is to distribute the weight of the heater more evenly.

I'm not sure if a drip pan is a solution.

Thanks for your advice.

Ray
Why install tile under the water heater at all? Is this exposed inside
finished space or something? I'd edge a suitably sized opening in the
tile with a small curb, and make a catch pan out of it, sealed with
epoxy. A small sensor-activated pump like used with dehumidifiers can
pump out any water, if there is a nearby drain such as a washing machine
drain standpipe.

--
aem sends...

The heater is in a finished laundry room (washer, dryer, furnace), so
while it's not an area that visitors would see, I still want it to look
as good as the ugly furnace and ductwork allow. Your suggestions sound a
bit complicated compared to simply putting four tiles under the heater.

Installing a new water heater over a porcelain tile floor
 

On Apr 28, 8:40*am, Ray K wrote:
aemeijers wrote:
Ray K wrote:
Should I put a piece of plywood (or something with a little "give")
under the new heater? My concern is that if I don't install the four
12x12" tiles under the heater so they are all the same height, the
weight of the filled 50-gallon heater might crack the highest tile. My
thought is to distribute the weight of the heater more evenly.

I'm not sure if a drip pan is a solution.

Thanks for your advice.

Ray
Why install tile under the water heater at all? Is this exposed inside
finished space or something? I'd edge a suitably sized opening in the
tile with a small curb, and make a catch pan out of it, sealed with
epoxy. A small sensor-activated pump like used with dehumidifiers can
pump out any water, if there is a nearby drain such as a washing machine
drain standpipe.

--
aem sends...

The heater is in a finished laundry room (washer, dryer, furnace), so
while it's not an area that visitors would see, I still want it to look
as good as the ugly furnace and ductwork allow. Your suggestions sound a
bit complicated compared to simply putting four tiles under the heater.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

If it were me, I'd just go with a drain pain on top of the tile
floor. If I were doing the tile job, I'd make sure you do a very good
job making sure to get uniform mud coverage, when setting the tiles.
I don't think having them perfectly flat is the issue. It's just
making sure they are uniformly cemented in. Also, there are plenty
of other point loads on lots of tile floors, eg big refrigerators,
freezers, pianos, etc without problems.

Installing a new water heater over a porcelain tile floor
 

On Apr 27, 6:01*pm, Ray K wrote:
Should I put a piece of plywood (or something with a little "give")
under the new heater? My concern is that if I don't install the four
12x12" tiles under the heater so they are all the same height, the
weight of the filled 50-gallon heater might crack the highest tile. My
thought is to distribute the weight of the heater more evenly.

I'm not sure if a drip pan is a solution.

Thanks for your advice.

Ray

We have a similar situation at work. The floor tiles are uneven and
when we instaled the heater it would rock on the high tiles. We used a
piece of plywood and carved out the back to clear the high tiles.

Jimmie

Installing a new water heater over a porcelain tile floor
 

ransley wrote:
On Apr 27, 5:01 pm, Ray K wrote:
Should I put a piece of plywood (or something with a little "give")
under the new heater? My concern is that if I don't install the four
12x12" tiles under the heater so they are all the same height, the
weight of the filled 50-gallon heater might crack the highest tile. My
thought is to distribute the weight of the heater more evenly.

I'm not sure if a drip pan is a solution.

Thanks for your advice.

Ray

Dont forget a plastic drain tray with hose leading to a drain, save
headaches when it fails, extra wood cant hurt.
Hmmm,
Since tank is not moving around, I'd put 3 hockey pucks under each leg.

Installing a new water heater over a porcelain tile floor
 

On Tue, 28 Apr 2009 18:43:34 -0700, Tony Hwang
wrote:

ransley wrote:
On Apr 27, 5:01 pm, Ray K wrote:
Should I put a piece of plywood (or something with a little "give")
under the new heater? My concern is that if I don't install the four
12x12" tiles under the heater so they are all the same height, the
weight of the filled 50-gallon heater might crack the highest tile. My
thought is to distribute the weight of the heater more evenly.

I'm not sure if a drip pan is a solution.

Thanks for your advice.

Ray

Dont forget a plastic drain tray with hose leading to a drain, save
headaches when it fails, extra wood cant hurt.
Hmmm,
Since tank is not moving around, I'd put 3 hockey pucks under each leg.
3 under EACH? Kinda high and rocky, I'd think one under each would do
the job just fine.

Installing a new water heater over a porcelain tile floor
 

On Tue 28 Apr 2009 05:40:32a, Ray K told us...

aemeijers wrote:
Ray K wrote:
Should I put a piece of plywood (or something with a little "give")
under the new heater? My concern is that if I don't install the four
12x12" tiles under the heater so they are all the same height, the
weight of the filled 50-gallon heater might crack the highest tile. My
thought is to distribute the weight of the heater more evenly.

I'm not sure if a drip pan is a solution.

Thanks for your advice.

Ray
Why install tile under the water heater at all? Is this exposed inside
finished space or something? I'd edge a suitably sized opening in the
tile with a small curb, and make a catch pan out of it, sealed with
epoxy. A small sensor-activated pump like used with dehumidifiers can
pump out any water, if there is a nearby drain such as a washing machine
drain standpipe.

--
aem sends...

The heater is in a finished laundry room (washer, dryer, furnace), so
while it's not an area that visitors would see, I still want it to look
as good as the ugly furnace and ductwork allow. Your suggestions sound a
bit complicated compared to simply putting four tiles under the heater.


Some years ago we had the exact situation as you describe. We had a
utility room that had the same porcelain tile running through it that was
in our central hall and foyer. We had an 80 gallon gas water heater
installed which sat in a metal drain pan directly on the tile. There was
never a crack or othe problem. We also did not have a convenient drain for
the pan, so connected a pipe from the pan directly out through the side of
the house. The end of pipe outside had an easy open check valve to prevent
anything from entering from outside.

--
Wayne Boatwright
------------------------------------------------------------------------
The breakfast slimes, angel food cake, doughnuts and coffee, white
bread and gravy cannot build an enduring nation. ~Martin H. Fischer

Installing a new water heater over a porcelain tile floor
 

Installing a new water heater over a porcelain tile floor
 

On Wed 29 Apr 2009 07:16:56p, Tony Hwang told us...

wrote:
On Tue, 28 Apr 2009 18:43:34 -0700, Tony Hwang wrote:

ransley wrote:
On Apr 27, 5:01 pm, Ray K wrote:
Should I put a piece of plywood (or something with a little "give")
under the new heater? My concern is that if I don't install the four
12x12" tiles under the heater so they are all the same height, the
weight of the filled 50-gallon heater might crack the highest tile.
My
thought is to distribute the weight of the heater more evenly.

I'm not sure if a drip pan is a solution.

Thanks for your advice.

Ray
Dont forget a plastic drain tray with hose leading to a drain, save
headaches when it fails, extra wood cant hurt.
Hmmm,
Since tank is not moving around, I'd put 3 hockey pucks under each leg.
3 under EACH? Kinda high and rocky, I'd think one under each would do
the
job just fine.
Hmmm,
Sorry, that's what I meant.


Speaking from experience, if the tile floor was properly installed over the
concrete slab, the additional tiles are not needed. We had an 80 gallon
tank sitting in a drain pan directly on the tile floor. No problem.

--
Wayne Boatwright
------------------------------------------------------------------------
A fruit is a vegetable with looks and money. Plus, if you let
fruit rot, it turns into wine, something Brussels sprouts never do.
~P.J. O'Rourke