Above Ground Garage Gas Hot Water Heater – FVIR Safety
The following are the general requirements for the installation of the garage gas water heater regarding the height of the burner chamber above the floor surface. Depending on the model/type/age of your particular water heater and your jurisdiction, these may or may not apply; always check before installation.
If there isn’t a manual that explains the installation requirements for your appliance, contact the manufacturer and ask for the installation instructions for your particular model (in most cases, you can get them online).
However, the rules listed below are extremely important. If they apply to your appliance, you may be putting your life in danger if you don’t follow them.
As a general requirement, you must not install a water heater anywhere where gasoline, flammable vapors or liquids, and combustible materials may be present. Such an installation can lead to an explosion or fire, but sometimes there may be no other options. If this is where you are standing right now, you must follow the rules.
1. How high should the WH be raised from the garage floor?
The garage (detached or attached) is one of those non-preferable places for water heater installation, but sometimes it’s the only one.
Ignition source (pilot, electronic ignitor, hot surface igniter, etc.) must be 18″ from garage floor.
The same rule applies to WH that has been installed in a room that opens onto the garage, such as a utility closet or utility room. This applies even if the doors between the garage and the appliance room are airtight or self-closing.
2. The ignition source for the water heater must be 18″ above the floor in an area where flammables are stored.
If you are installing the WH in an area that is also dedicated to the storage of flammable materials or there is a potential for such materials to be stored there, place the appliance on a platform so that the source of ignition is at least 18″ above the floor surface Make sure this platform is capable of supporting the weight of the filled WH.
The way it often works in our homes is that as we search for storage space, we fill our utility room/closet with everything that won’t fit anywhere else. Things like paint scraps, paint thinner, all sorts of cleaning chemicals, a full container of emergency gasoline, etc. are often found here. Is this what your WH closet looks like? Well, you are not alone.
In addition to accidental spills, some of those plastic containers may simply melt while sitting next to or on top of the water heater, spilling their contents and causing vapors to ignite under the water heater and into the burner chamber. . Go and look around the water heater. base. Don’t push it to the side! Get him out of there!
bad news: most WHs manufactured before 2003 had an open combustion chamber and were not equipped with a safety device to prevent steam ignition.
Good news:
- Effective July 1, 2003, all 30, 40, and 50 gallon residential atmospheric vent (natural draft) water heaters must be equipped with an FVIR flammable vapor ignition resistant design.
- July 1, 2006: Same requirement applied to 30, 40 and 50 gallon electric vent residential gas water heaters with less than 75,000 BTU input
- July 1, 2007 – WH’s conversion to the FVIR design has been extended to all residential water heaters with inputs of 75,000 BTUs or less, including Power Direct-Vent, Direct-Vent, Fabricated Shell and larger models. gallon capacity not covered in the first two phases.
3. Elevation of the gas water heater above the floor is not required if the WH is resistant to ignition of flammable vapor FVIR.
Theoretically, this allows you to install the FVIR-equipped WH in all of the locations explained above, without the 18″ lift previously required. Newer water heaters have a sealed burner/combustion chamber and button-mounted ignition While still drawing combustion air from the surrounding area, safety measures built into this new design prevent gas or vapors ignited inside the chamber from escaping into the room.
I said that you can “theoretically” skip the 18″ rise requirement for those critical locations and install a Type FVIR WH directly into the floor in such environments (i.e. garage floor). However, WH manufacturers and some jurisdictions may still recommend (or require) even FVIR water heaters to be installed 18 inches above the garage floor.
Always read the manual and call your local code enforcement division before installation; could save you time and money.
4. Gas water heater Floor installation
Requires 3″ pedestal (concrete, etc.) to minimize moisture infiltration/corrosion.
5. Fuel floor gas water heaters
They can be installed directly/without elevation over a combustible floor (unless otherwise specified in your manual or by your local jurisdiction), except on carpet. If it must be installed over carpet, a wood or metal panel must be placed under the WH, extending at least 3″ beyond its base in all directions.
6. Electric water heater in a garage
Some jurisdictions may also require the electric WH to be elevated above the garage floor. Due to the location of the bottom heating element, it may be necessary to raise an electric WH 10 to 12 inches off the floor. Check it out first!
7. The water heater installed in the garage requires guards/bollards to prevent it from being hit by a car.
That should cover the basics of garage gas water heater installation and the height of the burner chamber above the floor surface.