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How To Hide A Gas Hot Water Heater

Ideas for Hiding a Hot Water Heater Add a Closet. If you have the space, you can hire a contractor to install drywall and a door. Create a Hot Water Cover or Cabinet. Creating a cabinet is a great option if you want something less permanent than a closet. Hang Curtains. Use a Room Divider or Screen.

Can I enclose a gas water heater?

The short answer to whether a water heater can be enclosed is “Yes,” but there are some important things to consider when placing a hot water heater in an enclosed area, whether the unit is gas or electric. Any hot water heater must be installed in such a way as to prevent spills and allow easy access to controls.

How do I hide my unsightly water heater?

Perhaps the simplest way to hide your furnace and water heater is to add a sliding curtain as a divider. You will need to measure the wall height to determine proper curtain length, as well as the needed width. Be sure to give a few inches of clearance so the curtain doesn’t touch your heater.

How much space do you need around a gas water heater?

Water heaters must be surrounded by a certain amount of clearance, or air space, to function properly and safely. A clearance area of 12 inches is required on all sides of a hot water heater. A certain amount of airflow is also required for proper combustion and ventilation.

Does a gas hot water heater need to be vented?

All natural gas water heaters must be vented to the outdoors to remove the byproducts of combustion. Atmospherically venting gas water heaters is the most common type of venting option used.

Can you put things on top of a water heater?

Store items that are prone to moisture damage such as books, papers, or magazines near the water heater. Don’t … Place any items that may block or obstruct your view of the water heater. If any view is hidden, you may not notice your water heater is leaking until it’s too late.

How do you enclose a furnace and water heater?

If you are finishing your basement and building walls, incorporate a small area to enclose the furnace, AC, and or water heater. These louvered doors provide great ventilation. Another option is to create a set of built-in shelves in the door that don’t even look like a closet.

Can I build a wall around my hot water heater?

You can enclose the water heater by building a wall around it and constructing a utility closet.

How do you strap a water heater in a closet?

Wrap the heavy-gauge metal strapping 1-1/2 times around the tank. Start by placing the strapping at the back of the tank. Bring it to the front and then take it back to the wall. Secure this strapping to the wall studs or the wood block using several 1/4-inch x 3-inch or longer lag screws with oversized washers.

How do you vent a gas water heater closet?

The Vent. When a residential, gas fired water heater is installed in a closet, the heater combustion gases must be vented to the outside of the residence and the fresh air needed for combustion must be drawn in from outside the home using double wall metal pipe; single wall pipe is not permitted.

Can you put a gas water heater in a garage?

“FVIR certified gas water heaters can be installed on a residential garage floor without the use of an 18-inch stand in accordance with the National Fuel Gas Code, NFPA 54, ANSI Z223.

Can you get carbon monoxide poisoning from a gas water heater?

If you have a gas water heater in your home that has been neglected for a long time, improperly installed, or poorly ventilated, it could leak carbon monoxide. If anyone is displaying signs of carbon monoxide poisoning, take them to an emergency room promptly.

Can I use PVC to vent gas water heater?

PVC is fine. As Jason mentioned, plastic (PVC or ABS) is ok to use as a venting material on powervented hot water heaters. They work by sending a huge amount of air in with the flue gases that it decreases the temperature of the exhaust going through the vent enough that it will not comprimise the vent.

Can you lean stuff against water heater?

“Is it okay to store things like brooms and mops in the water heater closet?” If it is an electric hot water heater, yes. If it is gas fired, no. The mop and broom themselves are probably not an issue, but they can pick up easily lofted flammable materials.

Can I store things around water heater?

Storing items in the water heater closet is extremely dangerous. The pilot light flame underneath the heater may set fire to the items stored near it. If the flame is accidentally extinguished, the fumes can create an extremely hazardous, highly combustible situation.

Can a water heater touch the wall?

water heater can sit against wall, but this can restrict air flow so keep stuff away from gas water heater.

How much clearance do you need around a gas furnace?

As a general recommendation, your heater should be 30 inches away from furnace room walls on all sides. This allows our service experts to comfortably replace it. You also need to check the space has enough airflow and ventilation, especially if you have an aging furnace with a metal flue.

Can you put a gas furnace in a closet?

The heat can safely escape if there is space around the furnace. Do not install your furnace in a storage closet. Any type of flammable material, including insulation, needs to be removed before installing the furnace.

Can I box in my furnace?

A furnace can be installed various places in a house — in a basement, an attic, a garage, a ground-floor utility room or outside the walls. Furnaces in basements or garages often are enclosed in cabinets or closets to block noise from the unit and protect it from accidental bumps.