Gas Water Heater In Bedroom Closet

Other water heaters that.

Gas water heater in bedroom closet.

Keeping closet doors closed if you prefer to keep your gas water heater in the closet it must be kept shut at all times. Where a gas water heater can be installed but with limitations. The international residential code irc specifically bans a storage closet as a location for a gas water heater. Single wall pipe is not permitted.

Now that does not mean that it s code to have it in a bedroom but there is no safety issue from consumption of oxygen. Water heaters can be installed in bedroom or bathroom closets if necessary or preferred but only if they re an electric direct vent or sealed combustion chamber unit. The safety issue is on venting of the carbon monoxide co from the hot water heater. Water heaters cannot be installed in a bedroom or bathroom unless in a sealed enclosure closet that has combustion provided from outside the living area.

The amount of oxygen consumed by a hot water heater is negligible. If you have a furnace or water heater that draws air from the room uses it in the combustion process and then exhausts it to the outside you could have serious health and safety risks in your home. Gas water heaters need a certain amount of combustion air which vary by unit but will be in the manual. The risk of the gas heater sucking all the oxygen out of the room is zero.

One of the solutions i listed at the end of the article is to enclose the combustion appliances inside a sealed combustion closet. In order to make the install safe ensure that the new gas water heater is properly vented through the ceiling. If a gas water heater is in a closet it will need to have louvered doors and also be in a bedroom large enough to satisfy the requirement or air will need to be brought in from the attic or exterior. These doors must not be left open and must automatically shut themselves when left unattended.

Here s the code citation. Direct vent water heaters are exempt from the enclosure requirement because they are a sealed system specifically designed to. Now that does not mean that it s code to have it in a bedroom but there is no safety issue from consumption of oxygen. The risk of the gas heater sucking all the oxygen out of the room is zero.