Elevated platform for water heater in garage

[panini]

I am trying to install this bad boy https://www.homedepot.com/p/Rheem-P...etection-Auto-Shutoff-XE80T10HS45U0/312741448 in unheated garage in San Jose, CA.

The code says:
if the water heater is in the path of vehicle damage, then it must be protected by bollard or by platform/elevation 2022 CPC 507.13.1 Physical Damage installed in garages, warehouses, or other areas subject to mechanical damage shall be guarded against such damage by being installed behind protective barriers or by being elevated or located out of the normal path of vehicles.

And then AHJ says:

Finally, does the proposed model have internal electrical contacts capable of arcing located less than 18" above the bottom of the water heater, then yes, elevation would be required to a point of 18" above the garage floor

So I plan to build a 30"x30"x18" platform in garage and existing platform is made of wood and its made for 50gal tank.

I am planning to build new platform using https://www.homedepot.com/p/6-in-x-16in-x-8-in-Gray-Concrete-Block-100002879/100321956 as internal and external raisers and then place https://www.homedepot.com/p/Angelus...ray-Concrete-Top-Cap-062H0190100100/100322582 for top.
[My approach would be to place have two layers of 6"x16"x8" and each layer having 4 rows of these butted with each other. And then have the 6"x2"x16" on top of these two layers and then finish it off with concrete mudding and garage floor paint).

Does it make sense to go with concrete platform or should I do one with wood? If I do concrete, can I build adjacent to drywall or should there be a gap?

Again, this is CA SF Bay area inlands and we don't have harsh winters and our garage never have the freezing problems (at least so far).

 

[pcmeiners]

So the unit filled will be 244lbs, plus water 667= 911 lbs

Since you want to raise this to protect it from vehicle damage, an inspector is not going to allow a wood support. Even cinder block would be balked at because a vehicle could crush a cinder block base easily. Then you have the issue of earthquakes; a falling 911 pound heater could easily kill., So an inspector would expect a solid concrete base or at least a formed concrete base with some rebar in it or the heater mounted on a second floor. Can you mount it outside the building ? How about a tankless heater? Bollards, not practical due to the needed anchoring.

 

[panini]

en you have the issue of earthquakes; a falling 911 pound heater could easily kill.

In CA its mandatory to have earthquake braces and for this size, we need 4 braces, so that would at least prevent some damage. But I get your point of heater ability to do serious damage.

Can you mount it outside the building ? How about a tankless heater?

This is heatpump water heater, so they are better to stay inside to protect from elements.
Gas and electricity are ridiculously high here but with Solar and heatpump water heater, hoping to reduce the $$ burn.

I like your idea of doing concrete fill with the rebar reinforcement. The only ugly part is to get the rebars in a SUV... and get rebar cutters and benders. How about Cinder blocks and bollards in the path of vehicle? There is only one way vehicle could hit the base.

 

[pcmeiners]

"This is heatpump water heater, so they are better to stay inside to protect from elements."

You would need a lean-to roof over it, but CALI outside temperatures would be good for a heat pump. It never gets that cold out there, and during the warmer months hot water would be almost free. Have a HPW, in the winter it get to about 45° in the basement, no issue with hot water or the electric bill.

"The only ugly part is to get the rebars in a SUV... and get rebar cutters and benders."

Cuts with a diamond or cut off blade on a 4" battery grinder. Rebar mounted in the floor, straight up, around the base perimeter, and you can bend #4 (1/2") easily for cross members.

Bollards would require a substantial amount of cement anchoring them, you would need to break up a large hole in your present concrete and dig a big hole, adding a lot of concrete... not practical

 

[Git]

This is what they did for our 80 gallon water heater

 

[Red 17]

Why reinvent the wheel....

https://www.lowes.com/pd/Oatey-Gas-90-Steel-Water-Heater-Stand/1000942372

 

[wyb2]

…
Since you want to raise this to protect it from vehicle damage, an inspector is not going to allow a wood support. Even cinder block would be balked at because a vehicle could crush a cinder block base easily….

Is this based on experience with CA code? Sounds like the current water heater is on a wood platform.

OP, talk to the inspector or someone local and knowledgeable before making any assumptions. Seems equally likely the intent is to protect against fairly minor parking bumps, not wrong-pedal accidents.

 

[pcmeiners]

Red, we are dealing with California, that toy support is only good for 50 gallon tanks, not in a moving vehicle area.

"Is this based on experience with CA code?"

There is no inspector, anywhere in the states which would allow a 900 lb tank to sit on a wood support with vehicles moving around it, OSHA would not .

 

[mike93lx]

Why reinvent the wheel....

https://www.lowes.com/pd/Oatey-Gas-90-Steel-Water-Heater-Stand/1000942372

Rated for a standard gas 50 gal water heater, not an 80gal hybrid in a seismic area

 

[wyb2]

Red, we are dealing with California, that toy support is only good for 50 gallon tanks, not in a moving vehicle area.

"Is this based on experience with CA code?"

There is no inspector, anywhere in the states which would allow a 900 lb tank to sit on a wood support with vehicles moving around it, OSHA would not .

Well it sounds like some inspector potentially signed off on it for a 500 lb tank at this exact location.

If the tank was an adjacent room, would it require massive defenses against vehicle impacts? What separates the rooms? Wood?

I’m not saying it’s definitely allowed, I’m saying different places are different, so probably best not to assume.

 

[BrandonV]

This is what they did for our 80 gallon water heater

At least every home I've seen in Arizona built in the 90s is similar. Steel pipe bollard in the concrete.

The homes where I've seen people hit those "elevated" platforms, the platform just collapses.

 

[Git]

At least every home I've seen in Arizona built in the 90s is similar. Steel pipe bollard in the concrete.

The homes where I've seen people hit those "elevated" platforms, the platform just collapses.

What are the chances that a person sees one home where someone ran their car into a water heater let alone multiple homes...

up to 1,200 lbs

 

[Git]

Since you want to raise this to protect it from vehicle damage, an inspector is not going to allow a wood support.

It's not raised to protect from vehicle damage. It has to be a minimum of 18" above the floor, in a garage, to prevent "Flammable vapor ignition"

 

[panini]

What are the chances that a person sees one home where someone ran their car into a water heater let alone multiple homes...

up to 1,200 lbs

The base diameter of the heater is 25" and manufacturer wants +4" to that when sizing the drain pan. So this 24" won't cut for this massive heater.


Also, when it said to "talk to AHJ or someone local", being new to states, I am uncertain how to do that? can I just call the AHJ and ask them questions? San Jose being super big, I am not hopeful they entertain that or should I start to pull permits and then they take me serious? Also, is there a way to hire a licensed plumber to just answer questions? I have no shame in admitting I'm cheap and want to DIY this job but at the same time, I love doing things and learn how to do it(of course, safely).

 

[BrandonV]

What are the chances that a person sees one home where someone ran their car into a water heater let alone multiple homes...

up to 1,200 lbs

Perhaps you assumed the builder used steel? That you'll never see here. It's pretty common to see these damaged in Arizona. I know three people who have accidentally bumped their cars into the front. Homes from the 1990s will barely fit a Ford Ranger or similar, with just a few inches to spare. Without a parking aid, it's very common to crush them. Most water heaters here don't use a steel platform but rather wood and drywall construction like this.

This first photo is not mine. It's from a guy who repairs them.



Here is one I saw where the owner tapped the stand with a vehicle, dislodging one of the interior support members supporting the water heater and HVAC unit. He jammed a new piece of lumber from the other side after jacking up the water heater from inside the house, which is accessible from the other side of the pedestal.

 

[Git]

Also, when it said to "talk to AHJ or someone local", being new to states, I am uncertain how to do that?

https://www.sanjoseca.gov/home/showpublisheddocument/26033/638103495497870000

https://www.sanjoseca.gov/home/showpublisheddocument/26031/638103500453130000

 

[rharman]

Mine is 2x4 and drywall - it supported two 50 gallon WH's for several years - now, just one. At one point, I rebuilt it and ran 3/4" ply as uprights mounted to 2x4's fronto-to-back - just to really stiffen it up.

 

[rharman]

@panini - Are you in SoCal or NoCal? Curious about the research you've done on the Pro-Terra. I seem to read about a lot of failures and difficulty getting parts. Very frustrating as I'd seriously consider replacing my 50gal AO Smith gas unit with a ProTerra - maybe a 65 gallon unit at tops. My WH is is coming up on 11 y/o now.

 

[CoronadoBruin]

No disrespect to one or more posters in this string, but this is not the site for a question such as this. Several posts here are just flat out wrong. Just because it is a great garage web site doesn't mean people know California code concerning garages. I've built nowhere but in California, including several counties in the Bay Area, for 45 years. SF, CC, Alameda, Solano, and Sonoma are the counties where I worked, but mostly in SoCal: San Diego, OC, LA, San Bernardino, and Riverside counties. I somehow missed Ventura and thankfully Imperial.

Panini: Please check your mailbox

 

[CoronadoBruin]

X

Check your site mail.

AHJ is Authority(ies) Having Jurisdiction. Yes, you can speak with inspectors, often by phone, but I found in my 45 years it is best to visit the front desk at the Building Department and ask to speak with an inspector. In most jurisdictions with which I've dealt it is 8:30AM to 9:00AM, sometimes 8:00AM to 8:30 AM, then they are out and about inspecting. I've been fortunate to have engineers and architects available 99.8% of the time to answer any questions I may have so I rarely dealt with the inspector at the counter.

https://www.sanjoseca.gov/home/showpublisheddocument/26033/638103495497870000

https://www.sanjoseca.gov/home/showpublisheddocument/26031/638103500453130000 (different specs than the one I sent you privately)

(Edit: Whoops, I didn't see you have already posted this)

I couldn't find the time that the inspectors are available at the counter but try this number and ask: 408-535-3555

https://www.sanjoseca.gov/your-government/departments-offices/planning-building-code-enforcement/building-division

 

[panini]

@CoronadoBruin @Git Great resources. Thank you

I called AHJ and they want me to email them the questions as they aren't going to entertain questions on the phone. Looks like the first level contact is outsourced and we need to go thru them to reach the right department. I will follow what they are asking and get the details.

While I am completely subscribed to the safety aspects of permits but it appears to be highly bureaucratic with heavy influence from trades lobbyists.

 

[CoronadoBruin]

There is very little influence at this level from trade lobbyists (outside of the cast iron manufacturers as to cast iron waste in multifamily waste systems. Forty-nine of the fifty states allow PVC/ABS in multifamily but it is dangerous, IMO). The great portion of the problem at the building department has to do with being understaffed. BIs are arguably the most underpaid public employees, and I've been on many jobs where I don't see the same inspector twice. The turnover is incredible.

My suggestion would be to build the stand now and pass it off as an existing matter. This is as minor an issue as you'll find in residential construction, irrespective of the weight involved, and we're making a mountain out of a molehill.

Don't hesitate to contact me by email, address sent to you via GJ private message.