Hot water heater in attic = insane

[Bird]

I guess this one those to each his own. Sometimes that's what the plans call for & sometimes it's the best place for it. I wouldn't go as far as saying it's stupid. I've never had an insurance claim for water damage caused by HVAC or W H that I installed in an attic.

I can understand the installer not having an insurance claim, because it's after the warranty before the poor homeowners have claims and damage and I've certainly known of that happening. And of course, it's not the installer's fault if that's what the plans call for, and I guess it's not stupid. As I said before it's all about money and if the homeowner gets stuck, the designer and installer aren't concerned with that.

 

[Kays Supply]

Well, 7 hours later, two heaters back in the attic.

 

[kenmac]

I can understand the installer not having an insurance claim, because it's after the warranty before the poor homeowners have claims and damage and I've certainly known of that happening. And of course, it's not the installer's fault if that's what the plans call for, and I guess it's not stupid. As I said before it's all about money and if the homeowner gets stuck, the designer and installer aren't concerned with that.

It's because I install beyond what the min. code requirments are. That's why I haven't had a claim

 

[2manyrocks]

I can understand the installer not having an insurance claim, because it's after the warranty before the poor homeowners have claims and damage and I've certainly known of that happening. And of course, it's not the installer's fault if that's what the plans call for, and I guess it's not stupid. As I said before it's all about money and if the homeowner gets stuck, the designer and installer aren't concerned with that.

Homes should be designed with a mechanical room that is easily accessible, but that's not always the case. It's almost like the installation of water heaters and HVAC equipment is an afterthought.

Now the other thing that is commonplace is installing clothes washers with rubber hoses and no drain pan under the washing machine in an upstairs living space. Homeowners go on vacation and come back to a flooded house because they don't shut off the valves and the hoses always seem to fail when no one is around.

 

[radioman]

well- look at it this way - if the attic space is NOT conditioned and owner lives in southern area, hot water tank in attic would make sense as far as efficiency. Its hot up there right? less electric or gas required to heat water? :thumbsup: As for leaks, there should be a drip pan with large drain. makes sense?

However for the northerners like me, it doesnt make sense unless it was a summer home with limited space as it can be drained before cold weather hits.

 

[turnkey4099]

It is a space saving thing.

If the house is so small that 4sq feet can't be found to use...

Harry K

 

[sandman2234]

Here in VA, the attic is unbelievably hot in summer, and you just can't go up there for more than a couple minutes. God forbid if I had to replace the water heater in summer -- I guess I should be thankful I did it in February. But that tells me that it's a stupid place for the HVAC ducts to be in summer when you're running cool air through them.

It would be the opposite problem in winter, with the cold temperatures working against the heat flowing through the ducts. I measured attic temperatures during the winter last year, and they dropped to within a couple degrees of ambient temperature. I was trying to figure if we could install a humidifier on the furnace. But since the overnight temperature up there would routinely drop into the teens, and rarely single digits, that was a no-go. Based on that, I think even having water lines up there is marginal.

We ran some wiring in the attic during August a couple years ago. It was about 90 degrees outside, and the attic temp was about 130. I grabbed a hose and sprinkler and set it on the roof, allowing it to cool the roof that way. Then I took off a flex hose from the main trunk line on the A/C system and allowed it to cool the attic from the inside.
It got to be pretty comfortable after a while.
David from jax

 

[JDgreen227]

We ran some wiring in the attic during August a couple years ago. It was about 90 degrees outside, and the attic temp was about 130. I grabbed a hose and sprinkler and set it on the roof, allowing it to cool the roof that way. Then I took off a flex hose from the main trunk line on the A/C system and allowed it to cool the attic from the inside.
It got to be pretty comfortable after a while.
David from jax

My original house was a 1 1/2 story, it had eave vents but they did little to ventilate the attic. When I resided the house using vinyl, I installed a 24X36 vinyl window at each end of the gables, and it served 3 purposes:

Admitted a lot of light to the attic.

Made it possible to get up there easiy using a ladder instead of going through the access hatch in a closet. And when I added another 9 inches of fiberglass insulation, it was much easier to get it up there from outdoors.

Last, during the summer, I can open each window halfway and by using the screens, provide a lot more attic ventilation.

 

[sandman2234]

My original house was a 1 1/2 story, it had eave vents but they did little to ventilate the attic. When I resided the house using vinyl, I installed a 24X36 vinyl window at each end of the gables, and it served 3 purposes:

Admitted a lot of light to the attic.

Made it possible to get up there easiy using a ladder instead of going through the access hatch in a closet. And when I added another 9 inches of fiberglass insulation, it was much easier to get it up there from outdoors.

Last, during the summer, I can open each window halfway and by using the screens, provide a lot more attic ventilation.

Not sure how to get a 1 1/2 story house, maybe the second story is for midgets, lol. Mine might fall under the same size, as it has single story walls and is two story under the roof, which gives it a lot less attic space than typical of a single story house. (or full two story).
I actually have a top attic that is almost tall enough for midgets,(3rd floor) and a front and rear attic that is the cutoff from the walls. Those are belly only and where the majority of the ductwork runs.
David from jax