Thank Your Plumbers — For Real!

Thank Your Plumbers — For Real!

Ideas For Moving Your Water Heater Out Of The Way When You Renovate Your Basement Or Garage

by Bill Turner

If you keep your water heater in your garage or basement, you might have to find a new location for it if you plan to turn the basement or garage into a living space. If your water heater is old, you might want to buy a new heater and install it elsewhere. However, your plumber can move your current heater if necessary. Here are some ideas for relocating your water heater.

Place It In A Closet

You could install the water heater in a closet in your home to keep it out of sight. The plumber has to vent a gas heater to the outdoors and run plumbing lines to the closet, so you'll have to discuss the added costs with your plumber to see if moving to a closet is a good idea. Plus, your heater should probably have a drip pan put under it to catch water in case of a leak.

Another option is to build a closet around the water heater that's in your basement or garage. This would keep the appliance out of sight and not require the expense of installing new plumbing.

Move It To A Different Side Of The Basement

If your options are limited, you may need to keep the heater in your garage or basement and just move it to a different wall. If you also have an HVAC in your basement, you could keep all of your equipment close together so they can be walled off.

If you're getting a new water heater, you might consider one that's slim and tall or one that's short and wide so it can squeeze into the limited space that's available.

Move The Water Heater Outdoors

Some water heaters can be installed outside. Tankless heaters can be mounted on the exterior wall of your garage or house as long as they're made for the outdoors. Tank models can be installed in a metal enclosure that protects the water heater from the rain.

Whether it's possible to move your water heater outdoors depends on your climate and the type of water heater you buy. However, this could allow the plumber to move the heater where pipes are already present in the walls to save on installation costs. The plumber may also need to elevate the heater so the bottom stays dry in case water pools around the enclosure.

If you have a tankless water heater, especially an electric model, you have a lot of options for where you can install it indoors. You could install it in a laundry room or even a bathroom. A tank model doesn't have as many options, but your plumber can offer advice on where to place your heater so it's out of your way when you renovate.


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Thank Your Plumbers — For Real!

When you have a plumber come work on your home, we hope you thank them. Really, you should be thanking any contractor who works on your home, but we are a little partial to plumbers and happen to think they deserve a little more recognition. After all, the stuff inside the pipes they work on doesn't usually smell very good. And even though they wear gloves, they have to get pretty close to it! If you would like to learn a little more about plumbers, then we invite you to read this blog. After learning the basics, you'll really want to thank your plumbers!

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