Red Gump

building a new house and would prefer to have gas water heater but the water heater will be located in my garage. having a bigger than normal garage built, +/- 1200 square feet with a lift.

is having a gas water heater in the garage dangerous? or given the size and proper ventilation, would that not be an issue?

Falcon

Aren't they required to be ventilated?

In one house I had the gas W/H was in the laundry room, which was in the house, but it was ventilated so there never was a problem.

If worst comes to worst, ditch the water heater and keep the garage. You can always shower at a neighbors.

gpm30236

another option to consider, is the instant on (tankless) water heater , use them at the office, and they are gr8 take up almost no space, unlimited hot water. , just installed them in the garages that we are building for lease. no code issues with them in GA.

freefall

They are ventilated, but there is a constant flame in most (pilot light). You'll probably be fine if you don't go spraying gasoline everywhere. After all, I've seen quite a few pro shops with propane heaters in them.

AU N EGL

1200 sq ft garge with lift?? tell us more about the garage ..

robvuk

Furthermore, the pilot and flame are in an enclosed chamber with a sealed door on it.

Red Gump

only things I'm sure of at this point are its dimensions and limited contents. we both drive nice trucks and I'm tired of leaving them outside. with the spec miata and vette and hopefully a car for her down the road, we wanted something big enough to fit the vehicles so we're getting some sort of lift as well.

full bathroom as well. phone/internets, tv, probably a bar if we can fit it. I need help in these decisions. "pimp my garage"

AU N EGL

Bar?? I am there

Look into the height of the garage for the lift, plus with the biggest vehichal you want to put on the lift, up in the air.

c4cruiser

Many building codes require a pilot-light hot water heater located in a garage to be placed on a platform that is about 18" above the floor.

The idea is that volatile fumes like you would get from gasoline or other flammable liquids tend to be heavier than air and will stay at ground level or just a few inches above depending on the concentration. With the burner that far above the floor, it is less likely to ignite the fumes.

Build a platform that is 18" high and large enough to hold the unit and you should be OK. My hot water heater is in a corner of my garage and is on such a platform. Your plumber should know the code requirements and the install will most likely have to be inspected by the city or county for both plumbing and gas connections.

c4cruiser

Many building codes require a pilot-light hot water heater located in a garage to be placed on a platform that is about 18" above the floor.

The idea is that volatile fumes like you would get from gasoline or other flammable liquids tend to be heavier than air and will stay at ground level or just a few inches above depending on the concentration. With the burner that far above the floor, it is less likely to ignite the fumes.

Build a platform that is 18" high and large enough to hold the unit and you should be OK. My hot water heater is in a corner of my garage and is on such a platform. Your plumber should know the code requirements and the install will most likely have to be inspected by the city or county for both plumbing and gas connections.

Red Gump

took that into consideration--going to be 12 or 13', I forget which. need ideas on which lift now.

thanks for the input on water heaters, we'll just make sure the heater is high enough.

robvuk

There are probably local codes that will tell you exactly what to do. Your builder should know or look into it.

Joe_G

For sure. Up north where I'm from we had gas heaters and furnaces in our basements or garages (for those without basements) all the time. I'm pretty sure they are all electronic ignition now days anyway. I used a spare MSD unit to soup mine up. j/k. Just follow the codes and you'll be fine.

I'm looking forward to Sebring prep days at the "Grande Gump Garage"! Sounds awesome.