Water Heater Drain Pan Code: Size and Materials of Drain Pan You Should Know

If you are searching for a water heater drain pan code, you come to the right place since this article will show what code you need to know to provide the right pan for a storage tank.

This tank is required to install a water heater if you are sure the tank’s leakage may cause damage. What code is it? Make sure to learn about it in the article below.

Water Heater Pan Drain Line Code

A water heater is a beneficial tool in our lives, and it will be especially significant when it comes to winter. Showering will never be more comfortable with this one.

These days, water tanks come in various kinds and functions. Some can be installed along with a storage tank; some don’t come with such a tank. The storage tank generally is installed in a place higher than the bathroom—to make it easier for the water flow to go through, benefitting from the gravitation.

The Pans and Drains Water Heater

Talking about the water heater, you may wonder what the water heater drain pan code is. This kind of code is specific for the water heater, and it is used to give insight on what size of drain and pan you should provide to facilitate the water heater to operate correctly.

The standard codes used in water heaters specialized for drain and pan are:

  • P2801.6.1 Pan and Drain Size

According to this code, the pan used in your water heater should not be less sized than 1.5 inches (38 mm) deep. The pan should also be sufficient to accommodate dripping or condensation from the water heater tank.

Another rule you should consider is that an indirect pipe should drain the pan of waste sized 0.4 inches (19 mm) in diameter.

However, if previously you didn’t do water heater drain pan installation, you don’t have to do a pan water heater replacement—because what is it to replace?

  • P2801.6.2 Pan Drain Termination

If the previous code talks about water heater drain pan sizes, you will learn that the pan drain should extend to full size. That also needs to terminate over a properly located indirect waste receptor.

Alternately, you can have the pan drain extend to the building exterior not less and not more than 6 & 24 inches (152-610 mm) above the ground surface.

Tankless Water Heater Drain Pan Code

What if the water heater is a tankless one? Will it still have the drain pan code? Well, since it still needs a drain pan, you will also find the drain pan code. However, the code is pretty much the same as what earlier mentioned.

Tankless Water Heater Drain Pan Code

Aside from that, you will need to know what kind of pan materials should be used beneath the tank. Here are the details—your tank should be built using one of these materials:

  1. Plastic, which thickness is not less than 0.036 inches (0.9 mm).
  2. Aluminum or galvanized steel which thickness is not less than 0.0236 inch (0.601 mm).
  3. Or use other approved materials.

However, you should not install a plastic pan under a water heater with gas as its fuel due to safety reasons.

Well, that’s the information regarding the water heater drain pan code. Make sure you learn about this to avoid getting your water heater from leaking, which may lead to the wrong output.

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