More Water Heater Info

This article was originally in Ken’s Korner in July of 2000.  However it is still very relevant as I get questions about this issue almost daily.

I have written about water heaters in previous issues and thought I had pretty much covered that subject but not so.  It seems there is a lot of confusion about the California State requirement that water heaters be protected by seismic straps at the time a home is transferred to a new owner.

Well, here’s the scoop:  First some history.  This is some more “old news.”  Those who study these things found that after the Northridge earthquake of 1989 a lot of damage done to houses was attributed to water heaters tipping over and breaking off water pipes and gas lines.  Flooding and fires.

A water heater is a tall tank.  When full of 40 or 50 or more gallons of water, it can weigh over 400 pounds and be really top heavy.  Now imagine an earthquake making this top heavy tank dance!  Not good!

Those same people who study these things determined that a few simple straps could prevent this from happening.  So in 1991 all new or replacement water heaters sold in California were required to be “braced, anchored or strapped.”

Then, on January 1, 1996, California Health and Safety Code Section 19211 took affect which required the seller of any residential property to certify that the water heater has been “braced, anchored or strapped” in accordance with any applicable local code requirements.  In other words, the home seller has to strap the heater, then say in writing that he or she has done it.

So now to the big question:  What is the right way to brace, anchor or strap that thing?  Right now there exists a certain amount of vagueness about this.  One reason is that the details have been left up to individual building departments.  Another reason is the great variety of ways water heaters are installed.  Most often they are near a wall or in a corner in a garage or basement.  Some are in special closets constructed just for them.  I have seen water heaters in the middle of basements with the nearest walls 6 feet or more away.  Sometimes the nearest wall is covered with sheetrock.  Sometimes it is bare wood studs.  Sometimes it is concrete or brick.

I am going to focus on the most prevalent type of water heater installation around here; that is one installed in a garage near walls covered by sheetrock.  Sometimes it is in a corner, sometimes along a flat stretch of wall.  Since we haven’t progressed to doing fancy diagrams for our newsletters yet, this next part will involve the reader’s imagination.  Try to picture your water heater as you read on.  I think you can do it.  So here we go.  This is how to secure it:

First the materials.  This part is well established.  The strapping material can be a flat metal band at least 20 gauge in thickness.  Plumber’s tape fits that bill and is approved by the city of Antioch.  There is some other special strapping too.  I will get to that later.  Plumber’s tape is that roll of metal tape you can buy at the hardware store in the plumbing department.  It is not sticky like adhesive tape.  It is a metal band  with holes through it all along it’s length.  The tape needs to be fastened to the studs in the wall with lag screws that are 1/4” thickness x 3” length and flat washers.  Now this is important; they must be lag screws!  Not wood screws or sheetrock screws!  Lag screws have the thick hex head on them that require a wrench or socket to screw them in, not a slot or Phillips head.  Other kinds of screws just are not strong enough.

Two straps are required to do this.  So that will require 2 rolls of tape and 4 lag screws each with a flat washer.

Here is where the straps must go on the water heater:  The lower strap must be on the lower 1/3 of the water heater at least 4” above the control valve.  That is the box on the side of the water heater with the on, off, pilot knob on it.  The upper strap must be located on the upper 1/3 of the tank.

The lag screws must be screwed into studs.  Not just sheetrock!  Sheetrock itself can no way hold a dancing water heater!

From this point, things get a bit less cut and dry.  Exactly how the straps should go around the heater can vary.  There have been some heated discussions about this. Here is the way I like to do it:  Locate a stud to the right and left of the water heater, as close to the heater as possible.  It’s better to pre-drill the holes for the screws, believe me.  Then wrap the tape around the heater completely so the tape overlaps itself on the front and then pull it tight and stretch to the right and left to the pre-drilled holes and screw the tape to the wall through the most handy hole in the tape.  Snip off any excess plumber’s tape.  Tin snips are good for this or even wire cutters in a pinch.  This method is fine with the city of Antioch.

I think that you will be able to visualize that if the water heater should rock to the right, left, or away from the wall it will always be pulling against at least 2 screws in the studs.  The weak point though is if the heater rocks back toward the wall.  If there is much of a gap between the heater and wall it could move that way.  A simple solution is to cut blocks of wood that take up that space and fasten them to the wall between the wall and water heater.  It doesn’t have to be pretty.  Just fill the space.  That is all there is to it!

Now for the good part of this old news;  some inventive people have made this job even easier.  Instead of wandering around the hardware store looking for the parts to this job, you can buy a kit with everything you need right in the box!  It even has strapping material that is easier to use than plumber’s tape and has a little gadget on it that allows it to be synched up really tight!  When these kits first hit the market, they were pretty expensive, but have recently really come down in price.  They are available at hardware stores and home improvement stores.  I recently purchased one of these kits at Home Depot for just $14 and change!  And wait, that’s not all!  These kits are approved and have complete illustrated instructions on the box!  What a deal!

Finally, for those who have water heaters that must be secured to concrete or brick walls, or have no walls near them, call your local building inspection department and ask how they would like it done.  They are really good folks and will even come out and give on-site advice if you have a really unusual situation.

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