Water Heater Bricks,help?

The tech is going to put 4 Bricks under our water heater for support. Is that acceptable?
And they are making me sign a paper saying that they will not be responsible for damage, if the bricks crack... Is that normal?
Thanks so much for you help.

It's often a good idea to raise the WH on bricks if moisture could cause rust on the bottom. I think it would be rare to have a brick break down enough to impact a WH.

bricks

IF they are the plumber's bricks, then he is responsible, period. Tell him to use better bricks.

Hi: Here in California, code requires straps around the water heater to keep it upright in case of a earthquake. Strap your heater to the wall, that way even if a brick cracks or crumbles the heater won't fall over. Marty

cheap bricks...???

What exactly is supposed to make the bricks crack??

That is really being a worry-wart...makeing you sign something
stateing that they are not responsible if the bricks crack.


why not put 2x4s under the heater??

they wont crack...

Why just 4 bricks? Why not make it 8 bricks?

I say get a brick layer to come and mortar them all together...that should do the trick...

If the installer is going to use bricks as part of his/her installation, then he should warranty them as part of his/her installation.

If you are getting paranoid, then I suppose you may as well put a patio slab under there. And Marty 1's suggestion of using earthquake straps (a requirement here (although nobody ever actually uses them)) is an excellent added precaution (but way overkill).

Understanding Materials: Masonry

Brick manufacturing today follows fundamental procedures pioneered centuries ago. However, better knowledge of raw materials and their properties, better control of firing and improved kiln designs have resulted in a superior product. The production of bricks centers around the type of clay that is used. Clays occur in three forms (Surface Clays, Fire Clays & Shales). Although they share similar chemical compositions, they will differ in their physical characteristics. All properties of brick are affected by the composition of the raw materials and the manufacturing processes. Essentially brick are produced by: (1) mixing ground clay with water, (2) forming them into desired shapes, (3) then drying and firing them. Establishing a homogenous blend is necessary before subjecting the mixture to one of three forming processes (Stiff–Mud, Soft–Mud or Dry–Press). Next, the process continues with drying, firing and cooling. Kiln firing temperatures during manufacturing graduate from 400°F to 2400°F.

Hardness of Bricks •There are many different types of brick (Building, Facing, Hollow, Paving, Ceramic Glazed and Thin Brick), and different scales of hardness. The strength of a unit is used to determine its durability and cutability. Both compressive strength and absorption are affected by properties of the clay, method of manufacturing and degree of firing. Most bricks have a strength ranging from 3,000 PSI to over 20,000 PSI, with the average being around 10,000 PSI.•Brick may also include different size, type and volume of aggregates to further strengthen the mix.

Can you believe how much mileage 4 bricks has gotten here? Jeeze Louise it's 4 lousy bricks.

I have seen 15 Yr. old heaters on 3 bricks...the bricks should be fine as long as it is balanced well and no one dances on the top of the heater.

4 bricks

Think of it this way. At least it is keeping them busy and stopping a lot of assine answers to other questions.

Yea, and now I know all I ever wanted to know about bricks.

This one may get more replies than Master Plumber 101's unions thread...

I think I'll install my next one using marbles to hold it up off the floor! Sheeeeeeeesh!

you all got bricks on your brain

I just went out and installed a 40 gallon Lovchinvar.
in an office basement .just came back home to check the news


the old one was sitting on 3 bricks and was about
as wobbly as a leaf in the wind....with no pan and
nothing to direct it to the drain...


I took the 3 bricks out and threw them into the corner
behind the furnace...


and installed the heater in an Otay 24 inch plastic pan
and put the drain over into the sump pump pit and ran the
T+P valve over into the pit too.....




it was much more solid sitting dierctly on the floor

Am I a bad person????.









.

You are as bad as they come...I am turning you in to the brick makers union for putting someone out of a job...

And the EPA for illegally dumping bricks...don't you know it will eventually end up in our drinking water...

heater

Unless a leaking water heater could cause damage, seldom the situation in a basement, it does not need a pan. And if the safety valve discharge pipe does not run to a drain, it can cause much more damage than most leaking heaters.

pans are necessary everywhere....

hj said:

Unless a leaking water heater could cause damage, seldom the situation in a basement, it does not need a pan. And if the safety valve discharge pipe does not run to a drain, it can cause much more damage than most leaking heaters.

Click to expand...

HJ... water heater pans are my ..........mantra........

the heater I took out had leaked through the wall of this basement and got the carpet in next office over fairley wet....

nothing ever wants to run to the floor drain probably becasue the drain was roughed in too high or the concrete guys dont know how to make fall to the drain.......



I have actually gotten calls from people 7 years after the fact trying to get me to clean their flooded basements.and they were not even the original people that I put the heater in for!!! ...

the basement was unfinished when we installed the
heater 7 years ago, but since then it was sold and finished.!!!!....

and now I am the dirty SOB that did not put a pan in....

and I should be held responsible for something they did not want installed 7 years ago

So I generally just install one and charge for it and claim that its code..... (which it is)

then they cant come crying to me


does that make me a bad person????

Resurrecting an old, but humorous thread... with a serious question.

Water heaters used to come with formed sheet metal feet that served as "stand-offs", elevating the base of the water heater approximately 2 or 3 inches above the surface upon which it rests, which could include a drain pan.

An obvious advantage of these feet is that the tank itself isn't displacing the volume capacity of the drain pan, where smaller leaks can evaporate if there is no provision for the drain pan to drain (a very common and overlooked occurrence in older homes with water heaters in closets without floor drains).

A more recent advantage of these feet relates to FVIR and the location of intake air vents, lint filters, and other aspects underneath the water heater whose operation would be inhibited if the water heater is sitting in a pan of water.



I've seen where plumbers use bricks or a matrix of 1'x1' concrete stepping stones (without the signed waivers) to elevate footless water heater tanks within a pan. The problem with the pavers is the reduction of holding capacity of the pan (where no floor drain is available). Plus the pavers and bricks invite a perception of "hack" that likely was part of the original poster's concern.

Are there other solutions to elevate a water heater within a pan, so as to keep the bottom venting from being submerged, and keep water away from other sensors and controls under the heater? Are there "foot kits" so to speak? Any type of search for water heater "stand" of course yields nothing but the 18" variety that was code required prior to FVIR.

Is there a "listed" or commercially available solution?

Or is this even a problem/issue?

Thank you for adding the photos of the AO Smith, whoever added them. I assume that was you Terry?

The Rheems and BW's seem to me to be quite different on the bottom.