Tankless Water Heater in Crawl Space?

md2lgyk

The log house I'm building will have a propane tankless water heater (Rheem). Can these be installed in a crawl space? It would certainly simplify things if it could. The crawl space is 4 feet high.

Plumber101

I wouldn't install in a crawl space.

They do make exterior mount systems unless freezing is an issue.

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md2lgyk

Thanks for the info. Unfortunately, freezing is very much an issue.

UPDATE: I contacted the manufacturer. They said crawl space installation is fine.

AllanJ

Just be sure there is adequate oxygen supply, adequate ventilation of exhaust gases, and no danger of freezing down there.

Some models may use a concentric dual pipe through a wall to achieve the first two.

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md2lgyk

The model I have uses the concentric supply/vent arrangement. As for freezing, I certainly hope that's not an issue - all my plumbing is down there.

Michael Thomas

A couple of thoughts:

1) Some manufacturers recommend/require a backdraft damper if you are installing in a freezing climate, this is especially important if there is only a short run to the exterior.

2) There's a lot of electronics and other assorted moisture sensitive componets in these heaters, if this crawlspace is "damp", I'd be leery of installing a tankless unit down there, in my Chicago climate I frequently see corroded equipment in crawl spaces, and it's often equipment such as conventional tank type water heaters much less sensitive than tankless units.

3) I've put together a webpage on my experience with tankless units (I like them, but they are intolerant of incorrect installation), you may find it useful:

Tankless Water Heater Installation FAQ - Paragon Home Inspections Evanston / Chicago / Skokie / Wilmette / Morton Grove / Glenview / Northbrook / Illinois



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md2lgyk

Thanks for the link.