Safety of gasoline in basement with RC98i water heater.

Capnemo

I'm going to install an RC98i in our basement/garage.  I keep a small can of gas and my lawn mower in there too.  Can I operate this water heater safely in the basement/garage with the gas can and lawn mower?

lchmb

Rinnai

The Rinnai is a direct vent unit and does not take any combustion air from the room.

kcopp

that being said....

gasoline has no place inside the home.... Keep it outside in a shed. my 2 cents.

Capnemo

gasoline

That's what I thought.  However to be safe, I'll only pick up enough gas to mow the lawn and keep the mower and the gas can empty... until I can get a shed put up.  Kind of a pain, but better than having a fire.  Thanks for the posts.

Jean-David Beyer

gasoline vapor

I imagine an "empty" gasoline can has traces of gasoline in it. And it can evaporate. It probably expands somewhere near the same as water; i.e., taking around 1600 times the space the liquid does. How much would it take to fill a room to an explosive mixture?



I am not a professional, but I would not even keep empty gasoline cans or gasoline powered engines inside a house.

Rod

No Flammables in the Garage

I agree with JDB. NO gasoline inside! You don't need a shed, Home Depot has plastic lstorage boxes that can be locked, to store a flammables in. Use a tarp and some rope over the mower.  A thimble full of gasoline will blow the windows and doors out of a house. It's just not worth the risk!

TomM

not so sure about a thimbleful but....

here's a cool chart of percent gas concentrations for explosions:

http://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/explosive-concentration-limits-d_423.html

Capnemo

NO GAS

Ok, I get it.  Thanks for all the replies.  I've been storing gas and my lawn mower in there for seven years without mishap, but everything is electric.  Now that I'm going to an LP Gas water heater, I'll keep them elsewhere.. Rinnai does make an outdoor tankless and that's always an option also.

Thanks again,

Cap

Techman

Garage's

also have cars ,which have gasoline in them . I think there is a "equipment hight " above the garage floor rule! Yes/No ? I'm not saying to store gas filled containers , I'm just saying!

Jean-David Beyer

I think there is a "equipment hight " above the garage floor rule! Yes/No ?

I cannot speak authoritatively about this, but the I&M manual for my boiler says it must be at least 18 inches above the floor in my garage. In spite of the fact it is sealed combustion. The installing contractor said it did not have to because the actual air intake inside the box was high enough from the floor (but I do not think it is 18"). In any case, the gas inspector and the fire inspector passed it without remarking on it. The former boiler got its air from the garage and was on the floor as well. 



So whatever the truth on this matter, the authorities do not seem to care very much.

Tim McElwain

Any equipment

burning fossil fuel is required to be 18" off the floor of a garage. That is unless it gets all its air for combustion from outdoors and vents to outdoors. The exception with water heaters is that FVIR gas water heaters (all new 30,40 and 50 gallon storage water heaters) do not have to  be 18" they can sit on the floor.



No flammable mixtures should be open and stored indoors. They make special metal cabinets which can be vented to outdoors for storage of flammable paints, lacquers etc.

BillW

Hello, capnemo.

You might find this article interesting.  Go to "Resources" at the top of the page, click on "homeowners" and find the Indoor Air Quality Basics for Homeowners info.  It should answer any other questions you had.