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Mass. plubmers

to place a pan under a indirect water heater and a boiler if it is elevated? The platform is in a residential garage about 7" off the ground...concrete floor, nothing to be damaged under platform...kpc


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Comments

  • jackchips_2
    jackchips_2 Member Posts: 1,337
    Kevin,

    I don't have my code book home but as I recall ALL water heaters that are not on the ground floor must be installed with a pan or in a room with a floor drain.

    Boilers do not come under the plumbing code.
  • Scott Milne_2
    Scott Milne_2 Member Posts: 1
    Jack

    I beleive its only if the water heater is over a living space. I may be wrong though, but thats the reading I have gotten from inspectors.

    Scott

    PS: Jack do you know if a Sparco valve , which is anti-scauld is acceptable to protect a hand shower in a whirlpool tub ?
  • jackchips_2
    jackchips_2 Member Posts: 1,337
    Hi Scott,

    You have to love our code when three plumbers are discussing one paragraph and we all have different interpretations.

    Under 2.12 (1) (h) Safe Waste Required: A safe waste SHALL BE installed under a storage water heater elevated above the basement where there is occupancy below......

    Two of us (inpectors) in the office agree that occupancy means any building which will have human beings present, not just, as you ask, living quarters. If you think about it would you install an elevated water heater in a restaurant kitchen above the employees?

    Hopefully this is one of those areas that will be clarified under the code revisions coming out shortly(??). There are too many areas like this that are open to inspector indescretion and it creates much confusion for plumbers who work in many communities.

    As far as the Sparco, I would say yes but read the previous paragraph. Personally, I do not see where it is needed. Do we put anti-scald on kitchen sink faucets with sprays? Hand helds are so different than standing inside a closed area with a "hot" spray hitting you that you may not be able to get out of the way. Anyone gets hit with extra hot water from a hand held would either shut it off, turn it around or drop it. Ah, you have to love laws based on liability concerns and not common sense.

    We have a good code but it sure could use cleaning up. Until then we all have to depend on whomever we are dealing with in each city or town.
  • Jon S.
    Jon S. Member Posts: 43
    another code question

    Do you have to install a back flow on a steam boiler feed?
  • Ruthe  Jubinville
    Ruthe Jubinville Member Posts: 67
    Steam boiler feed

    Not needed unless it has a automstic feeder IMHO
  • jackchips_2
    jackchips_2 Member Posts: 1,337
    Jon,

    the Mass code is very specific and backflow prevention is not required. If your in Mass refer to 2.14 (6) (g): Backflow preventers shall not be required on manually controlled water lines to residential type steam and/or gravity fed hot water space heating systems.

    Jack
  • ScottMP
    ScottMP Member Posts: 5,883
    Hey Jack

    From what I am told, don't hold your breath waitng for the revisions.

    Also the pex tubing is on hold, AGAIN !

    The more things change, the more they stay the same.

    My understand was the intent of the shower/handheld code was that anyone in a shower could slip by jumping out of the way duirng a fluxuation in temperature ?

    Scott

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  • jackchips_2
    jackchips_2 Member Posts: 1,337
    I might have misunderstood

    your question, Scott. I thought you meant hand held sprays on the shelf of a whirlpool tub which would be used while soaking.

    Any shower head/spray head in an enclosed tub/shower area must be anti-scald.

    I have not heard about the pex tubing on hold and am still inspecting houses that have been granted "test sites". Did you read this somewhere?

    The last communication received about the changes was they were in final review by the attourney on the Board and would be published soon.

    I need to tap into your source :-))
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