Question 1: Would you consider the garage in a residential building as a hazardous (classidied) location in accordance with Chapter 5, Article 501 in the NEC?

Question 2: Would you require a water heater with an electronic ignition control to be located 18" above the floor in that garage like a gas water?

Joe:

#1: NO to 501; NO to 514

#2: Yes, but I cannot 'Require' this is as it is NOT NEC to the best of my knowledge.

Coastal Florida solves this problem with the FEMA flood plain codes

Water heaters, AC units and such are required to be above flood plain which usually gets them up a couple feet off the garage floor that is usually that far below the FF of the house. (typically a 4 course stem wall)

Greg:

The same applies to coastal NJ & flood plain areas for 'new' construction.

My WH is 20" up & so is the furnace. (By my choice)

I guess it is a federal rule ... everywhere but New Orleans ... but I digress.


That would also apply to building a new garage here and there has been a discussion about replacements, particularly HVAC units. They are starting to make all of the HVAC condensers go up but I am not sure about water heaters. I doubt most electric units get permitted anyway.




Joe's question is interesting in the uplands tho. It appears the IRC would prohibit a gas water heater, dryer or whatever if the burner is below 18".
I imagine a lot of people get surprised when they get the report from the home inspector. (I imagine where Joe got this)

I would say no. Not that it would hurt anything to raise them up off the floor, but I think that the situation your descibing is the reason that all of the new gas water heaters have the FVIR "Flammable Vapor Ignition Resistant" design. I may be wrong, but I think it’s been required since around 2003.

On a similar note, I have heard of some inspectors requiring the receptacle outlets in Resi garages to be located above 18-inches from the finished floor for that same reason though.

I have seen where the building and plumbing inspectors require bollards in front of any mechanical appliance in the garage to protect it from being hit with the car.

Working in the trade years ago, we always treated the garage as hazardous for the first 24" AFF. Though it wasn't in the code book.

Caper: I did as well, and I am sure that there are many jurisdictions around the country who have a rule in place that covers this. Article 511 covers commercial garages and is not to be considered here, I am talking about a residential garage. Let's spill gasoline on the garage floor in that, or any other garage, and see what could happen when a spark ignites the puddle!

The NEC is without a specific rule on this, but common sense and field experience by qualified persons, and those who understand electrical systems and inspections (not political hacks) must be considered.

Joe:

You say..."The NEC is without a specific rule on this, but common sense and field experience by qualified persons, and those who understand electrical systems and inspections (not political hacks) must be considered."

I agree that 'common sense' should be considered...but it is not within Article 100!

I must also add that spilling gasoline anywhere and having an ignition source is a real danger, but the direct answer to your OP is as far as I can go within the limits of the NEC which is what I have to enforce, as adopted within the NJ Uniform Construction Code.

BTW, my garage has not had any vehicle inside in 10+ years; no lawnmowers, snow blowers, etc.

Go here and spend $40: http://store.finehomebuilding.com/building-codes/code-check.html . It's not enough to just know the NEC. For half the price of an NEC, you get a lavishly illustrated 'Cliff's notes" to the basic codes.

Joe, do you really think you're the first to have concerns about water heaters in garages? I doubt it- since you hail from California, and they've been putting water heaters on pedestals for at least a quarter-century now.

The plumbing code addressed this issue long ago. Water heaters in carports and garages, or that draw their ventilation from them, need to either be on a pedestal, or be of a 'flammable vapor ignition resistant' design. FVIR. Easily found everywhere water heaters are sold - and at a nominal price difference. UL listed and all that stuff.

Oddly enough, I am dealing with this exact situation in my house. Since the place was built (1957) there have been many changes to the requirements for water heaters. Venting, drainage, mounting ... lots of changes. And, if the water heater is in a closet, no storage is allowed there.

No need to re-invent the wheel, and get all worked up about 'classified locations.' The plumbers got there first.

Thanks for your comments.

I know of those books and wonder if they can be purchased from the Online Store Online Store here?

By the way I saw one of your pictures in an Electrical Inspection book recently published by NACHI showing the old A Base meters in the back of your house. I remember that picture form one of your posts awhile back.

Same here except that is where I keep the golf cart. Maybe I should call the top 18" "the hazardous location". (hydrogen)

The same would be true of any electric vehicle with a regular lead battery.

Joe,


Back in the day when I was in business, one of my jobs was to wire up a commercial garage after there was a fire. Now I know you are talking about a resi garage, but gas doesn't care which garage floor it is sitting on. Commercial or residential, the fire job I did started when a trouble light hit the floor where there was a small amount of gasoline. The mechanic got burnt but survived the fire. The whole garage had to be rebuilt and rewired.

I put sprinklers in the garage I had in Md. While I was at it I also sprinklered the choke points in the house (3 more heads).

Greg,


What do you man by "Choke points"?

Harold:
I'll venture a guess:

Points of convergance along the egress path. Locations where egress must be assured.

Yes, they are the places that were critical to getting out.

This was the typical split foyer 2 story and a landing where there is a foyer half way between the two floors in front and a grade level entrance there. Without jumping out a window, you have to go down those stairs and if you were in the ground floor bedroom you have to get by that point too, even if you are going out the ground floor rear exit.

The utilities are under that foyer. I sprinklered the utility room, the hallway past that door on the ground floor and the foyer itself. Later I put a door directly out of the bedroom to the deck we added with steps down to grade.

Greg,

Sometimes around here and referring to road ways, we call them "bottlenecks". That is where you are trying to get 4 lanes of highways down into a 2 lane one.

I kinda of thought that was what you meant, but I wasn't sure.

Another def for 'choke point'......the moment after you explain something for the third time!!