# Ever get a water heater drain blocked by a cabinet or pan?



## ChrisConnor (Dec 31, 2009)

I had one today, forty gallon lowboy inside of a kitchen cabinet. Thank goodness for angled washing machine hoses


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## Mississippiplum (Sep 30, 2011)

Some wh pans can make the bibs a pita to thread a hose on to, And draining the heater right into the pan ain't smart cause the water builds up under the heater and that moister can cause the cap on the bottom of the heater to rust out, not to mention if the pan drain is clogged and the bib is stuck in the open position, a very big mess will result.



I like your solution, I guess those cheap black wm hoses can come in handy lol. I will remember that trick if i ever need it.


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## ChrisConnor (Dec 31, 2009)

Considering the garbage on the floor, just letting the water run on the floor would have made sense too. 

This was a winterization for an empty house. Last people had been evicted in June and they left clothes knee deep and the house reeked of cat urine. Two couches, covered in filth, an entertainment center and a china cabinet were also there. Somebody had stolen the kitchen sink out of it and the cottage in the back too. The stove and fridge were taken, but food was left in the pantry. Calling it a dump would be polite.


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## Mississippiplum (Sep 30, 2011)

ChrisConnor said:


> Considering the garbage on the floor, just letting the water run on the floor would have made sense too.
> 
> This was a winterization for an empty house. Last people had been evicted in June and they left clothes knee deep and the house reeked of cat urine. Two couches, covered in filth, an entertainment center and a china cabinet were also there. Somebody had stolen the kitchen sink out of it and the cottage in the back too. The stove and fridge were taken, but food was left in the pantry. Calling it a dump would be polite.


Sounds like alot of the foreclosed houses round here.


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## DesertOkie (Jul 15, 2011)

ChrisConnor said:


> Considering the garbage on the floor, just letting the water run on the floor would have made sense too.
> 
> This was a winterization for an empty house. Last people had been evicted in June and they left clothes knee deep and the house reeked of cat urine. Two couches, covered in filth, an entertainment center and a china cabinet were also there. Somebody had stolen the kitchen sink out of it and the cottage in the back too. The stove and fridge were taken, but food was left in the pantry. Calling it a dump would be polite.



I got one of my best water catch pans from a situation like that. look for a deep cake pan the make great catch pans and they sit nicely against the back wall of a kitchen cabinet to catch the sludge when running a K/S line.


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## lpayne1234 (Sep 20, 2008)

take channel locks and turn drain 1/4 turn. Do it all the time.:whistling2:


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## ChrisConnor (Dec 31, 2009)

lpayne1234 said:


> take channel locks and turn drain 1/4 turn. Do it all the time.:whistling2:


Done that too, but plastic drains can be brittle I had a crappy plastic drain break off and flood once. 

I have since erred on the side of caution. 

And which is easier, to use and angled washing machine hose or rotate the drain?


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## rocksteady (Oct 8, 2008)

lpayne1234 said:


> take channel locks and turn drain 1/4 turn. Do it all the time.:whistling2:


I won't touch a plastic drain bib with anything more than my hands. If it were a brass bib I'd say yes but on a plastic one, I'm a little girl.







Paul


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## lpayne1234 (Sep 20, 2008)

Its all how you handle it, delicate friend delicate. Can't be too aggressive on these things. But these little things are just me, years of experience, and what works for me don't work for everyone else.


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## lpayne1234 (Sep 20, 2008)

to be honest, I don't even hardly use the drain, Liberty transfer pump form the top. Saves me time and money, and saves the customer money also.
I will agree with the plastic drains, when I install new W/H it gets brass boiler drain installed and the plastic is tossed.


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## ChrisConnor (Dec 31, 2009)

All the water heaters I install already have brass drains. Who still has plastic drain valves on their water heaters?


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## mccmech (Jul 6, 2011)

ChrisConnor said:


> I had one today, forty gallon lowboy inside of a kitchen cabinet. Thank goodness for angled washing machine hoses


Amen to that!


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## 504Plumber (Jan 26, 2011)

You can cut the water lines and cap them on top the heater, now free to do what you want with the drain. The lines won't act as a vent so water comes out slower, I usually stick a 3/4 nipple with a cap hand tight and thread it in there, pull cap and screw hose on.


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## beachplumber (Feb 7, 2010)

i think the **** ge heater have a plastic drain, however the last one i did has a brass drain, but it may only be on the longer warranty heaters.

When AO had there flood last year they were putting out plastic drains, seems to be back to brass now though


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## Mississippiplum (Sep 30, 2011)

beachplumber said:


> i think the **** ge heater have a plastic drain, however the last one i did has a brass drain, but it may only be on the longer warranty heaters.
> 
> When AO had there flood last year they were putting out plastic drains, seems to be back to brass now though


The **** ge's got brass drains.


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## Greenguy (Jan 22, 2011)

Best thing about the plastic ones is when you pull the tank up to the curb and kick it off to speed drain the tank.

That said it helps to make sure the apprentice doesn't break in on the lawn or somewhere nice.


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## Mississippiplum (Sep 30, 2011)

Greenguy said:


> Best thing about the plastic ones is when you pull the tank up to the curb and kick it off to speed drain the tank.


That's exactly what I do, if we are in a garage we drain it half down on a 40 or 50 then carry it out the side door or to the side of the driveway and take a Hammer and bust the drain cock off. We never drain it on to concrete cause of the mess that the sediments can cause. Always into the grass or a floor drain, catch basin, etc.


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## ChrisConnor (Dec 31, 2009)

Greenguy said:


> Best thing about the plastic ones is when you pull the tank up to the curb and kick it off to speed drain the tank.
> 
> That said it helps to make sure the apprentice doesn't break in on the lawn or somewhere nice.


Those are my favorite when they're sitting on the ground floor and you can just roll them out. I get them to a good spot and if the water isn't hot, I just stomp it and let it run in the grass.


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## Redwood (Sep 8, 2008)

beachplumber said:


> i think the **** ge heater have a plastic drain, however the last one i did has a brass drain, but it may only be on the longer warranty heaters.





Mississippiplum said:


> The **** ge's got brass drains.


Looks like a case of somebody is right and somebody is wrong here....:whistling2:

GE 6-year 50 gallon gas

GE 12-year 50 gallon gas

GE 9-year 50 gallon electric

GE 12-year 50 gallon electric

Looks to me like if you want a brass drain on a GE **** water heater you have to buy the 12-year guarantee... :whistling2:

Looks like BeachPlumber knows what he's talking about....:yes:


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## Richard Hilliard (Apr 10, 2010)

I use those hoses a lot. When I remove a heater I wil install bricks under the heater and if no bricks are available I use 4 inch pvc to daise the heater. 1 inch is not enough for a pan to be effective even with a small leak.

Recently I had a water heater that was not heating. The plumber installed the heater with the elements and stats facing the wall.Incredible,water heater in a closet and he or she could not use a couple extra fittings to turn it for easy access.


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## beachplumber (Feb 7, 2010)

On electric wh i always set treated 2 x4 under pan and under heater.

Under the pan raises it above bottom plate.

Under heater gives pan mo capacity and allows access to drain


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## ChrisConnor (Dec 31, 2009)

Richard Hilliard said:


> I use those hoses a lot. When I remove a heater I wil install bricks under the heater and if no bricks are available I use 4 inch pvc to daise the heater. 1 inch is not enough for a pan to be effective even with a small leak.
> 
> Recently I had a water heater that was not heating. The plumber installed the heater with the elements and stats facing the wall.Incredible,water heater in a closet and he or she could not use a couple extra fittings to turn it for easy access.


I had one of those once, piping was on the wrong sides, turned backwards to the wall and the wire to the heater was only 8". People bought the house three days prior and the home inspector didn't catch it along with several other things. Realtor said the home warranty would fix it, but because the plan had only been in effect three days also, it was considered preexisting and denied.


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## Mississippiplum (Sep 30, 2011)

Redwood said:


> Looks like a case of somebody is right and somebody is wrong here....:whistling2:
> 
> GE 6-year 50 gallon gas
> 
> ...


The only ones we ever installed from **** were the 12 years


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## Tommy plumber (Feb 19, 2010)

Richard Hilliard said:


> I use those hoses a lot. When I remove a heater I wil install bricks under the heater and if no bricks are available I use 4 inch pvc to daise the heater. 1 inch is not enough for a pan to be effective even with a small leak.
> 
> Recently I had a water heater that was not heating. The plumber installed the heater with the elements and stats facing the wall.Incredible,water heater in a closet and he or she could not use a couple extra fittings to turn it for easy access.


 




I'd like to rip the "plumber's" a$$ who does that. I had a 40 gal. lowboy under an A/C air handler like that. The elec. access panels were up against the wall....:furious: The customer only wanted the temperature adjusted a little higher. (I personally won't do it now for liability reasons, but at that time the company that I worked for asked me to do it). I spent approx. (2) hours on my knees removing, rotating and then re-installing that W/H just to make a minor adjustment. That kind of stuff just burns me up.


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## MattL (Nov 11, 2011)

ChrisConnor said:


> I had one today, forty gallon lowboy inside of a kitchen cabinet. Thank goodness for angled washing machine hoses


Yup!


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## Mississippiplum (Sep 30, 2011)

MattL said:


> Yup!
> 
> <img src="http://www.plumbingzone.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=12668"/>


That shark bite adds a nice touch to the already hackish install lol.


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## ChrisConnor (Dec 31, 2009)

Mississippiplum said:


> That shark bite adds a nice touch to the already hackish install lol.


Looks like a "Techtite" Ferguson's Sharkbite knockoff to me.

Why do you say it's an "already hackish install"? 

Looks like the cabinet and flooring were added after the fact, to me, why blame the plumber?


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## Greenguy (Jan 22, 2011)

Mississippiplum said:


> That's exactly what I do, if we are in a garage we drain it half down on a 40 or 50 then carry it out the side door or to the side of the driveway and take a Hammer and bust the drain cock off. We never drain it on to concrete cause of the mess that the sediments can cause. Always into the grass or a floor drain, catch basin, etc.


I'd stay away from grass nothing worse then coming back and seeing a large rust stain on the lawn where the water heater was dumped.


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## ChrisConnor (Dec 31, 2009)

If there was any rust, I just hit it with the hose and wash it into the soil. Iron is good for the grass, right??:laughing:


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## MattL (Nov 11, 2011)

ChrisConnor said:


> Looks like a "Techtite" Ferguson's Sharkbite knockoff to me.
> 
> Why do you say it's an "already hackish install"?
> 
> Looks like the cabinet and flooring were added after the fact, to me, why blame the plumber?


The "techtite" will be replaced with a copper fitting and solider due to customer complaint of water leaking in the floor, y'all have good eyes!


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