Water Heaters And Model Codes

mdshunk

Is anyone aware of any general requirement in any model codes that would require a dwelling to have central hot water? (namely, a water heater of some sort)

Double-A

Central, no. Hot water, yes.

I can't site you passages however. Arkansas just went to IPC and I don't have a copy.

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New York Times, July 20, 2006

mdshunk

If the code was to say (and I'm just guessing here) 'a permanent means for heating hot water', would a range or a microwave suit? Maybe it's pointless to guess without code, just yet.

Ah... here we go...

Ron The Plumber

I wounder if who ever wrote those codes knows what there even talking about.

There not very clear are they.

Maybe the other is On-Demand heaters / boilers.

mdshunk

I'm nearly certain that's the type of things they had in mind, but it does not state what the 'other' systems are, or even that they need to be approved. A stove and a bucket to deliver the hot water to the fixture is an "other" system.

Leo G

I don't consider a sink a plumbing fixture, but I do think a faucet is considered a fixture. It seems to state that you need to have the ability to store this heated water, even though you can store hot water in a bucket or a pan it won't be hot for very long.

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mdshunk

No, I don't see that at all. It tells you what storage tanks should be constructed of. It doesn't say you need to have one. There are tankless water heaters on the market, after all.

Plumbing "fixture" has a definition in the code, and is things like the tub, toilet, sink, etc.

Leo G

Well all I can say to that is go and build your house without a hot water system and see if you can get an inspector to give you a CO. Explain to him how you plan on making your hot water in a pan on your stove and supplying it to the fixtures. After he stops rolling on the ground from laughter, he'll probably tell you to guess again. The code may be vague in this respect but everybody knows to expect a hot water heating system in a new modern house, even an older house.

__________________
Sawdust Follows Me Everywhere

http://lrgwood.com
Custom Cabinets in Hartford County Connecticut

mdshunk

That might be true, but if a guy took it to appeal, without legally enforcable local modifications, I know he would win.

What I'm struggling with is an electrical requirement related to water heaters, when there seems to be (to me) no code that requires a water heater in the first place.

Double-A

By supply, they mean via pipe of some sort, not via bucket, in my mind, that calls for an automatic heating and delivery of the water.

Direct, indirect, solar, wood fire, doesn't matter, but it has to be capable of doing it on its own.

__________________
"My clients’ wishes are the center of my attention." -- David Guido, a contractor in Woodstock, N.Y.
New York Times, July 20, 2006