gerryanne said:
I recently moved to a house with a gas hot water tank. Someone told me that I could have the tank stand in some sort of a holder over a drain that would be drilled in my basement in case I wasn't around when the tank started to leak. Does anyone know if that could be done, and if so, what I would expect a plumber to charge in Massachsetts to do this.
Thanks.
Gerry
How old is the water heater, as removeing it to install a safe pan could result in it failing shortly there after. Waters heater do not like to move after any set time.
Life spans of gas fired hot water heaters vary, however the rule of thumb is the average life span is (5) years. If the unit you are talking about is even remotetly close to this consider replaceing it, and in the process install a safe pan.
Taco Inc makes a product called a watchdog that protects the home from damange from this type of problem, it connects to the water line and shuts down the system in the event of a premature failure.
Mass varys a lot in the price range for this type of replacement, its hard to give a competive price without going and seeing the system, you may be able to get a price for the installation over the phone but it is whats known as flat rate. These prices are priced quite high as they consider all aspects of the installation as the worst case installation.
Good Luck
Bernie