Water heater leaks become much more important when the end result could be seventy gallons of water on your living room floor. A tank-type water heater requires about 15 – 20 square feet of floor space, and if it’s in your living area, it must be enclosed in a closet.įor some reason, home builders have decided that the optimum placement for this liquid-filled cylinder is in your attic. Why would anyone think suspending as much as seventy gallons of water above your living space is a good idea? Simple answer: more floor space. Close to half of the water heaters currently heating water in Houston have been installed in the attic. Tank-Type Water Heaters in the Attic Take a Stupid Idea and Make it Stupider.įor the rest of us unlucky Houston homeowners, our water heaters are either in an indoor utility closet on the ground floor or in the attic.

If you’re among the fortunate few that had their homes built by someone who had at least a lick of common sense, your water heater is probably in the garage, or an attached outdoor closet made just for the water heater.

I mean, we’re talking about a forty-to-seventy-gallon tank of water just sitting inside your house. I know it’s a bold statement from a guy who sells a lot of tank-type water heaters as part of his business plan, but it’s something that needs to be said.

Tank-Type Water Heaters are a Stupid Idea. We’re talking about the sheer terror, panic, and misery that a leaking water heater can wreak on your home and your budget. There are a lot of potential horror stories lurking in every home, and I’m not talking about ghosts, demonic possessions, or that guest that doesn’t know when to leave.

Gas water heater overflow pipe leaking