Hi All,

Water heater is in unfinished basement without a drain. Inspector gave me a diagram that uses a tee and drains the valve outside but a 1/4" copper loop right below the heater, which he said to crimp almost closed at the end. My understanding is this lets you see if your valve is dripping but if it blows, then water will flow to the outside.

I've run the drain outside, went to rafters with galvanized then transitioned to Pex for the remainder of the run, to keep Pex 18" away from the heater. I plan on running the pex into a dry well that I have to dig.

Is this going to work?

Here's the diagram the inspector gave me (I'm in San Jose, CA).



Also, Packy, I'm close to getting the plumbing finished finally including the recirculating line you advised me on.

Thanks Jeff



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work - yes

code compliant - evidently

best practice - no way


my opinion: leave the basement unfinished and terminate the 'blow off' 6" above floor with a water alarm/shut off device

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"Measure Twice & Cut Once" - Retired U.A. Local 1 & 638

to quote grouch marks, that's the most rediculous thing i have ever heard...

my code says 9-12 inches off floor. enough to get a bucket under it..

We have to pipe the T + P within 6" of the floor here. I always put a floor drain near where the water heater is going to be when doing the underslab work.
I can honestly say I have never saw a T + P valve piped like in that picture.

I used to have an agreement with the head plumbing inspector so I could do that, but when he retired his successor said "no way", so I am surprised that an inspector even knows how to do it, much less recommend it. The "drip" from the 1/4" line is to drain the overhead portion, (and if the end outside is lower than the end of the 1/4", it will siphon itself with only a small amount of water leaking from the 1/4"

Hj,I put a water heater in the basement of mayor of San Jose so I had the chief inspector make me do the same thing...remember the code is open to interpratation

Thanks for the feedback. At least I know I'm not the only one who has had to do it and thinks it's crazy. Now I just need to find someone to dig a 2'x2'x2' dry well to drain into.

Jeff



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