Figuring out how to comply with -500IQ moron code for water heater

[JeremyH.]

Trying to prep a home for sale and my realtor tells me we need "earthquake straps" on the water heater. I'm like  [huh] there are no and never have been earthquakes at this location. I inquire about grandfathered in etc, no exceptions. I look up the code and you have to have two straps, two points of contract for each. You can't have more than 4" of gap either between the unit and wall. Obviously I spend a minute being mad at whomever invented this code and still wish them Ebola, black widow bites head to toe, and rot in the fires of eternal damnation. But I still have to figure out how to solve this...

I'm including some pictures. My first thought is to P&L 2x6's on both sides of the chimney facing it and wrap the strap around and anchor into them at two locations (two sets of 2x6's). Furring out from it is necessary due to distance. I'm not so sure how it'd hold up to concrete screws so that seems a bit risky. Alternatives are shooting plate into concrete to build a wall behind it but then that has to be furred out as well. Re-frame the whole closet to the master bedroom sound like a nightmare, to get the plate to line up on bottom with no furring. There's very little room around it as well towards the furnace. And of course the option to pay a plumber a huge amount of money to move the entire unit so it can be strapped to a wall for no  [censored] [censored] [censored] [censored] reason at all. This is all because 300 miles on the other side of a mountain range and tectonic plate there was an earth quake 100 years ago  :. This has to get done because it's a sale that will provide the necessary money for my father's care at a memory care residency (been a long road to even get to this point).

 

[Cheese]

I would think that if it's code, there should some type of contraption that is sold locally and then introduce the 2 x 6 approach.

 

[JeremyH.]

You can buy these everywhere, but they don't help you for placement problems. I already bought them.

 

[JeremyH.]

Here's the vision by the evil that has coded this...

 

[tjbnwi]

I would shut the water and power off to the unit. Before draining I would attempt to push the unit back, if I couldn’t punish it back I’d drain in then push back. I’d use Toggler anchors and strap it to the black wall. Looking at the cable and flex lines I don’t think you’ll need to change them.

Best to you and your father.

Tom

 

[Holzhacker]

A few points of information that may or may not be helpful.
- Except in rare instances, usually involving life safety installations, the Code is NOT retroactive.
- The currently adopted Code would not apply to a water heater that was installed previously. Unless the earthquake strap Code was in place when the water heater was originally installed.
- Make sure whatever Code someone is referencing has actually been adopted by your Municipality. Just because a Code exists does NOT mean you have to be in compliance with it. ONLY if your Municipality has adopted that Code.

- Unless you are living in a known earthquake area it would be unlikely a home inspector would note that but its possible.
- I've seen strap kits for water tanks of various types. Around here most people just use metal strap iron or band iron, as we call it. Metal roll with holes in the plumbing aisle at HD. Some people also cut pan stock 2" + wide strips, wrap around the tank and screw to the wall or framing.

Don't freak out about it. Throw some basic strapping on there and forget about it.
If anybody says anything, your first response should be something along the lines of:
"Thank you for that information, can you please provide that Code section in writing, thank you."

That will usually end the conversation since almost no one is willing to provide the Code section. Also at least 1/2 of the people who cite Code are really only going off of third party hearsay rather than actual knowledge.
That's especially common with RE agents.

 

[rmhinden]

I noticed from your pictures that the water and power lines were all designed to be flexible (not soldered), so I suspect that the water heater was meant to comply with earthquake requirements when it was installed.  They probably forgot to add the straps.

Bob

 

[Vtshopdog]

Installed below set when we got a new heater about 4 years ago.  Took less than hour, the central bolt to tighten straps made things really easy and just shimmed the back of tank to support against the wall.  All in all a pretty quick project.

[attachimg=1]

[attachimg=2]

 

[live4ever]

Earthquake strapping isn’t that big a deal.  Be glad you’re not installing a safety bollard for a garage water heater.

 

[Peter Kelly]

Trying to prep a home for sale and my realtor tells me we need "earthquake straps" on the water heater.

"my realtor tells me" is the part that negates any of this, feel free to ignore them and move on to the more pressing issues you've got. If a residential property was designed, permitted and built in accordance with earlier editions of local and state building codes, it can remain in it's original state. If a potential buyer's inspector decides to flag the strap thing as an issue and it somehow becomes a condition of the sale, worry about it then.

 

[JeremyH.]

Thank you for all the replies.

Tom, we'll try just pushing it. Maybe that's the easier answer. The lines flex, yes, but they don't feel like it so we'll see if that will work and provide access.

Holz, I thought we may be able to leave it but my realtor says shes been forced into this before financing contracts will go through and is doing it at multiple locations right now. I'm not sure of the date it was put in, but it was by a competent father at the time.

Vtshopdog I see that you didn't screw in but used something to form the bolts in, that seems like a good idea in the situation I have if I need to do it.

 

[leakyroof]

Quick search of Home Depot shows that this is a 'thing', and they have sold them in various hot water tank sizes..
https://www.homedepot.com/p/The-Plu...g-Strap-in-Galvanized-Steel-55GWHSE/309167796

 

[Jim Metzger]

Not to make the original poster crazy but you cannot attach wood framing directly to a chimney. I'd use steel studs with a fire resistive flashing to prevent direct contact between the concrete and steel.

The codes seem onerous, I am an Architect and "fight" with them every day but they do serve a purpose. I am also the photographer for our local Fire Department and some of the stuff they see would make your head explode... but then they would have to come put out the fire  ;D

 

[xedos]

I'd remind the realtor who their working for.  Financing is someone else's problem, not yours.

That said, you've engaged a professional for their expertise and services so not heeding their advice seems counter intuitive That may or may not have consequences, as the realtor (despite the talking points) is looking of for themselves before you.

Meaning, they have the experience, but is it the right or best experience ?  And their agenda may not be the absolute best for you.

 

[squall_line]

I'd remind the realtor who their working for.  Financing is someone else's problem, not yours.

That said, you've engaged a professional for their expertise and services so not heeding their advice seems counter intuitive That may or may not have consequences, as the realtor (despite the talking points) is looking of for themselves before you.

Meaning, they have the experience, but is it the right or best experience ?  And their agenda may not be the absolute best for you.

If I had a nickel for each piece of bad/completely wrong information/advice I got from various real estate agents over the years, I could buy another Festool.  The same goes for "inspectors" for housing sales.

That said, they can also completely derail a negotiation/sale, so there's that...

 

[Vtshopdog]

My two cents is the big picture is you want to sell the house.  Removing anything that may get flagged before showing the property is likely time well spent. 

The fewer potential issues there are the better.  I think many buyers are willing to overlook some quantity of minor flaws, but once you exceed their tolerance for issues they likely will want all of them addressed before buying or they will move on and look elsewhere as your property might seem not as nice as they like.

 

[xedos]

My two cents is the big picture is you want to sell the house.  Removing anything that may get flagged before showing the property is likely time well spent. 

The fewer potential issues there are the better.  I think many buyers are willing to overlook some quantity of minor flaws, but once you exceed their tolerance for issues they likely will want all of them addressed before buying or they will move on and look elsewhere as your property might seem not as nice as they like.

I agree with all you said.

But , here's the question....who's doing the "flagging" and why ?

In this instance , I doubt a buyer is going to move on because a H2O heater isn't strapped down.  I presume this water heater swap was permitted and passed inspection.    Which means ...........it didn't need strapping at the time.  The electrical code has changed many times in the same time period and I can practically guarantee the system in that house isn't 100% in compliance with the current NEC rules.    None of that seems to be a big deal - some of which could potentially result in loss of life.  What do you think the chances of someone dying from an over turned water heater are ? ? ?

 

[squall_line]

My two cents is the big picture is you want to sell the house.  Removing anything that may get flagged before showing the property is likely time well spent. 

The fewer potential issues there are the better.  I think many buyers are willing to overlook some quantity of minor flaws, but once you exceed their tolerance for issues they likely will want all of them addressed before buying or they will move on and look elsewhere as your property might seem not as nice as they like.

I agree with all you said.

But , here's the question....who's doing the "flagging" and why ?

In this instance , I doubt a buyer is going to move on because a H2O heater isn't strapped down.  I presume this water heater swap was permitted and passed inspection.    Which means ...........it didn't need strapping at the time.  The electrical code has changed many times in the same time period and I can practically guarantee the system in that house isn't 100% in compliance with the current NEC rules.    None of that seems to be a big deal - some of which could potentially result in loss of life.  What do you think the chances of someone dying from an over turned water heater are ? ? ?

I think it's an earthquake mitigation issue to prevent gas leaks, rather than a "keep someone from tipping it over and crushing themselves" issue, just to clarify why the code exists now.

That said, I also agree completely with "if it was inspected and permitted at the time".

If it was inspected and permitted at the time, it's a possible point of negotiation, just like a roof that has wear or outlets found to be missing a ground connection or a paint color that someone doesn't like.  None of those should blow up a sale of an otherwise solid home.

 

[mino]

I agree with all you said.

But , here's the question....who's doing the "flagging" and why ?

In this instance , I doubt a buyer is going to move on because a H2O heater isn't strapped down.  I presume this water heater swap was permitted and passed inspection.    Which means ...........it didn't need strapping at the time.  The electrical code has changed many times in the same time period and I can practically guarantee the system in that house isn't 100% in compliance with the current NEC rules.    None of that seems to be a big deal - some of which could potentially result in loss of life.  What do you think the chances of someone dying from an over turned water heater are ? ? ?

The real estate agent will not even present it to the (more wealthy) buyer. That is one.

Then there are these naive "everything should be proper" people who do not have enough life experience. So believe that anything not "new or shiny" is "old ****".

For that demographic, "safety at all costs" is the mantra they were fed in through and trhough ... so anything that MAY be seen as a safety hazard -and- is cheap to change or fix is just not worth the value loss.

I.e. exactly the buyers which may pay more than the base value of the property ... exactly because they have a skewed view of reality. When selling few/one piece on a bigger market, you want to cater to the weirdos - those are who spend the most if they like something. Knowledgeable folks are no money givers.

My 2c.