DIY: Is a gas water heater safe in a bedroom? [solved]

Question

Will Shaver153 Asked 12 years ago

DIY: Is a gas water heater safe in a bedroom? [solved]

My existing water heater is electric and is likely to need replacing soon. The heater is in a converted garage that I use as a guest room.

As the house is piped for gas, I'm considering the purchase of a gas water heater to replace the electric one. Is there any hazard with a modern gas water heater being used near where people are sleeping? (I'm more concerned here with fumes than the possibility of explosion.)

67

4

You might want to take a look at tankless water heaters (aka "on-demand" or "instantaneous" heaters). I'm not sure if they're any more or less safe carbon monoxide-wise, but I hear they're great. - Jared Harley 12 years ago

@Jared - Someone else mentioned that to me as well, so I'm going to research those as well. - Will Shaver 12 years ago

Sure, I wouldn't mind a large container of scalding hot water surrounded by FIRE in my bedroom closet. - spoulson 12 years ago

I sleep in the laundry room with a gas water heater and the only ventilation flow is a hole in the wall - Veronica 5 years ago

4 Answers Found

+1 for the reason they're usually banned. There was a case in Greece (or one of the Greek islands) a couple of years ago where the children in a family died due to faulty heater and CO poisoning. - ChrisF 12 years ago

Your answer is good, but missing one critical thing: make sure you have a CO detector! (probably on the other side of the room from the water heater) - gregmac 12 years ago

@gregmac, very good point. I added the CO detector to my answer. - JD Long 12 years ago

Can you provide a source for your statement that the amount of oxygen consumed by a hot water heater is negligible? I'm not trying to be a jerk but we are talking about something that can kill people here. - Mike Powell 12 years ago

@MikePowell it's not the consumption of O2 as such - it's the production of CO, which can be fatal in very low concentrations - Rory Alsop 10 years ago

I know of no model code that allows a fuel burning water heater in a bedroom unless it is a direct vented type. Installing a CO detector anywhere there are fuel burning appliances is a good idea. But it is foolish to tempt fate by installing a fuel burning water heater in your bedroom, and relying only on a single electronic device to save your life. Don't risk it! - bcworkz 10 years ago

@RoryAlsop My point was that the statement "there is no safety issue from consumption of oxygen" is a bold one to make without giving any source. I realize CO is a greater risk, but it's only an issue when something's malfunctioning. In contrast O2 depletion in a tight room is something that could potentially occur even with everything in perfect working order. I still haven't seen anything to back up JD's claim that it's an issue that can be dismissed completely. - Mike Powell 10 years ago

For what it's worth I completely agree with @bcworkz's comment above as far as the original question goes... - Mike Powell 10 years ago

Eric Petroelje9541 Answered 12 years ago

Pretty sure codes prevent using a gas appliance in a location where it will get it's combustion air from a bedroom. The reason for this is that if the heater is burning up all the oxygen in the room and it can't be replaced quickly enough through natural air flow through the house, you'd end up being asphyxiated in your sleep.

I think there's an exception though if you use a direct-vent model that gets it's combustion air from the outside. So you would need to make sure whatever hot water heater you buy is rated for that kind of installation.

39

4

+1. Triple check the regulations that apply and use a certified fitter. - ChrisF 12 years ago

Not too long ago several houses in the neighbourhood almost burned down because of a faulty part in one of those gas heaters. - txwikinger 12 years ago

wow, two downvotes on this? anyone care to comment why? - Eric Petroelje 12 years ago

I'm not one of the downvotes, but looking at the first answer, maybe the disagree with the oxygen consumption logic? - derobert 12 years ago

Sruly111 Answered 12 years ago

CO is dangerous as it has not odor, It is best not to take risks.

You can place a gas water heater outside in a metal closet with the proper ventilation.

This is much safer. I also currently have an electric heater, but when I put in gas pipes a couple of years ago, I put one outside so one day I can set up a gas heater in a safe way.

32

0

Kevin2750 Answered 3 months ago

3 Things They Don’t Tell You About Tankless

0

Answer this question

Share this Page

Click "Copy this Link" to copy page link to clipboard

score 48 · Accepted Answer

The amount of oxygen consumed by a hot water heater is negligible. The risk of the gas heater sucking all the oxygen out of the room is zero. Now that does not mean that it's code to have it in a bedroom, but there is no safety issue from consumption of oxygen.

The safety issue is on venting of the carbon monoxide (CO) from the hot water heater. In order to make the install safe, ensure that the new gas water heater is properly vented through the ceiling. There are lots of resources online about properly venting gas appliances. Here's a reasonable one to start with.

Obviously since a gas hot water heater requires adding a vent, it's more expensive to install. You may find that an electric water heater still makes financial sense once you consider installation costs.

As noted in the comments, be sure and get a CO detector for the room. These are relatively inexpensive and you can get them at your local hardware store or order through Amazon.