General Comments... ‘A water heater is ehy’eppllence that heats potable water and supplies itto'the hot water distibution ‘system, Some water heatefs may also be sed for space heating, Sec- | ton 607:4 ton To this end, the code re. wit he nsaation and operation of wate heaters. lies heavily on the | frau Gerttcation mark by an ap- - i _#This-section defies the scope of the chapter-and.con-——_ shall, tthe Water supplied to the potable hot water proved ‘agency, which indicates Gompliance with an'ap- proved standard. An approved agency tests the semple product in accordance with the referenced standard. Ad- ditionally, the approved’ agency periodically performs an Inspection (in plant ifnecessary) that the material bearing the certifcation'mark is representative of the’ product tested. The approved agency can require the manufac- turer to alter, add or delete information in the installation lions as necessary to achieve compliance with the applicable standard. Since Water heaters are required _ be installed in, accordance with the manufacturer's in- structions, these instructions must be avallable to the the water heeter has been properly installed. Purpose The purpose of Chapter 6 is to regulate the desion, ap- proval and installation of water heaters and related safely, jevices. The intent Is to minimize the hazards associated istribution system to a temperature of 140°F (60°C) or less. The potabilty of the water shall be maintained throughout he system, ‘When a water heater has a dual purpose of supplying hot water and serving as a heat source for a hot water space heating system, the maximum outlet water tem~ Srature for the potable hot water distribution systems ‘limited to'140°F (60°C), A master thermostatic mixing. valve conforming to ASSE 1017 must be provided to limit the water temperature to 140° (60°C) or less. “These valves are used extensively in applications for domestic service to mix hot and cold water to reduce high service water temperature to the building distribu- {ion system, These devices are not intended for final temperature control at fixtures and appliances (set ASSE 1016). | ‘A water heater used as part of a space heating sys- tem must be protected from any conditions that can cause contamination of the potable water supply sys- tem. A typical installation might be an under-floor radi- ~antheating system. Since the water heateris part of the potable water system, materials used. in the heating _System must be approved for use in'a potable water ‘system, and all connections must be protected against ‘ontimination. In the summer months when the heat 545013-5015 ing system is inactive, a method to prevent stagnation of the water should be employed. Small orifices in the [So-':< lation valves to permit ¢ small amount of water to circu- fate through the system could be provided. for.this purpose. Chemicals of any type must not be added to the healing system, as this would directly contaminate the potable water supply. Protection ofthe potable water supply must be in accordance with Section 608 (see Figure 501.2) a ‘501.3 Drain valves. Drain valves for emptying shall be installed, ‘pe Water healer and hot water stor. age tank, Drain valves shall conform wo ASSE 1005, ++ Awater heater must be capable of being drained to faci itata service, sediment removal, repair or replacement. Drain valves must be constructed and tested In accor- dance with ASSE 1005, which requires the valves to have an inlet of Sicinch (18.1 mm) nominal iran pipe size, the outlet to be equipped with 2 Standard */;lach” (19.1 mm) male hose thread anda straight-through wa- terway of not less than “Ieinch (12.7 mm) diameler. 501.4 Location. Water heaters and storage tanks shall be lo- cated and coniiécted $0 & to provide access for observation, maintenance, servicing and replacement. EP heaters and the potable. water‘connec- tions require routine inspections, maintenance, repairs and possible replacement, access is required. Addl- tionally, access recommendations or requirements are use W: WATER HEATERS usualy stated in the manufacturers’ Installation instruc- tions. Thus, the provisions stated herein are intended to supplement the manufacturers’ Installation instructions. “The intent isto provide access to all components that Fequire. observation, Inspection, adjustment, servicing, repair and replacement. Access is also necessary to ‘conduct operating procedures such as start-up or shut- down. “The code defines access ss belnig able'to be reached but which first may require the removal of a panel, door, of similar obstruction: Access to a water heater is not ., ‘achieved ifitis necessary.to remove. any portion of the structure's permanent finish materials, such as drywall, plaster, paneling,. built-in.furnitura or, cabinets, or any. neatly aixed building component. ‘There is not always sufficient room for a water heater, io be installed in spaces such as basements, alcoves, “ utlty rooms and-furnaoe rooms. In. an, éffort.to. save. “1 space or simplify an installation, waler-h © installed in crawl spaces, attics.or similar remote loca: tions. Access and service of water heaters could be dif cult; therefore, a. walkway, work space. or. platform. is necessary to.provide:a.large enough path of travel. to, and adequate space for, such adtiviies in accordance. with Section 502. : 3 ee = 501.5 Water heater labeling. “All water: heatets!shall be: third-party certified. <2 Jesu bes nea ‘Water heaters must be third-party certified by an ap- proved agency as complying with the applicable andap- WATER-TO-AIR HEAT EXCHANGER [AIR HANDLER if 501.2 2003 INTERNATIONAL PLUMBING CODE? COMMENTARY, iemare ofan, C wi C C CWATER HEATERS pfoptiate national standards. Some examples’ of standards that are used as a basis for testing and certif- cation of water heaters Include “ANSI 221.10.1 and ‘ANS! 221.10.3 for gas-burning water heaters, UL 174 and UL 1453 for domestic electric water heaters, UL. 1453 for commercial electric water heaters and UL 732 for oll-buming water heaters. “The certification marks the primary, if not the only, in dicator to the installer, inspector and end user that the water heater fias been tested and evaluated by an ap- proved agency and has been determined to perform in an acceptable manner when installed and operated in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions. Third- party certification is to be in accordance with Section 303.4. ‘A fundamental principle of the code, ts the tupon the certification process to. indicate the perfor- mance, characteristics of the water heater. The pres- ence ofa certification mark's part ofthe information that the code offical ls to consider in the approval of the wa- ter heater (see commentary, Section 303.4 and the def- nition of “Third-party certifed* in Section 202), 501.6 Water temperature control in piping from tankless heaters. The temperature of water from tankless, water heaters shall be a maxitrium of 140°F (60°C) when intended for domes- tic uses. This provision shall not supersede the requirement for, protective shower valves in accordance with Section 424.3. ‘The intent of this section sto prevent excessively high wwater-temperatures from reaching plumbing. fixtures. Tankless; healers do not have 2 storage capacity and r¢:often, called "instantaneous". because the Water Is heated at the same time end at the same rate It is used. Instantaneous heaters can discharge an Uncertain range of temperatures at any given time, depending on the use, Therefore, some form of temperature control is necessary to protect the user against exposure to ex: ‘cessively hot water discharged ‘rom domestic fixtures, such as. lavatories, kitchen sinks, tubs “end taundry trays. This is accomplished with a tempering valve ed- Justed to deliver water at @ maximum temperature of 14 {ure-limiting deviee or thermostat which has a maximum Selling of 140"F (00°C), ‘When a tankless water healer Is used to supply hot water'to @ shower ‘and tub/shower ‘combination, the maximum. outlet temperature ‘must be. controlled at 120°F (46°C). in accordance with Section 424.3. ‘5017 Pressure marking of storage tanks. Storage tanks and ‘Water heaters installed for domestic hot water shall have the max {mun allowable working pressure clearly and indelibly stamped {in the metal or marked on a plate welded thereto or otherwise per- rmanently atached, Such markings shall be in an accessible posi- tion outside of the tank so as to make inspection or seinspection readily possible, + Water heaters, lite all pressure vessels, must be able to withstand the working pressures to which they wil be 2003 INTERNATIONAL PLUMBING CODE? COMMENTARY ei lance 501.6 502.1 subjected. The maximum working pressure of the water heater must be, known'so that a property rated relief valve not exceeding the manufacturer's rated working pressure can be instelled. The working pressure must bbe marked in such a way that itis permenent, not sus- ‘ceptible to damage and legible for the life of the water heater, Therefore, ifthe relief valve requires replace- ment, 2 properly sized valve. can be reinstalled. The marking on the water heater must be locatad so that tis. readily accessible during inspecting and servicing. 501.8 Temperature controls: All hot water supply, systems shall be equipped with automatic temperature controls capable cof adjustments from the lowest to the highest acceptable iermper- ature settings forthe intended temperature operating range. *-Atemperature control is typically Supplied by the manu- facturer of the water heater as an integral part of the init, A thermostat is necessary to allow adjustment of the water temperature and to provide automatic opera tion, Clrculating-type healers with: separate storage tanks must employ controls that sense the temperature for the purpose of automaticaly controlling the heater. The intent of this section Is to prohibit manually con- trolled water-heating systems that could allow danger- ‘ous lemperature variations. 2 : SECTION'502 0) 1 Silas INSTALLATION ee ‘502.1. General. Water heaters shall be installed in accordance with the manufacturer's installation instructions, Oil-fired water’ ip ‘heaters shall conform to the requirements of this code and the 1 International Mechanical Code, Electric water heaters shall ‘conform to the requirements of this code and provisions of the ICC Electrical Code listed iq Chapter 13. Gas-fired water heat-_ is ers shall. conform to the: requirements of the {nternational Fuel. Ha Gas Code. : i ‘This dectoh requires al waler heaters tobe instaledin || accordance: with’ the’ ‘manufacturer's. Instructions. : (60°C), or equipping the heater with a tempera.___Ollfred water heaters must conform to the require- i ‘ments of the ‘Gode”and the Intemational: Mechanical | ~ Code? (IMC®). Electric water heaters must conform to: the tequirements of the code and the provisions of the ICC Electrical: Code® (ICC EC*Visted in Chapter 13. | Gas-fired water heaters must conform to the require- ments of the Intemational Fue! Gas Gode® (IFGC*). ‘This section also provides requirements for water heat- ers installed in rooms used as plenums. i “The manufacturer's instructions are thoroughly eval- uated by the third-party certifcetion agency to insure safe installation. The certifying agency can require the ‘manufacturer to alter, delete or add information in the installation instructions as necessary to achieve compl- ance with the applicable standards and code require- ments. ‘When 2 water heater is tested to obtain a third-party certification, the epproved agency. Installs the water bib