Is it safe to install tankless water heater in pantry closet

[Tidybuoy]

I'm planning for my upcoming kitchen remodel and part of this involves removing a small bathroom and turning it into a small pantry (36" x 42").

This is the perfect spot to install a tankless water heater as the existing tank heater is on the other side of the wall and all plumbing is there and very handy.

I'm wondering is it is practical to have a tankless water heater in a pantry. I'm not sure how hot they get. This would be on a wall in this closet that is opposite of any shelving with food, etc..

Any advice would be appreciated.

[jamesnmlaw]

We put a gas tankless on the wall in our very, very small laundry 'room' that is about 6' x 4'. Doesn't get hot, pipes get hot but not bad. Vented thru the roof. The room has a sliding barn door so there's plenty of air into the room and we never shut the door. Also, some are made to be located on the outside of the house.

[vash]

my experience is limited.

i was told by my plumber that the Rinnai i chose needed to be closer to the source of gas. he bought me an outdoor unit that attached to the outside of the home. my job and only job was to keep the shrubs from encroaching on the exhaust.

he said we could put it near the existing water heater, but the double walled stainless exhaust needed per permit was gonna be expensive. (plus IIRC, run a bigger gas line)

in the end, i was happy to have it outside. they are not all that quiet. full roar of a blast furnace when my wife is draining some watershed with her showers.

[Gogar]

is there enough air in the closet to supply the combustion going on in the water heater?

[Tidybuoy]

This particular water heater (which I purchased about 4 years ago) is a condensing water heater - not sure exactly what that means. It has both intake and output air pipes that are vented to the outside - it uses 4" PVC for both intake and exhaust. It's interesting that the intake and exhaust are right next to each other and fit into a vent that will mounted onto the side of the house (seems to me like the intake would suck in the exhaust but it is made to be that way).

I purchased this several years ago with the intent of mounting it in the attic. I got it up into the attic and that is as far as I got. Have been figuring out how to get water up there but moving to the pantry is a better and much easier option. Unfortunately, it weighs about 80 lbs and was a pain to get up there - now I have to get it back down.

[reachme]

just had a Navien NPE-240-NG installed and intake/exhaust are from outside. It can exhaust through chimney but I did not have access in basement and already had exhaust from previous tank blower. It also has condensation piped through PVC to condensation pump used by heater so those 3 would be helpful.
It does not get hot at all, certainly allowed distance behind, around are in inches as opposed to the hot water tank and the whole thing is enclosed in plastic. Heat loss is inefficient and that is their claim to fame.
I do notice that it does take a little longer to get hot water available even though this supposedly has about a 2 gallon reservoir.

[look 171]

need dedicated gas line, 3/4"

if venting isn't an issue, then yes but check seat backs and such with city or building code. How much room do you have between heater and wall and such.

[Gogar]

Oh if the intake comes from outside then never mind what I was spewing about. Err. Yammering. I mean yammering about.

[scottmandue]

The 3/4" gas line and need for 120VAC is the only thing holding me back (and the price compared to the old style) not impossible but just two extra little projects.

My neighbor had an outside tankless installed, I don't see any venting at all?

[ben parrish]

They do make tankless electric heaters...looking at one for my garage. They do require a 60 amp breaker which is a pretty large draw.

[look 171]

Originally Posted by scottmandue

The 3/4" gas line and need for 120VAC is the only thing holding me back (and the price compared to the old style) not impossible but just two extra little projects.

My neighbor had an outside tankless installed, I don't see any venting at all?

Vent is built into the heater near the top. No need to have additional venting hook up to it. There are code regarding setbacks you have to mindful of

[Tidybuoy]

I'm installing new larger gas lines. I recently had an estimate for moving the A/C & furnace moved into the attic and they went over all the code requirements with me. First, the Heater and Water Heater are required to have dedicated gas lines, meaning they can't be T'd off the main line. The only "T" that is allowed is at the gas meter. The tankless also requires a larger line which I think was 3/4" or 1" (don't remember now). That is because even though the tankless will use less gas overall, it will use high volume when in use.

Unfortunately, my estimate from the A/C company was ridiculous so I am using the estimate to get some prep work done myself. The a/c company wanted $27k to install a new unit in my attic and that was after I supply the platform, gas lines, and ductwork. I'm dumb but not stupid.

At the time I had the estimate for the A/C move, I was planning on relocating the water heater to the attic as well.

Right now, I'm just in the prep phase and trying to save some money by building the A/C platform in the attic and running the gas lines. (Don't worry, I am going to have my licensed neighbor help me and pressure test the lines).

My primary question for today was only to find out if it is practical to have the water heater in a closet with food, etc.. Google has also been a big help.

Thanks all.

[Tidybuoy]

Originally Posted by ben parrish

They do make tankless electric heaters...looking at one for my garage. They do require a 60 amp breaker which is a pretty large draw.

I was advised against electric since they consume a lot of electricity. However, I do know someone that installed mini instant hot heaters at all sinks in his house and that is working well. He still uses a big water heater for showers, etc..

[unclebilly]

This is the Rinnai in my closet. Been like this since I built the house 9 years ago. It is ver 30’ from the gas meter. Ventilation isn’t a problem, it draws combustion and cooling air from outside.

[rusnak]

You're asking two questions: is it safe, and is it practical.

Safe? Not sure.

Practical? No.

Your existing water heater works, and supplies water to the whole house?

Does the new heater supply the same amount of water, or will it not? The existing one can be moved with far less expense and hassle than a new, different type of water heater that requires a pretty good sized chimney to exhaust the heat when it fires up. It's not like you're adding a water heater to a remote guest house or something like that. Why would someone ever want to move an AC, and not leave it in place, just move the ducts?

[look 171]

Personally, I hang that sucker outside. Makes service so much easier. The stinky plumber that will come out to service the unit can just do it all by his lonesome self without you having to wait for him. Come through and do his thing. Save close space too. No vents to deal with. I don't know the layout of your house, but putting that thing in the attic is a mistake only because its hard to get to come time to service it.

to answer your question. It safe in the closet

[Tidybuoy]

Originally Posted by rusnak

Safe? Not sure.

Practical? No.

Your existing water heater works, and supplies water to the whole house?

Does the new heater supply the same amount of water, or will it not? The existing one can be moved with far less expense and hassle than a new, different type of water heater that requires a pretty good sized chimney to exhaust the heat when it fires up. It's not like you're adding a water heater to a remote guest house or something like that. Why would someone ever want to move an AC, and not leave it in place, just move the ducts?

I'm making changes to create additional space with my future kitchen remodel. The current bathroom that is off the kitchen is 36"x42" (pretty darn small). This room will be converted to a pantry as it is located very near where the stove will be located.

The current water heater was installed in 1971 (that's 48 years old). I think it's time for a new one even though the old WH still works. The current WH and A/C-Heater are in a 5'x6' closet that will become a new bathroom. No new ductwork is required however the existing ducts are sheathed in asbestos and the A/C contractor won't touch it unless it is replaced. However, the contractor told me that the duct work is very good quality and that if I removed the asbestos, re-seal all the seams, it would meet code.

The only question that I had was "can a tankless be installed in a pantry" That has been answered. The design of my new kitchen is really up to me and the help of my designer.

Lastly, you ask if my new WH will supply the same amount of water - Yes. The water supply will not be changing. The capacity of this tankless is about a large as you can get and handles 3 appliances at a time (i.e, bathtub, washing machine, sink). At some point, I may add a second tankless that handles one half of the house but for now I will use what I have. Keep in mind, I already bought this tankless but it's been sitting idle for 4 years in my attic.

[Evans, Marv]

Originally Posted by ben parrish

They do make tankless electric heaters...looking at one for my garage. They do require a 60 amp breaker which is a pretty large draw.

I have two, one inside and the other outside. I looked into electric and the ones that supplied water at the rate (6gpm I think) my gas ones do consumed 160 amps at full operation. Since my outside panel only handles 200A, I decided against it and glad I went with gas. Mine look about like Unclebilly's, and the outside cabinet is only maybe 14 or 18 inches deep and 3 inches around the sides of the unit. If you can go with an outside installation, I'd consider it. The inside unit is in my garage, and as far as I can tell there is little heating going on in the area around it. So your installation in the "closet" shouldn't be a problem for the food in your "pantry" to be.

[Jeff NJ]

Not all tankless water heaters are zero clearance and not all are designed for indoors.

I didn't see the make/model of your specific heater, so google that model and see what the instructions are for installing. It will be clear in the instructions if you can do what you want.
It will throw off a little bit of heat, but if it is ventilated properly, it should be OK, just be aware it wont be ideal for some foods that like cooler storage.

[look 171]

One more for you Tudy. Some of the units will eject a little of gas when it goes on so you may smell a little gas if that matters to you.