Because natural gas combustion and potentially carbon monoxide are right inside the home.
Gas water heater in bedroom closet.
The international residential code irc specifically bans a storage closet as a location for a gas water heater.
In houses that lack a basement or garage it is necessary to install the water heater somewhere inside the house itself.
Why is this crazy.
This also means that a dedicated water heater closet should not later have stuff stored in it.
The safety issue is on venting of the carbon monoxide co from the hot water heater.
The risk of the gas heater sucking all the oxygen out of the room is zero.
If you have a larger utility room the water heater can go into that room.
W hat if i want a gas water heater in a closet.
The attic is also a great choice.
The amount of oxygen consumed by a hot water heater is negligible.
Yes a gas water heater can be installed in a closet as long as the closet is not used for storage.
One of the solutions i listed at the end of the article is to enclose the combustion appliances inside a sealed combustion closet.
Codes for a water heater in the closet.
Most people install water heaters in a garage storage room or closet away from bedrooms so in general this wouldn t be an issue.
If your water heater or furnace is in a closet inside your home there are a few things you can do to make it safe.
It s not that bad but i wouldn t mount it in a closet close to where you ll be sleeping it produces around 45db but when it s mounted to an interior wall the sound resonates a bit more.
Placing it in the garage can be good when you have an attached garage.
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.
It s crazy but for decades building practices allowed furnaces and water heaters to be inside the home.
If you have a furnace or water heater that draws air from the room uses it in the combustion process and then exhausts it to the outside you could have serious health and safety risks in your home.
You may not have a great deal of space for your water heater.