Installing a Drain Line for a Hot Water Heater Pan
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Installing a Pan
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A hot water heater pan is used to catch run off from a hot water heater. It is usually made of metal and painted with a rustproof and waterproof finish. The pans also come with a drainage hole. This is important if you want to install a drain line to the pan. Some pans do not have this feature. If yours doesn't, you will have to install one yourself. Using a carbide bit drill you can simply drill a hole into the side of the pan, then attach a drain nozzle so a pipeline can be connected.
Attaching the Drain Line
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For a hot water pan that already has a drain hole, all you need to do is hook up a rubber hose to this line. The first step is to find a valve nozzle that can be inserted into the drain pan hole. This particular nozzle has a hose outlet and a hex bolt that allows it to be attached to the wall of the pan. The valve is placed into the hole, the lock nut is attached on the back and the hex bolt is tightened to secure it. The nozzles can accept 1-inch and 1/5-inch pipe as a drain line. Just attach the pipe to the nozzle using a coupler, or attach a rubber hose and secure it with a clamp. Some drain valves are already threaded and will accept a pipe that can be connected with a threaded coupler. If not, you may need to remove the drain nozzle and install a new one that is threaded.
What to Use for a Drain Pipe
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Typically, a rubber hose is a sufficient enough drain line, and it can be routed to a larger drain hole quite simply because it is flexible. It may not fasten as securely to the drain pan as a hose, however. In some cases you may want to install a hard pipe of PVC or copper and then slide on a length of rubber hose to complete the drain line. It depends on where you want to route the line. Either a PVC pipe or a copper pipe can be fitted to the drain nozzle as long as the proper attachment is used. A metal pipe and a PVC pipe can both be fitted to a plastic nozzle in this case.
Routing the Drain Pipe
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For most homes, routing the pipe to the main drain line in the basement is a good idea. If the pan overflows, the water will flow right down the drain. A rubber hose is ideal for this use because it will easily route around corners to the drain. For longer drain routes, use a large enough pipe to allow fast draining. Pipes that are only 1/2 inch in diameter will not be sufficient to drain runoff if a 80-gallon water heater ruptures. It should be sufficient if you are manually draining the tank using the pan to change the elements.
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