Give a water heater enough time and it will spring a leak. 9 times out of 10 the leak will be from the bottom of the tank. Hopefully it’s a slow leak and you frequent your mechanical room enough to notice it before it’s too late. A leaking water heater, gone unnoticed, can cause significant damage to flooring or important items stored on mechanical room floors. The perfect solution to combat this aquatic crisis is installing a drain pan beneath your water heater. These pans catch the leaking water and are piped directly to a sanitary drain keeping your floor dry and property safe.

But some things are easier to say than to do. Generally homeowners and contractors neglect the importance of the water heater pan. Some contractors view it as an installing inconvenience in situations where the nearby floor drain may be difficult to pipe to, while some homeowners view it as a needless up-sell. This indifference has led to drain pans being found less and less in homes. Fact of the matter is the additional price for installing a drain pan is worth the cost when put into comparison the amount it will save you in repairs bills to damaged floors or belongings.

A water heater mid-install in White City. The tank is sitting in the drain pan ready to be piped to the floor drain.

Next time you find yourself in the market for a new water heater, speak with your contractor about options of installing a water heater drain pan. You’ll thank me later.