Should we tile under the water heater? If not, will a drip pan be ok sitting on subfloor?

[Lboscarino]

Our laundry room is currently carpeted. We're having the carpet removed and
plan to tile (or vinyl) the entire room. Does the water heater need to be
removed/replaced so the flooring can go below it? Or should we leave a square
or circle around the water heater without replacing flooring?

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[Tommy Silvah]

On 01/17/2017 11:14 PM, Lboscarino wrote:
> Our laundry room is currently carpeted. We're having the carpet removed and
> plan to tile (or vinyl) the entire room. Does the water heater need to be
> removed/replaced so the flooring can go below it? Or should we leave a square
> or circle around the water heater without replacing flooring?

I'd drain and remove the water heater but I'm sure there are plenty of hacks here that wouldn't.

[happ...@5pm.com]

If it's on blocks like most water heaters. Just shut off the
gas/electric, drain the water, and then it's pretty light, so you can
have a friend ever so slightly lift it about 1/4" remove one block at a
time, and put one tile there. Then go to the next block and do the same.

Of course you tile the whole floor first except that square around the
water heater.

If there are no blocks, you can still do this, but not as easily.

If this is a gas heater, be sure to check for any gas leaks afterwards,
since you disturbed the pipes. And turn on the water slow and watch for
any water pipe leaks too. If however, there are no blocks under it, you
could just cut the tiles to fit around it too. Make a tight fit, and no
one will ever know. Save a few tiles in case you ever replace the heater
and the size differs.

[trader_4]

How old is the water heater? electric or gas? If it's gas and 15+
years old, I'd probably replace it. Fifteen years is about the typical
lifespan, maybe less. If that isn't a factor, then do you care how it
looks? If you can do it yourself, it's not much work to take it out
and put it back and I'd do that. Another alternative would be to leave
the one area without tile, but save tile and grout so that it can be
done later when the WH is replaced. But again, unless it's DIY, calling
someone back to do the tile might be as much as getting a handyman type
to remove and replace the WH right now.