Now you are challenging the validity of the standard. This is not the audience for that. There is a requirement written specific to water heaters. I am unaware of of any specific requirement for freezers, washers, clothes dryers, etc. Do they pose less risk? I doubt it, but that is not the question.
I don’t disagree with that.
The height of the installed thermostat on an electric water heater is 14.33"from the bottom that I found.
Now seeing that I always call for a 4" maintainace pad under equipment or appliances in the garage or basement, that would meet your 18" requirement as perceived by the ICC. Would it not?
Assembled Height (in.) 14.33 in
I don’t want to bore you guys but, this is an item I don’t agree with the code interpetation.
M2005.1
Water heaters shall be installed in accordance with the manufacturers’s installation instructions and the requirements of this code.
M2005.3 Electric water heaters.
Electric water heaters shall also be installed in accordance with the applicable provisions of Chapters 34-43. Electrical.
Marcel, you keep referring to the thermostat. What about the actual wire connections to the element?
What about them? If done correctly, should not be any worse then the electrical outlets or switches anyware else. Oh, I forgot, receptacles should be at 4’. 
I referred to the first thing that the Code suggested, Follow the Manufactures Instructions. There is the picture minus the maintenace pad that I would recommend. 
Factory installation of the element wiring is usually torqued to manufacture specifications. Replacement of the element by a handyman may not meet those standards. Are you saying you have never found a loose wire on a receptacle or switch?
I am required to call out receptacles if they are below 18 inches as well. We are only speaking of the garage at this point.
Come on now, don’t put words in my mouth. Never said that.
I had electric water heaters in my first home for 15 years and arching or loose connections never became an issue.
You are bringing up the issue of “IF” again.
Should the qualifications of the handyman, homeowner, or the local Contractor be an issue here or are we talking about Home Inspector being overly protective?
We have to at times remember that it is the standard to have work done by a professional, but we all know that dose not happen.
Like I have said before, this one is an interpretation issue and I don’t worry about it much, but do recommend maintenance pads, so I would be compliant with that interpretation.
CYA was never a bad thing in this litigious world.
It was a question, not a statement. If it were a statement, I would have had the quote.
Almost every manufacturer of water heaters has a disclaimer / warning regarding installation that “local codes” must be followed in regards to garage installations. It is obvious that your state, county, township, city, burg, village, cave does not. Install to your heart’s desire. :mrgreen: With the vast number of jurisdictions I cover, I am lucky that the State overrules all of them and makes it easy. Report anything under 18 inches.
Around here, I don’t think the AHJ gives a hoot anyways.
I still think that the code is ambiguous when it comes to electric water heaters in a garage.
What do you do with these types of situations? Call the building code inspector and tell him you think the hot water heaters should be raised up 18 inches over the top of the lawnmower gas tank?
What about a water heater in the house next to an electrical outlet. Which is a source of ignition and which is the source of propellant in this case?
Actually, I would be interested in where 18 inches is considered the line of demarcation between explosive gases and the “safety zone” comes from.
And what is “an unsafe location” for a water heater in Texas?
A missing drain pan and line is considered defective when applicable. Must all water heaters have a drain pan?
You must do what your state law concerning home inspections requires you to do, but who up there is interpreting this stuff?
Are homeowners required by law to correct these deficiencies or is it just a requirement that home inspectors report the deficiency? Are we making people move their ten-year-old water heater, or just advising them of the situation so they can correct it when they get around to replacing it in the next year or two?
Discretion is the better part of valor, and I would hope both inspector and the state licensing board would show some discretion to a homeowner with a water heater that is about at the end of its life expectancy.
There’s an app, errr, a form for that.
http://www.trec.state.tx.us/pdf/redirects/redirect-ConsumerNoticeHazRepairs.asp
I don’t see the gas, nor the electric water heater listed there. :)
Sure it is, in the bullet point 6:
• improperly installed appliances;
To which you then go to TREC SOP
(c) Water heaters. The inspector shall:
(1) report the energy source;
(2) report the capacity of the unit(s);
(3) report as Deficient:
(A) inoperative unit(s);
(B) leaking or corroded fittings or tank(s);
(C) broken or missing parts or controls;
(D) the lack of a cold water shut-off valve;
(E) if applicable, the lack of a pan and drain system and the improper termination of the pan drain line;
(F) an unsafe location;
(G) burners, burner ignition devices or heating elements, switches, or thermostats that are not a minimum of 18 inches above the lowest garage floor elevation, unless the unit is listed for garage floor installation;
I was just confused by this , when I did not see it listed;
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ThesaurusLegend: Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
Noun****1.
home appliance - an appliance that does a particular job in the home household appliance
appliance - durable goods for home or office use
curling iron - a cylindrical metal home appliance that heats a lock of hair that has been curled around it
smoothing iron, iron - home appliance consisting of a flat metal base that is heated and used to smooth cloth
kitchen appliance - a home appliance used in preparing food
sewing machine - a textile machine used as a home appliance for sewing
pants presser, trouser press - a home appliance in which trousers can be hung and the wrinkles pressed out
vacuum cleaner, vacuum - an electrical home appliance that cleans by suction
white goods - large electrical home appliances (refrigerators or washing machines etc.) that are typically finished in white enamel