Current through Register Vol. 50, No. 6, December 1, 2023
RELATES TO: KRS Chapter 236, 318.200
NECESSITY, FUNCTION, AND CONFORMITY:
KRS
318.130 requires the department to promulgate
administrative regulations establishing the Kentucky State Plumbing Code to
regulate plumbing.
KRS
318.200 requires that all retailers,
wholesalers, and installers selling or offering for sale water heating devices,
within thirty (30) days of the date of sale, forward a list of names and
addresses of purchasers along with the serial number of the device purchased to
the department or to the appropriate agency of county or city government having
jurisdiction. This administrative regulation establishes the requirements for
water heating devices.
Section 1.
Installation requirements.
(1) General
requirements.
(a) A water heater shall be:
1. Properly connected to the hot and cold
water supply; and
2. Accessible for
inspection, repair, and replacement.
(b) Temperature and pressure relief valves
shall be installed in accordance with manufacturer's requirements.
(2) A water heater designed for
use as an appliance for supplying potable hot water for domestic or commercial
purposes may be used for space heating if the water temperature does not exceed
140 degrees Fahrenheit.
(3) Crawl
Space.
(a) A water heater installed in a crawl
space shall:
1. Have adequate access with a
travel path no less than five (5) feet of vertical distance; and
2. Be installed on at least a two (2) inch
thick corrosion resistant material adequate to support the water
heater.
(b) The
replacement of a water heater that was originally installed in a crawl space
prior to September 1, 2006 shall be exempt from vertical distance requirement
in paragraph (a)1. of this subsection.
(4) Attic, Drop Ceiling, or Wood Flooring.
(a) After April 1, 2021, a water heater
installed in an attic, above a drop ceiling, or on wood flooring in the
occupied space of a building shall be:
1.
Installed with a corrosion resistant water tight pan below the water heater;
and
2. Equipped with at least a
three-fourths (3/4) inch drain to be piped similarly to a temperature and
pressure relief valve discharge line.
(b) A temperature and pressure relief valve
may discharge into the drain pan if the drain pan pipe:
1. Is equipped with a one (1) inch
drain;
2. Is of a material suitable
for hot water; and
3. Discharges
through an air gap to a sump basin, service sink, open receptacle, or other
point of discharge approved by the division, in accordance with
815
KAR 20:130.
(5) Fuel-fired water heaters.
(a) A fuel-fired water heater shall be
connected to a flue or a chimney. The flue or chimney shall:
1. Be of a size at least as large as required
by the water heater manufacturer's instructions;
2. Extend two (2) feet above the roof of the
building;
3. Be properly flashed;
and
4. Not terminate within six (6)
feet of a door or window.
(b) A fuel-fired water heater vent shall not
be connected to a flue serving a coal-burning apparatus.
(c) A fuel-fired water heater shall not be
placed in any bathroom, toilet room, or a room used for sleeping unless it has
a direct-vent or through the wall vent system.
(d) A fuel-fired water heater shall not be
placed in a closed room or closet unless the space:
1. Has a louver door; or
2. Is ventilated to provide combustion air
and circulation that satisfies the requirements of the National Fuel Gas Code
in Chapter 35 of the Kentucky Building Code incorporated by reference in
815 KAR
7:120.
(6) Gas-fired direct vent water heaters.
(a) A residential gas-fired direct vent and
through the wall type water heater shall be:
1. Vented in accordance with the
manufacturer's instructions; and
2.
Installed to satisfy the requirements of the National Fuel Gas Code in Chapter
35 of the Kentucky Building Code incorporated by reference in
815 KAR
7:120.
(b)
1. The
vent terminal of a direct vent water heater with an input of 50,000 BTUs per
hour or less shall be located at least nine (9) inches from any opening through
which flue gases may enter the building.
2. The vent terminal of a direct vent water
heater with an input over 50,000 BTUs per hour shall be located at least twelve
(12) inches from any opening through which flue gases may enter the
building.
(c) The bottom
of the vent terminal and the air intake of a direct vent water heater shall be
located at least twelve (12) inches above grade.
(7) Instantaneous water heaters. An
instantaneous water heater not listed in
815 KAR
20:020 shall:
(a)
1. Be certified to ANSI Z21.10.1 for units
including but not exceeding 75,000 BTUs; or
2. Be certified to ANSI Z21.10.3 for units
exceeding 75,000 BTUs;
(b) Have a minimum of three-fourths (3/4)
inch inlet and outlet;
(c) Be
installed with a properly sized pressure relief valve not exceeding 150 pounds
per square inch; and
(d) Be
installed to enable flushing without altering the installation, if required by
the manufacturer to be periodically flushed.
Section 2. Water heaters subject to
additional requirements. Water heaters shall be considered pressure vessels and
shall comply with KRS Chapter 236 and 815 KAR Chapter 15 if the water heater
exceeds:
(1) Heat input of two hundred
thousand (200,000) BTU/Hr.;
(2)
Water temperature of two hundred ten (210) degrees Fahrenheit; or
(3) Water storage capacity of one hundred
twenty (120) gallons.
Section
3. Domestic Solar Water Heaters. A domestic solar water heater may
have a "single wall heat exchanger" if:
(1)
The solar panel and the water heater exchanger use a nontoxic liquid such as
propylene glycol or an equivalent;
(2) The heat exchanger is pretested by the
manufacturer to 450 pounds per square inch;
(3) The water heater has a warning label
advising that a nontoxic heat exchanger fluid shall be used at all times;
and
(4) A pressure relief valve is
installed at the highest point in the solar panel.
Section 4. Domestic Water Heater Preheating
Device.
(1) A domestic water heater preheating
device may be used and connected with the high pressure line from the
compressor of a domestic home air conditioner or heat pump heater.
(2) Double wall heat-exchangers with two (2)
separate thicknesses separating the heat exchange fluid (other than potable
water) from the potable water supply shall be provided.
(3)
(a) The
water inlet to the heat exchange vessel shall be provided with a check valve. A
pressure relief valve, approved in accordance with this administrative
regulation, set to relieve at five (5) pounds per square inch above the maximum
water pressure at the point of installation shall be provided adjacent to and
at the outlet side of the check valve, if the heat exchange units contain more
than twenty (20) pounds of refrigerants.
(b) This device shall be equipped with a
temperature limit control that would actuate a pump that would circulate hot
water from the water heater through the pre-heater device.
(4)
(a)
Condensate drain water shall be piped in accordance to the Kentucky Plumbing
Code and shall not:
1. Drain into a crawl
space, sewer, or vent stack; or
2.
Be installed in an area subject to freezing.
(b) A condensate pump shall be used if a
drain is:
1. Not available; or
2. Located above the vent.
Section 5.
Temperature and Pressure Relief Devices.
(1)
Only temperature and pressure relief devices approved by the department as
established in
815 KAR
20:020 and
815 KAR
20:120 shall be installed.
(2) A temperature and pressure relief device
shall be installed:
(a) On each water heater
on the hot water side not more than three (3) inches from the top of the water
heater; and
(b) According to the
manufacturer's recommendation, if a marked opening is provided on the water
heater by the manufacturer for a temperature and pressure relief
device.
(3)
(a) In a location with a floor drain, the
discharge from the relief device shall be piped to within two (2) inches of the
floor.
(b) In a location without a
floor drain, the discharge from the relief device shall be piped to the outside
of the building with an ell turned down and piped to within four (4) inches of
the surface of the ground.
(4) The relief device may discharge through
an air gap to a sump basin, service sink, open receptacle, or other point of
discharge in which equivalent safety shall be provided as approved by the
department.
Section 6.
Water Distribution for Fan Coil Units.
(1) If
a domestic water heater is used for heating purposes through a fan coil medium,
the water temperature shall not exceed 140 degrees Fahrenheit.
(2) The fan coil unit shall use not less than
three-fourths (3/4) inch piping and its run shall not exceed 140 feet between
the water heater and the heating unit.
(3) The applicable requirements established
in
815 KAR 20:070
shall be met.
Section 7.
Reporting Requirements.
(1) Except as
established in subsection (2) of this section, a wholesaler, retailer, or
installer who sells a water heating device shall submit to the division Form
PLB-94, Water Heater Report Form, within thirty (30) days of the date of
sale.
(2) An installing contractor
who obtains an installation permit for the installation of a water heating
device shall be exempt from the reporting requirements of subsection (1) of
this section. The installation permit shall serve as the reporting requirement
for the installer as required by
KRS
318.200.
Section 8. Incorporation by Reference.
(1) Form PLB-94, "Water Heater Report Form",
October 2019, is incorporated by reference.
(2) This material may be inspected, copied,
or obtained, subject to applicable copyright law, at the Department of Housing,
Buildings and Construction, Division of Plumbing, 500 Mero St., Frankfort,
Kentucky 40601-5412, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and is
available online at
http://dhbc.ky.gov/Pages/default.aspx.
11 Ky.R. 911;
1258; eff. 2-12-1985; 17 Ky.R. 2881; eff. 5-3-1991; 24 Ky.R. 2463; eff.
7-13-1998; 32 Ky.R. 2364; 33 Ky.R. 406; eff. 9-1-2006; 36 Ky.R. 1533; 2068-M;
eff. 4-2-2010; 46 Ky.R. 1654, 2286, 2422; eff.
6-2-2020.
STATUTORY AUTHORITY:
KRS
198B.040(10),
318.130,
318.200