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General Plumbing and Gasfitting Talk => Ask Plumbers (Public) => Plumbing => Q & A - Hot Water Cylinders => Topic started by: dilbert056 on September 15, 2010, 09:27:29 AM

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Title: do hot water cylinders need to be sitting on an overflow tray?
Post by: dilbert056 on September 15, 2010, 09:27:29 AM

I have a completely different question - does a hot water cylinder need to be sitting on an overflow tray to be legal?? 

Thank you !!  ;-)

Title: Re: do hot water cylinders need to be sitting on an overflow tray?
Post by: Fordy on September 15, 2010, 10:34:01 AM

If it is in a ceiling space or in a floor above ground floor (risk of flooding below) - perhaps  ;D

Title: Re: do hot water cylinders need to be sitting on an overflow tray?
Post by: robbo on September 15, 2010, 12:58:35 PM

hi guys,the way i read it is, if it was in a position where it would cause damage to another property if it leaked/burst, then a tray with an overflow to direct the water to the outside is necessary,cheeres

Title: Re: do hot water cylinders need to be sitting on an overflow tray?
Post by: Fordy on September 15, 2010, 02:30:54 PM

From G12:

6.11.3 Storage water heaters shall have:
a) Safe trays complying with Paragraph 5.2.3 where water could penetrate another household unit within the same building.

Most council inspectors interpret this as - if you had a hot water heater in the second storey of a house or in the ceiling space then you would install a tray.

That is the way we install them as a rule of thumb - if someone below can get wet from a hwc failing then install it on a tray - with a drain. For the sake of a few hundred bucks as opposed to thousands if it did fail and damage everything below - I know which option I would take. ;D

Title: Re: do hot water cylinders need to be sitting on an overflow tray?
Post by: Thunderhead on September 17, 2010, 03:56:46 PM

Quote from: dilbert056 on September 15, 2010, 09:27:29 AM

I have a completely different question - does a hot water cylinder need to be sitting on an overflow tray to be legal?? 

Thank you !!  ;-)

under AS/NZS 3500  safe trays are only required in a building where there are multiple occupancy's...like a flat above another flat where a cylinder leak will have the risk of damaging someone elses property...in a two stroyed single dewelling you dont have to install a safe tray cus you only run the risk of damaging your own property...saft trays are not required by code in single occupancy dwelling's...

Just found it...AS/NZS 3500:4  5.4 PROTECTION AGHINST DAMAGE FROM LEAKING WATER.........5.4.1 NOTE:In New Zealand safe trays are only required where leakage could result in damage to another occupancy in the same building.

Hope that answers your question.  8)   :D

Title: Re: do hot water cylinders need to be sitting on an overflow tray?
Post by: Plumber on September 26, 2017, 03:15:02 PM

Just wanting to update this section with new information. The following article pretty much covers it.

https://www.hotwatercylinders.nz/blog/hot-water-cylinder-trays-are-now-mandatory/