Anyone know about installing a water heater bracing strap?

[y_p_w]

I'm having an issue with a rental property I've got. I have to install a second water heater strap. The water heater itself is old but still working. It was up to code when I bought the house, but now I have to install another one to code. I'm looking at HD and Lowe's and they've got various ones. Most are listed as up to 80 gallons, but I'm not sure if they'll work with a 40 gallon tank.

Ideally I would just get a single strap, but they now seem to come in pairs. Is this something I could do myself? I'm not even sure what the setup was like before. I vaguely remember it's tapping into wood. I don't have a drill (for bolts), but I could manage a self tapping screw.

 

[Rand]

might be cheaper to buy a drill than to pay someone to install it?

How do you usually take care of rental property maintence/work without basic tools?

 

[y_p_w]

Haven't typically had too many problems. And I live away from it, so when there was emergency work I'd pay off the renter who had someone come in. I've done my own work like installing a thermostat, but all that took was a screwdriver. I had a drill bit somewhere that I used to drill a hole in the drywall, but that was easy enough to do without a drill. I used to have this Fiskars hand drill. It was actually quite nice but I have no idea where it is now.

I have a socket wrench kit and lots of screwdrivers. Very occasionally I was asked to fix something and I'd go to the house to take care of it.

 

[PimTac]

Sounds like you need a drill in your arsenal. As for the straps they need to be attached to a stud which is where the drill comes in.

 

[Kawiguy454]

Replace "Drill" with "Dewalt cordless" for portability and easy usage.

 

[y_p_w]

Sounds like you need a drill in your arsenal. As for the straps they need to be attached to a stud which is where the drill comes in.

I borrowed a cordless drill (and a bunch of bits) from my dad and I'm going there tonight. I used to have a studfinder but have no idea where it is now. I'll figure this out. I looked at my parents' setup, which is wood mounted to the wall and the straps mounted to the wood.

 

[FordMan59]

I'd never heard of a water heater strap before. They've not been required anywhere I've lived. I replaced my water heater about 3 years ago all I did to remove the old heater was turn off the power, disconnect the power, turn off the water and take the water lines loose. Installation of the new one was just reversed. Checking out what a water heater strap was online it looks like it's pretty straight forward to install. Put the strap around the heater and fasten it to a stud or wood blocking.

 

[samven]

I imagine you need a bunch of things in CA that most state codes dont require because of the earthquakes.

 

[MNgopher]

Straps are part of the earthquake codes. Not required in most of the rest of the country. Typically will use lag screws to install into the studs. Lag screws can be installed with a socket wrench (lord knows I did enough of them by hand in the past...). An impact wrench makes them easier... drilling pilot holes is advised...

 

[skyactiv]

 

[y_p_w]

Straps are part of the earthquake codes. Not required in most of the rest of the country. Typically will use lag screws to install into the studs. Lag screws can be installed with a socket wrench (lord knows I did enough of them by hand in the past...). An impact wrench makes them easier... drilling pilot holes is advised...

I just finished it. I bought a Holdrite Quickstrap 50 set from Lowe’s. They also had a “premium” kit with a white coating and a place for a sticker (like many plumbers or heating contractors).

The existing strap was at the top. It came as a bracket that must have been installed before the water heater was in place It’s heavier duty than what I got, which are just sheet metal straps held together with J clips and a bolt. There was no way to reach that far in because of a duct between the water heater and furnace. I installed it as a 90° bend since I could reach that far. Looks kind of ugly but it’s up to code now.

I didn’t need a studfinder. Other stuff was drilled into the studs so I drilled straight down from those. It’s not on super tight, but adequate.

 

[y_p_w]

Straps are part of the earthquake codes. Not required in most of the rest of the country. Typically will use lag screws to install into the studs. Lag screws can be installed with a socket wrench (lord knows I did enough of them by hand in the past...). An impact wrench makes them easier... drilling pilot holes is advised...

I know I'm responding again, but yeah the kit came with lag screws with a 10mm head. While I suppose it could have done without drilling a hole, I'm pretty sure it would have been a huge pain tapping into the stud without the hole. Getting the J-clips properly spaced was a little weird. I didn't have a deep 14mm socket so I tried putting out a clip one more stop but couldn't get it close enough to tighten the bolt. So I just put it back in place and used a crescent wrench when the socket wasn't deep enough. And I also had to fold over one end, but the instructions say that's how to take care of excess. It might be possible to set the center first where they're lined up together, then tighten the ends to the wall.

The package also said it's for compliance in areas with tornado or hurricane risk.