Question
A water heater manufacturer's printed instructions call for a wider service clearance than the plumbing code's own minimum. The mechanical room is tight, and the code minimum would technically fit. Which clearance governs?
Tap card to flipAnswer
The manufacturer's stricter clearance governs, because the code sets minimum requirements, and a listed product's own installation instructions are part of what makes it a compliant, listed installation in the first place. Following the code's bare minimum while ignoring a stricter manufacturer instruction voids the basis for the unit being 'approved' as installed, since the listing itself assumes the manufacturer's instructions are followed. If the tight mechanical room genuinely cannot accommodate the manufacturer's clearance, the fix is choosing a different unit or reconfiguring the space, not splitting the difference between the two requirements and hoping the smaller number wins.
Tap card to flip back