Is my plan for fixing my water heater leak bad?

Question

Here is the situation (with pics):

See that pan on the bottom? The hole in it is covered by tape.

So here is what I was gonna do. Is this a good idea? First. I've gone out and purchased a new pan for the bottom. I also purchased a round piece of wood exactly the same size as the pan and 6 bricks and the hose you see connected to the drain.

My plan was to turn off the water and gas lines. Drain the thing using the hose. Then hopefully, If I loosen up the restraining straps I should be able to lift the whole contraption up about 4 inches. That will be just enough space to slide the bricks underneath and also the wood on top of the bricks and the new pan on that.

Doing this will raise the pan so that it is slightly higher than the hole in the wall where I plan to add a pipe connected to the pan for drainage.

Speaking of the hole in the wall... You see how there is currently a pipe in that hole? Someone went through the trouble of connecting all of that pipe to the pressure release valve. As far as I can tell those pipes are welded on so that's going to be a problem. My thought's there are that I will take a hacksaw and simply cut the pressure release valve pipe at the bottom right before it would have gone through the wall.

Is this a reasonable approach?

Answer 1

If the water on the floor is from the water heater I would fix that problem before I do anything else. If it is coming from the tank then it probably needs replaced. You can raise the tank as high as you want but if you do I would also replace the copper flex water lines and the flexible gas line. Once those lines get older, the flex gets hard and rigid and may break when you re-bend them to the new height. A broken water line or gas leak could be a disaster. And, by the way, the piping off that T&P relief valve is soldered and is not welded indicating to me that you should seek help from someone more knowledgeable than yourself in what you want to accomplish.

Answer 2

No gas shut off for either line, flex is not suitable for a stationary appliance unless it's approved CSST, duct tape on the flue, draft hood is crooked, pressure relief should terminate in a conspicuous location, those flex lines, globe valve, saddle valve, crooked seismic strap, it's old, it's leaking, plus all the problems not visible from the picture. It's time for a change.

Answer 3

There is a reason most countries regulate gas-related equipment strictly, because they don't want buildings to explode. If there is no electricity or gas involved, fix it! If it's under - let's say - 50 Volts, go on! If it's 110-230 V, watch out, but you'll be probably okay. If it can leak gas, and fill up the inside of a building, or kill everyone through CO poisoning, call someone who knows what to do! (and probably certified by either a gas company, a heater manufacturer, or by the government).

Answer 4

Being in the plumbing industry most of my adult life, if you are going to go to the trouble of raising the heater just a few inches, you might want to look at relocating the heater entirely. I have never seen a "smitty pan" save a home from a major water leak.