Does Code Require A New Furnace To Be Put In A Water Catching Device ?

had a new furnace installed. Another HVAC contractor came along a said the furnace must be installed in a drip pan per the Code. Is this a code requirement?

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3 Responses to “Does Code Require A New Furnace To Be Put In A Water Catching Device ?”

  1. Though must places follow the national code, code can vary. Check with the building inspectors at your local court house, code are different from county to county and state to state.
    My new furnace was installed with a water pump that pumps the water to the nearest drain. My furnace is in the basement and does not have a drain in the furnace room. I do not think a drip pan is good enough because the A/C will condense a lot of water and burning gas in the winter creates water. If you have a drain in the same room the installer will run a pipe to it, if not then it has to be pumped to the nearest drain.

  2. As said before if it is in your attic it should be in a drip pan, reason for that is, if your drain system backs up on the furnace, it will drain in to the pan, and not through your ceiling… I’m not sure if it’s a code, just seems to be common sense to me….
    If your furnace is in your basement, I don’t see any point in having it sit in a drip pan, unless it’s sitting right on the concrete floor it would kind of slow down the rust process… Furnace in the basement goes right to your floor drain, or is pumped to a drain if you don’t have a floor drain…. Being in the basement, you notice a drain problem faster than you would in a attic..
    If it’s in your basement, I wouldn’t worry about it to much… If it’s in the attic I would for sure call them back up and have the pan installed… You could always call up the contractor that installed it and ask them.
    I just can’t see them, not installing it, if it should be… If problems ever happened it would be their fault, and it could cost them some serious money..
    The other contractor could be hard up for work, and is just trying to make the other company look bad, I don’t know, If it bothers you I’d call up the contractor that installed it and ask them about it….
    Good Luck

  3. If the furnace is installed in an attic or above a living space it should really be installed in a drip pan. I think that is in the international mechanical code book.