The pan drain for an attic water heater must be connected in a manner similar to which type of drain?

The pan drain for an attic water heater must be connected in a manner similar to which type of drain?

• A. T&P drain
• B. Sump drain
• C. Storm drain
• D. Sanitary drain

Answer: (A)

The pan drain under an attic water heater is treated like the T&P valve discharge. Both are safety or overflow paths that must drain freely without any impedance or backflow risk. The correct approach is to run a direct, trap-free discharge line from the pan to a safe location, with no valves or restrictions in the line, so water can escape promptly if the heater leaks or overflows. This ensures that any accidental water from the pan or from a relief valve won’t back up into the pan or cause damage. Connecting the pan to a sanitary, storm, or sump drain would create the wrong kind of path: those systems are designed for wastewater, rainwater, or pumped groundwater, and they can present backflow, odors, or contamination issues. They’re not intended to receive hot or potentially scalding overflow directly from a heater pan. So the pan drain mirrors the T&P discharge in being an open, direct, nonrestricted outlet to the outdoors or to an approved drainage path, ensuring a safe and visible discharge.

The pan drain under an attic water heater is treated like the T&P valve discharge. Both are safety or overflow paths that must drain freely without any impedance or backflow risk. The correct approach is to run a direct, trap-free discharge line from the pan to a safe location, with no valves or restrictions in the line, so water can escape promptly if the heater leaks or overflows. This ensures that any accidental water from the pan or from a relief valve won’t back up into the pan or cause damage.

Connecting the pan to a sanitary, storm, or sump drain would create the wrong kind of path: those systems are designed for wastewater, rainwater, or pumped groundwater, and they can present backflow, odors, or contamination issues. They’re not intended to receive hot or potentially scalding overflow directly from a heater pan. So the pan drain mirrors the T&P discharge in being an open, direct, nonrestricted outlet to the outdoors or to an approved drainage path, ensuring a safe and visible discharge.