Most people will put their water heater, whether it’s a traditional style or tankless model, in a utility closet to keep it out of sight. But in some homes, a utility closet isn’t always available. If this is the case for your house, you’ll probably have to put the unit in your bathroom or laundry room, depending on the plumbing setup. Here are four must-know ways to ensure the water heater blends with your room’s decor and architectural style.
Bathroom: Conceal the Unit With a Custom Cabinet
If you use this approach, the newly built cabinet needs to have paint color and hardware that perfectly match the bathroom vanity. Otherwise, you’ll end up with a mismatched enclosure that draws attention and defeats the purpose of hiding the water heater.
Bathroom: Install a Floor-to-Ceiling Linen Closet
If you’re going to take time to conceal the water heater, you may as well use an option that doubles as storage space. And you can easily do this by adding a customized linen closet that runs from the floor to the ceiling. A tankless water heater will most likely hang from the wall toward the top of the ceiling, allowing you to use the space below it for shelves and towel storage. A traditional water heater with a tank will sit on the floor. In this scenario, you would use the space above it for linens, toiletries and other bathroom essentials.
Laundry Room: Use Cabinetry That Matches the Washer and Dryer
When you’re trying to hide a water heater in a laundry room by building a cabinet around it, the wood’s color and finish should match the washer and dryer, including their paint sheen, slab-door profile and hardware. Covering it with a cabinet is a very popular option among homeowners because you can design it as large or small as you need to cover the tank, water lines and drain connections. What you don’t want is for the cabinet to look squeezed in or out of place. Proper spacing between the washer, dryer and water heater can help with this design challenge.
Laundry Room: Put It in a Mudroom-Style Locker System
When you hide the water heater in a mudroom locker, you get a setup that’s highly practical. You can choose from locker options that feature overhead coat racks, storage cubbies or even open bench seating. Always keep in mind that this type of locker, as well as any cabinet or closet, must have proper venting to keep the water heater functioning safely.
Talking with a plumber is a smart move for learning the different options for concealing your water heater. They can double-check to see whether your design ideas are a good match for the plumbing setup. If you live in Cedar Rapids, IA or a surrounding area and need water heater services, make your first call to Benjamin Franklin Plumbing.