Your attic can easily reach temperatures of 120 140 degrees which is optimum for keeping the water in your tank sufficiently hot without using any energy.
How to shore up the attic floor under a heater.
Well mainly it s a way to save space.
In the case of 2x6 joists you can pair them up with additional 2x6 joists by nailing them together side by side.
Bringing down your water heater from the attic should not be difficult.
If the attic joists are not adequate one way to strengthen the floor for live loads is to sister the old joists.
Tack a beam under the sagging joists.
Place the lumber block between the two joists.
Not all attics can support the weight of a living space.
Jacking them up too fast may cause cracks in the walls and floors overhead.
Cut a piece of 2 by 6 or 2 by 8 lumber according to the width.
Set a hydraulic jack and post under the beam and jack up the joists about 1 8 in.
So why put an hvac system up in the attic at all.
If the closet is next to one of the bathrooms as it often is this gives you a nice remodeling opportunity.
There s usually nothing up in an attic aside from some stored items so a furnace won t take up useful space.
The floor above will be stiffest if you place the wall in the middle of the joists.
Walk to one end of the attic by carefully stepping only on the wooden ceiling joists.
If the wall will have a doorway place a double 2 6 header above the door s rough opening.
An outdoor unit which houses the fan condenser and compressor and an indoor unit which holds the evaporator and fan.
Sistering is the process of adding a new joist next to each existing joist.
Now a secondary line of reasoning for placing a water heater in the attic is the high temperatures that occur in an attic particularly during the summer months.
Most updated central air conditioned homes have a new air conditioner split system meaning the ac is broken up into parts.
Attic hvac systems save space.
Nail the block in place with 16d.
Place a 2 inch by 3 inch board directly on top of the joist nearest to the edge of the attic with its largest.
Measure the width between the span of two joists.
If you build a wall to support joists be sure to place a stud directly and tightly under each joist.
Find out what you can safely do with your space and which attic flooring can be installed.
A day until they re level.
You ll also free up a closet.