Finishing my basement. Regardless of whether I put carpet or engineered hardwood, I don't want the flooring to be ruined (or be a bed for mold growth) if the water heater decides to go, which will eventually happen (10 years old now). I've heard horror stories of several inches of water flooding the basement when these systems fail. My water heater and furnace are going to be in a separate
10x14' room as I finish the basement, so is there anything I can do to mitigate the risk of ruining the flooring in the main room should the water heater fail after the basement project is complete? I was thinking along the lines of some caulk or sealant along the floor plate to isolate the mechanical room somewhat - although a long enough leak before noticing it would still rise above the floor plate and into the adjacent room. Any ideas? How do others deal with this? Proactively replace the water heater? Deal with the wetness and just try to dry out wet carpets/wood flooring? Thanks- posted
16 years ago