If the attic install is your only option, since you said you are in an unrestricted county, i would get the advise from a plumbing contractor in your area that follows the national or equivalent building codes. I think folks who are in code free areas should take it upon themselves to find out what a code enforced install would entail, especially w/ a water heater in an attic, for safety reasons. Hopefully lazypup will read this and advise you as well.

Our water heaters are in the attic. We are in a county that does not do inspections but our builder is building everything to code for Austin. I am happy about that. I am not happy about the water heaters in the attic though. We were suppose to have gas and I told DH no, if they had to be up there I wanted at least electric. DH made some device that is a sensor so that if the water heater ever leaks, floods what have you, it will trip and turn off the water. Not sure how he did it or really how it works, to be honest when he tells me this stuff it goes in one ear and out the other! LOL! I do know that there are pipes that lead out from the drip pan I think if it does start to drain?? Sierraeast I am sure you know what I am talking about.

I would hate to see it flood in the attic, good gosh that would be something! Not sure why our plans had them in the attic. I wanted them in the garage but we see who won on that one!!!

How accessible is your attic? Why would you want an item that requires periodic maintenance and replacement in an inaccessible part of your house?

"DH made some device that is a sensor so that if the water heater ever leaks, floods what have you, it will trip and turn off the water."

Another issue is that hot water heats fail. Basically, they leak from the bottom (our plumber friend calls this "catastrophic failure"). Shutting off the water won't stop a leak until the tank empties (this sometimes happens slowly, other times more quickly). I would not put a hot water heater in an attic. But if there is no place else for it, it should be in a pan with a drain line. I would still use the sensor, so you know it is emptying into the drain.

If you still insist on an attic install, take kelntex's advise and consider electric. Here's a link to the unit we are installing. It has a polybutene tank and no corrosion anodes and is considered the most efficient and enviromentally electric unit out there.

Here is a link that might be useful: electric water heater

First of all we need to make a point of clarification. There are no "Code Free" areas.

There are some regions where the codes are adopted by the local AHJ (authority having jurisdiction; I.E.-Municipality, township or county) and in some areas within that region the local AHJ has not officially adopted a code, nor do they require permits or inspections, however; all States have a code, and in the absence of a local code, the state code has jurisdiction.

One example of this practice is the State of Ohio. In many jurisdictions within the state of Ohio there are no permit requirements or inspections (with the exception of septic tanks) for building a "Single Family Dwelling intended as the primary domicile of the owner/builder."

Pay special attention to that phrase "intended as the primary domicile of the owner builder". The exception to code inspections only applies so long as the owner/builder or members of his/her immediate family solely occupy the structure. In turn, the original "certificate of occupancy" reflects that this is an "Un-inspected domicile" and should you decide to sell or rent the property to a third party the state reserves the right rescind the original CO and they may compel a complete code inspection before you may be issued a CO to transfer title or possession.

I'd think that clearences, etc., should be in the WH documentation somewhere.

Gas burning appliances sometimes need a certain length of vertical pipe to 'draw' for efficient combustion: that info might have to come from the WH dealer.

I personally wouldn't want a WH without an associated floor drain, but I know a lot of them are installed in a plumbed in pan, which would be much better in an attic situation.

I find this very interesting as we've just returned from an appointment with new architect. I asked about location of hot water heaters and he said it's the norm here in Louisiana to place them in the attic, with a drain and pan.
He stated he could place them in the garage if that's what we wanted.

His argument for the attic:

a)gravity and full water pressure,
b)if placed in the garage it would take too long for water to reach master bath located at rear of house,
c)all my neighbors would have theirs in the attic and I would be the only one with them in the garage!

DH wants to defer to the architects expertise. I am very concerned about having a gas flame in the attic, plus potential flooding!

We are in S. Louisiana and ours is in the attic. I know we have a pan and the overflow line runs right outside in the ceiling right above the front door on the front porch. At first we were alarmed that the guy ran the line there, but his logic made sense. He said being at the front door, if it's leaking we'll know it.

We aren't concerned about the heater failing. We've had the same heater in the house we're in now for 19 years. Heck, we'll be lucky to have that many years left to see the new one fail. LOL

Thanks for the responses. I was able to check in the clearance of the hot water heater by downloading installation information from multiple websites. The hot water heater being in the attic does not bother me, because I live in southeast Texas and that is where they have always been all my life. The area that I plan to install the water heater is in an area the is sort of an attic (open framing) on the second level. It is the same space that the main circuit breaker will be in, and both will be easily accessible. Thank you for the responses.

Such a civil place this is....nobody even pointed out that it is a cold water heater....hot water wouldn't need heating.