Framing around a waterheater

[schnulli]

I am building a wall separating the basement into 2 parts. How close can the wall be to a gas waterheater? Do I have to consult local building code?

[michiganguy]

It is best to consult codes. The only parts of the water heater that get hot

enough to be concerned about are the burner cover at the bottom and the

vent hood and pipe at the top. If your partitions are 1/2'' drywall and the

burner access is opposite the partition, that part is good. The vent hood on

top does not extend close enough to a wall to be a problem. The vent pipe

to the chimney needs lots of clearance to walls or any other combustible

surface. If this vent pipe has to go through your new wall, then it needs to

be a B -vent, not a single wall pipe. If the clearance to the vent pipe is in

question, you can do the whole pipe in B-vent. Depending on the interior

space of this new room, you may need ventilation registers at the top and

bottom of the partition, to let in combustion make-up air. The exceptions to

this would be if you used a louvered door to enter this room or some newer

codes require that there already be a fresh air duct from the outside, into

the mechanical area of the basement.