Propane Tankless Installs in Midlothian, VA Homes

Photos of three real tankless water heater installations in Midlothian-area homes, all running on propane: one up high on a garage wall, one with a vent that crosses the whole garage ceiling, and one hung in a sealed crawlspace. Under each are the details worth looking for, whether you're checking your own unit or comparing quotes.

Call (804) 707-7570 Request a Quote

Up high on a garage wall

Fuel: Propane
Where: Garage, above head height
Mounted on: Wood blocking
Vent: One pipe, straight up

A tankless water heater mounted high on a garage wall on wood blocking, with an orange flexible gas connector and insulated water lines below it — Mounted on wood blocking near the ceiling, clear of the garage door track.

Looking up at the bottom of a tankless water heater: service valves on the water lines, black pipe insulation, and a flexible gas connector running from a yellow-handled shutoff valve — From below: the water service valves, and the propane line from its shutoff valve up to the unit.

Worth noticing: putting the unit this high keeps it out of the way of cars, bikes and the door opener, at the price of needing a ladder for every flush. The propane line leaves the wall through a yellow-handled shutoff, and a flexible connector carries it up to the unit, where a capped drip leg sits at the inlet to catch debris before it reaches the burner. The water lines are wrapped in insulation and have their own service valves.

A vent run the length of the garage

Fuel: Propane
Where: Garage wall
Mounted on: Wood blocking
Vent: Up, then across the ceiling

A propane tankless water heater on a garage wall, with its display on the front and the gas connection, pressure relief valve and water lines underneath — The unit, with the propane connection and water lines below it.

A white vent pipe hung from straps, running along a garage ceiling from the water heater toward an outside wall — The vent runs along the ceiling to an outside wall, hung from straps.

Worth noticing: the heater sits on an inside wall, so the vent climbs from the top of the unit, turns, and crosses the ceiling to reach the outside. Every installation manual sets a maximum vent length and counts each elbow against it, so a run this long has to be worked out before the unit is hung. A vent longer than the manual allows can make the unit shut itself down. If your heater is far from an outside wall, ask how the vent will get out and whether it fits the manual's limit.

Condensing, in a sealed crawlspace

Fuel: Propane
Type: Condensing
Where: Sealed crawlspace
Vent: Two plastic pipes through the joists

A tankless water heater hung on a plywood panel in a crawlspace lined with foil-faced foam board, with red and blue water lines running along the wall — Hung on a plywood panel, up off the crawlspace floor.

Two white plastic vent pipes rising from the top of a tankless unit and turning into the floor framing above — Two plastic pipes, one for combustion air and one for exhaust, turning into the floor framing.

The underside of a tankless unit in a crawlspace: red and blue service valves, a pressure relief valve, white plastic drain lines and a yellow flexible gas connector — Below the unit: service valves, the relief valve, drain lines and the propane connector.

Worth noticing: this crawlspace is sealed, with foil-faced foam board on the walls and a vapor barrier on the ground, and the unit hangs on plywood rather than sitting near the floor. As a condensing unit it vents through plastic pipe, which here runs between the floor joists to the outside. Underneath are red and blue service valves for flushing, a pressure relief valve, plastic lines for drainage, and a flexible propane connector with a capped drip leg.

A crawlspace frees up garage or closet space, but ask the contractor four things first: whether there's room to reach the unit for flushing and repairs, where the vent pipes will come out, where the condensate will drain, and how the unit is kept from freezing. Built-in freeze protection only works while the unit has power.

What all three have in common

Use these as a checklist when you look at your own unit or read a quote:

Service valves on the hot and cold lines, ready for a flush.
A shutoff valve on the gas line close to the unit, and a capped drip leg at the inlet.
A pressure relief valve.
A dedicated vent that leaves the house on its own, never into an old chimney.
The unit mounted up off the floor, on blocking or a panel, with room to work on it.

Missing a piece? A contractor can often add it. See what an installation includes, propane versus natural gas and electric, and why service valves matter.

Talk to a tankless contractor in Midlothian

Call or send a short request, and it goes to one independent local contractor. The referral costs you nothing.

Call (804) 707-7570 Request a Quote