Replacing tiny water heater closet door

[cosine88]

I'm having my water heater replaced - a friend who's developed houses explained that because of my unique plumbing it really isn't easy to do myself, and that a plumber could bang it out easily.

But, the house has the water heater in a closet by itself, and it's a small closet.

Old water heater was 19.5'' in diameter
New water heater is 21'' in diameter
Door frame was 19'' wide.
After removal, it's now 22'' wide.

So, the previous owner built a door frame around the water heater. Modern water heaters have thicker walls, so the same capacity unit will be larger. So, I had to rip off the door frame for the plumber to come tomorrow.

I'm not really that handy, and destroying things is a lot easier than rebuilding them. Much of the door frame trim cracked during removal. In addition, the opening is now 22'' wide, which is smaller than the typical bedroom door. What's the easiest way to rebuild this after the new heater is installed? Should I consider a folding closet style door? Either way, it'll need a vent.

[lthenderson]

Bifold closet door would be what I would install. They generally come in one inch increments (each individual door) so you should be able to find it at a big box store.

[Goldielocks]

Doors are a bit finicky.  Can you just install a panel / screen / lattice or something else over the hot water tank?   Don't even need hinges just quick opening latches around the perimeter.

[Papa bear]

Bifold closet door would be what I would install. They generally come in one inch increments (each individual door) so you should be able to find it at a big box store.

This.  You don’t need to trim it out - typically the rough opening is just drywalled, it has plenty of size options, and is one of the easier ways to hang a door.  You may not need to have a vent as these doors don’t shut tight, and may have plenty of airflow around them for combustion for the h20 tank. And they’re cheap. 


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[cosine88]

The situation has changed a bit - the new water heater is wider and extends into the door cavity. Or at least the control panel does, and it extends further into the cavity than it looks like in this picture. It's the same capacity water heater, but newer ones have thicker insulating walls.

Anyway, it isn't that big of a deal, it just means that my new door needs to cover the outside of the closet. So, I can attach a 2x4 to the top of the closet, and then hang a bifold closet door from the bottom of the 2x4.

Unless someone has a better idea! And yes, I got a "Louvre" door with open slats for ventilation. Kitten for scale purposes only.

[Goldielocks]

I gotta say again -- why do you need an opening door?  Just mount a painted panel / louvered door over top that you can use quick fasteners to undo when needed.  No track needed.   Make it into a utility space instead of a closet.   You can then cut out the opening for the control panel, and mount a cover over it, as you like.

Really, you won't be storing anything else in there other than the hot water tank.

[cosine88]

A quick fastener door/panel makes a ton of sense, I'm just having trouble envisioning it.

Something like 2 of these, 75% of the way up?

https://www.thehardwarehut.com/catalog-product.php?p_ref=4534&gshop&gclid=Cj0KCQjws7TqBRDgARIsAAHLHP4if5extXr7fukCBdblWSte4JodZCIkq8iLK0MMvxSn-t0jxti25LMaAgM_EALw_wcB

Or two of these:

https://www.zoro.com/zoro-select-cabinet-cupboard-latch-1-34-in-4jg51/i/G2121734/feature-product?gclid=Cj0KCQjws7TqBRDgARIsAAHLHP74cNUI_l5Ai40PJ7Ubjc4pWWUBa-k2OZvShfs5NYt93hOyCwJo5MEaAqMNEALw_wcB

[Goldielocks]

LOL,  no.  I was thinking standard wood screws (flush) with small plastic caps that are used inside kitchen cabinets to cover the screw heads.   Panel (louver door slab is fine) painted white to match the walls.   Yes, you need a screwdriver, but it is pretty easy (and rare) to need to open it up.

 Think of it like installing an end gable on the side of a refrigerator cabinet.    Just leave the screws able to be accessed after from the front (cover them if needed for visual look).

[cosine88]

I am pretty certain that is against building codes to require screwdriver access. You're right, I shouldn't need to access it frequently, but sometimes you just want to check and see if anything is going on. I'll also use this as a rental property in the future, and tenants need to be able to access it without tools.

[BTDretire]

ARRGH! I had a nice write up and hit a wrong button and lost it all.

 OK, add another frame around the opening to move the door away from the heater bump.
A 2x4 will be fine, just decide if you need to go the 2" direction or the 4" direction.
 It's a little problem swing the door against the wall,needs a slight offset.
 Different ideas for a door/cover, I like magnets, get some magnets made for mounting with a screw.
Puts several on each side and either small iron plates or more magnets on the door. then just pull the cover off.
Or you can just put slots on the frame that a screw head drops into. So, then just slide up and pull out to remove the cover. (Easy out, Can you rotate the heater 45* for clearance?)
 Magnet picture.