Hide that Ugly Water Heater

Sometimes our homes are not designed or decorated exactly as we’d like them to be. Things can sometimes be put in an area of the home that, for one reason or another, is in plain view. This can be quite deterring for those who may want to make a beautiful space for their family.

So what do you do with an aesthetically out-of-place water heater? One option is to replace it with a tankless water heater that takes up a lot less space, and can be slightly more attractive. And if you want to go one further, you can find some tankless water heater pipe covers on the market to help hide those unsightly pipes.  

But if you’d like a little less costly solution, there are lots of DIY options to consider. Things like building cabinets or closets with new or recycled materials of old shutters or scrap wood, hanging curtains from curved track or curtain rods, or setting up a basic room divider.  

If you want to try your hand at this DIY divider made out of old shutter doors, check out this tutorial on how to make it: https://oldhighwaycottage.com/solution-hiding-ugly-water-heater/

You can also consider making your design less of a feature to the room, by concealing the covering of your choice. You can paint the covering the same color of the rest of the room, blending it into the room. There are some tutorials online on how to construct electric water heater covers like this one that makes it feel like part of the constructed room: https://www.woodshopdiaries.com/hide-ugly-water-heater/

There are some things to consider when choosing a covering. Make sure that there is room around the tank, and that there is an easy way to access it. You don’t want to wall it up with drywall or seal it in another way. Water heaters need to be accessible if an issue happens to arise, like water leakage, if the pilot light goes out, or other general maintenance issues. If you have to call a plumber for an issue, you want to make sure they can get to your water heater and have space to do their work. Also, consider when placing these things around a gas water heater to be cautious of proximity and the materials you use, as it can be a fire hazard. First and foremost, you want to have a safe home!
​
Now get to it. It can be satisfying to create a more beautiful space, no matter what style you choose to conceal your water heater.

---