OATEY 34172 22 in. Aluminum Water Heater Pans with 1 in.CPVC Adapter

The Oatey 34172 pan has a 22 inch diameter, which covers the common residential 40 and 50 gallon tank footprints (those tanks typically run 18 to 22 inches across the base). Measure the outside diameter of your tank base first. If the tank is wider than 22 inches, step up to a larger pan rather than letting the tank overhang the rim, since overhang defeats the drip containment.

Both. The 22 inch aluminum pan is rated for installation under gas or electric water heaters to protect the floor and structure below from leak and condensate damage. Aluminum handles the heat better than a plastic pan, which is why installers reach for it on gas installs.

It ships with a 1 inch CPVC adapter preinstalled, so you run your pan drain in 1 inch CPVC out to a safe discharge point. If your local code or the existing line is PVC, you will need a transition fitting, since the adapter supplied is CPVC.

Pan depth is a minimum of 2.5 inches. That depth matters for two reasons: it holds a meaningful volume before the drain has to keep up, and it sets the height the tank sits above the finished floor, which can affect your flex connector lengths and T and P relief routing.

It is formed from .032 prime aluminum, which is the standard gauge for water heater drip pans and stiff enough to hold shape under a loaded tank sitting on a platform or decking. At about 1.45 lbs, it is light to set in place but it is a drip pan, not a structural platform, so the tank still needs proper support beneath it.

The pan meets the requirements of the Southern Building Code. Most jurisdictions require a drain pan with a drain line routed to an approved discharge location whenever a tank sits where a leak would damage the structure, such as an attic or a second floor. Confirm the pan diameter and drain size your local inspector wants, then run the 1 inch CPVC line to the approved point.

Aluminum, as in the Oatey 34172, is the choice where the tank is gas fired or the pan sits on a hot floor, because it will not soften or distort. Plastic pans are fine under electric tanks in a basement or garage and resist corrosion better in damp slabs. For buyers standardizing a multi family or MRO program, the aluminum pan covers both gas and electric installs with one part number.

The pan comes with the 1 inch CPVC adapter at the pan, so the remaining items are on the drain run: 1 inch CPVC pipe, CPVC cement and primer, and whatever elbows or couplings the route to the discharge point takes. No sealant or fasteners come with the pan.

Yes. Oatey part 34172 is the 22 inch aluminum pan supplied with the 1 inch CPVC adapter, and the pan is sold as that single model, not in multiple sizes under the same number. Order 34172 when you need the pan and fitting together rather than a bare pan.