Last week's Inspection Question of the Week topic was about the correct installation of gas water heaters within a garage. The answer revealed that the Florida Building Code no longer mandates a specific elevation, but leaves that determination to the appliance Manufacturer. So, with that in mind, is it also a Florida Building Code standard that ALL appliances be installed in accordance with the Manufacturer's instructions?

True or False? The Florida Building Code specifically requires ALL appliances to be installed in accordance with the Manufacturer's instructions.

TRUE - The Florida Building Code Actually says that ALL appliances shall be installed in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions. So where does this apply? Here are two examples: 1) The Building Code requires a certain component to be installed, but the Building Code doesn’t say HOW the component is to be installed, the Code leaves that determination to the manufacturer. 2) The manufacturer is responsible for each appliance – For example, the kitchen range. EACH kitchen range is shipped from the manufacturer with an anti-tip bracket, and the first few pages of the installation manual usually describe the importance of properly installing the appliance to ensure protection against tipping. Why is this? Because the manufacturer has an exposure to liability if the appliance is installed incorrectly and someone is injured. So the Building Code reinforces this by clearly stating that appliances shall be installed in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions.

Pam Dalton at Leeshore Realty