Say Goodbye To Water Heater Eyesores With A Sleek DIY Solution That Doubles As Storage

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Water heaters are necessary appliances. We could live without them, but who would want to? Warm showers, clean dishes, and clean laundry are great! But let's be honest, they're not pretty things; they're usually gray or white and have pipes attaching them to the ceiling and floor. Sometimes they're tucked away in an out-of-the-way spot in the house, but often they're not. It can be challenging to find creative, inexpensive ways to hide an appliance as large as a hot water heater — but it's not impossible. 

TikTok user @povisionjunkie came up with an ingenious solution that can hide your water heater with style. In a video, she builds a large door with pegboard that doesn't just conceal the water heater; it also provides storage options while keeping the appliance easily accessible and well ventilated. This is especially important with a gas hot water heater because they need oxygen for combustion, and they generate heat. Without proper ventilation, neither of these processes can happen properly, and that can cause serious safety issues. Povisionjunkie's water heater sits between a wall and a row of shop shelves, so she built one panel to hide it. You could easily build two or three panels if needed, but at least one will need to have hinges to provide access to the water heater. This design is easily customizable to suit your unique situation.

Start your project by measuring the size of each door/panel you need to build. For each, you'll need four 2x4s cut to height for the door rails, and two 2x4s cut to width for the door stiles. You'll also need enough pegboard to fit your door. Pegboard is incredibly versatile and can be used for all of your organizing needs; just place hooks in the holes to create spots to hang various household items. You can also attach small baskets, bins, or shelves to them, making places to store any items that can't be hung on the hooks.

Povisionjunkie used square pegboards like these on Amazon, but you could use any size that works for your door. For one door, lay the stiles and the rails to form the frame of the door. Then, lay the other two rails a couple of inches apart along the center of the door. These provide framing and support for the pegboard. Using 1.5-inch framing nails, nail the stiles to the top and bottom of all four rails. Then, screw the pegboard and hinges onto the frame. You can then attach the hinges to a second panel or sturdy shelf, like Povisionjunkie does in the video. 

@povisonjunkie

#povison#povisonfurniture#povisonyna#decoration#modernfurniture#aelfricedenfamily#aelfriceden#aefxm#povisondh

♬ original sound – povisonjunkie – povisonjunkie

You can also attach ball bearing castors, such as these from Amazon, to the bottom of the door to make it easier to move when you need to access the water heater. This added portability makes it super easy to check for signs you need to replace your water heater. Be sure to research and follow your local safety codes, though. For instance, the International Plumbing Code requires water heater enclosures to be no less than 30 inches by 30 inches.