When your hot water heater begins to leakage, you need to replace it quick. We’ll show you just how to install your very own gas hot water heater in less than a day. Even if you don’t need a new water heater now, possibilities are you will within the next few years. Hot water heater tend to last 7 to 15 years. If yours is getting old, this write-up is additionally for you. Replacing a water heater isn’t tough if you come in handy with basic devices as well as have a bit of experience soldering copper.
Tools Required
4-in-1 screwdriver
Adjustable wrench
Electric tape
Pipe wrench
Plumbers tape
Shatterproof glass
Soldering torch
Tape measure
Tube cutter
Voltage tester
Wire stripper/cutter
Materials Required
Release pipeline
Fittings
Pipeline string compound
Pressure safety valve
Solder
Venting pipe and adapters
Water as well as gas piping
Beginning Setting Up Your New Hot Water Tank
We’re replacing a natural gas water heater in our demo. The actions for replacing a propane water heater are specifically the same, and those for an electric hot water heater are comparable.
All the same, when you’re preparing a water heater substitute, play it secure. Call your neighborhood department of assessments and ask if you require a permit. And make sure a pipes or electrical assessor checks your job.
Installment Costs and also Labor
Plumbing professionals usually charge $45 to $65 a hr and can generally install a water heater in a day or in 6-8 hrs.
The majority of property hot water heater set you back $150 to $400 for either gas or electrical, plus $200 to $450 if you have a plumber install it. Much more costly gas hot water heater with special venting systems likewise are offered. But they’re more difficult to set up, as well as we won’t manage them right here.
Hot Water Heater Components as well as Failure
Flue
Cold water shutoff valve
Draft diverter
Temperature level as well as pressure safety valve
Overflow pipe
Warm water electrical outlet
Anticorrosion Anode Pole
Dip tube
Elements
Insulation
Drain valve
Thermostat or control shutoff
Burner
Thermocouple
Gas supply shutoff
When to get a new hot water heater
Your hot water heater is dead when the storage tank leaks. The dead giveaway that your water heater needs changing is a slow-moving drip below, typically showing up as a route of corroded water. This suggests that the steel tank has rusted with as well as can’t be repaired. Other signs, such as insufficient or no warm water, generally signal various other water heater repair work troubles that you can take care of.
If you spot a drip, plan to replace the hot water heater immediately. Don’t wait until the leak gets negative.
Brand-new water heaters feature setup directions as well as lots of cautions to make sure you manage the gas, electric as well as various other links safely. In this write-up, we’ll supplement those basics with techniques as well as “real world” suggestions from a number of professional plumbers.
Yet beware: You’ll be collaborating with natural gas, lp or electrical energy, all of which are hazardous. If you do not feel confident, call a professional to care for the challenging parts. And have your work evaluated when it’s done.
Pipes codes vary by region. Define your prepared installment to your local plumbing examiner, consisting of the types of products you plan to make use of for your brand-new links. Better to get guidance first so you don’t need to transform things later!
Figure A: Gas Water Heater Information And Facts
Water
FAMILY HANDYMAN
To print out this image, see the Added Information at the end of this write-up.
Number B: Links for Steel and Plastic Pipeline
FAMILY HANDYMAN
Lots of homes have actually galvanized steel or plastic (CPVC) water supply pipes. Galvanized steel pipes are tough to replace. We advise that you eliminate the pipelines back to the local tee, screw on a plastic-lined galvanized nipple and also finish the links with copper as received our image collection.
As a result of potential warm buildup, keep plastic pipe at the very least 6 in. away from the vent and also tank. Make a change from plastic to copper with a special coupling that’s offered wherever CPVC is marketed.
Adaptable copper adapters are easier to mount than strong copper, particularly when the existing pipes and the container inlets don’t line up. Yet not all local codes enable them. If your own does, take special care not to pinch or kink them. You could obtain a leak.
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Job step-by-step (12 )
Action 1
Turn off the gas and also water
gas
Turn off the gas to the hot water heater by turning the nearby shutoff valve a quarter turn. When off, the manage ought to be at an ideal angle to the pipe. Turn off the primary water system also and also drain pipes the lines by opening up a tap on the most affordable flooring.
Action 2
Drain pipes the water in the container
tube
Connect a garden pipe to the drain shutoff as well as drain pipes the water left in the storage tank. Caution: The water will be scalding hot! Separate the gas line at the nearby union with a pair of wrenches and also loosen the pipe from the gas control shutoff with a monkey wrench.
Action 3
Cut off the water lines
Unscrew
Loosen the air vent pipe from the vent hood as well as relocate to the side. Then cut the cold and hot water lines with a tube cutter. (Unscrew unions for galvanized pipe or the nuts on adaptable adapters if you have them.) Move the old water heater off the beaten track.
Step 4
Attach the relief valve
Wrap
Cover the threads of the new temperature and also pressure relief valve with Teflon tape (three turns). Screw it tightly into the container with a monkey wrench. Connect a copper discharge pipe (see Fig. A for routing information).
Step 5
Affix pipeline settings up
Solder
Solder new copper adapters to 6-in. sizes of 3/4-in. copper and also screw the assemblies into the hot water electrical outlet and chilly water inlet ports in the top of the storage tank. Include short, plastic lined nipple areas to secure versus galvanic deterioration, particularly if you have difficult water or if they’re required by neighborhood codes.
Step 6
Attach the water lines
Slide
Move the new water heater right into area, recut or expand the old tubing to meet the brand-new, and also solder the tubing with each other using copper slip couplings. If the tubing doesn’t line up, counter the lines as required with pairs of 45-degree joints.
Step 7
Reattach the vent
Reconnect
Reconnect the air vent. Shove it snugly over the draft hood as well as slow with 3 3/8-in. No. 6 sheet metal screws. Predrill the holes. The vent should climb at least 12 in. vertically prior to transforming at the initial joint.
Step 8
Use two wrenches to connect the gas line
pipeline
Reconnect the gas line. Coat the threaded ends with pipe joint compound and also screw the very first nipple area into the gas valve. Usage two monkey wrench to stay clear of emphasizing the valve. Rebuild the staying nipples, finishing up with the union (Photo 2). After that adhere to these four steps to fill up the storage tank: (1) Shut the drain shutoff; (2) transform the water back on at the primary shutoff and also open up the cold water shutoff to the water heater (leave it open); (3) switch on a nearby hot water faucet till water comes out; and also (4) inspect all the joints and installations for water leakages.
Tip 9
Check for backdrafting
Most hot water heater rely on an all-natural draft to draw combustion fumes up the flue. If the draft doesn’t work, those fumes, perhaps containing lethal carbon monoxide gas, will spill out into your home. After completing your installment, check the draft.
Close all exterior doors and windows and also activate your kitchen and bathroom exhaust followers. After that open up a close-by warm water faucet till you listen to the gas burner in the hot water heater ignite. After a min, relocate a cigarette smoking match around the edge of the draft hood (Image 7) on top of the heater. The smoke must be drawn up the air vent pipe. If the smoke doesn’t attract, the fumes from the heater aren’t airing vent. Turn off the gas to the water heater and also call a licensed plumbing to remedy the problem.
Action 10
Check for leakages
Seek bubbles at connections
bubbles
Switch on the gas and also check connections for leaks by cleaning a 50-50 combination of dishwashing fluid and also water over the joints. If the blend bubbles, you have a leakage. Tighten or reconnect joints that leakage. Wipe the joints completely dry when ended up. Call the pipes examiner to check over your work. Comply with the how-to advice that accompanies the photos to make certain the connections are limited.
Action 11
Light the pilot light
Make use of a lighter to light the pilot light
lighter
Light the pilot burner according to the supplier’s instructions. (For electrical water heaters, turn the power on at the major panel after the electrical assessor checks your job.) Ultimately, set the temperature level to 120 degrees F., complying with the setup instructions. Light the pilot burner in the new water heater and change the temperature setup. Innovative Plumbing & Drain
Installation Information for Electric Water Heaters
First switch off the power to the water heater at your primary electric panel. Then follow the very same draining pipes procedures when it comes to a gas water heater.
When the water heater is drained pipes, detach the electric cords from the screw terminals under the accessibility panel, which is normally located near the top. (If you do not have electric experience, hire an electrical contractor to manage all the electrical circuitry.)
Follow the producer’s directions for circuitry the brand-new water heater. If the brand-new hot water heater is much shorter and the old cables won’t reach, surface-mount a 4-in. x 4-in. x 1-1/2 in. steel electric box on the wall surface or ceiling nearby, run the old wires to the box, and afterwards run a brand-new section of armored wire or electric avenue to the water heater. Check the guidelines and see to it the score of the old fuse or breaker is high sufficient to deal with the new hot water heater. On top of that, the circuit ought to have a shutoff button within view of the hot water heater.
Call your neighborhood electric inspector prior to you begin the work. You’ll possibly require an authorization. After that, when you’re ended up, have the electrical assessor examine your job.
Aluminum wiring requires special handling. If you have light weight aluminum wiring, call a certified pro that’s certified to deal with it. This wiring is boring grey, not the plain orange that’s particular of copper.
Action 12
How to Take care of a Water Heater
Jeff Gorton, an editor at The Household Handyman, will certainly show you exactly how to get rid of and also deal with a water heater in our video clip tutorial. He will certainly additionally reveal you the easy way to carry a water heater out of your house, even if you are working alone.
These suggestions will certainly make your job go quicker as well as easier:
Gauge the height of your old water heater and also acquire a new one the very same elevation so you do not need to transform the size of the water, gas or electric lines.
The drainpipe shutoff (Photo 2) on old water heaters often blocks. If the water drains pipes slowly, be patient. CARE: It’s scalding hot! TIP: Transform your water heater off 2 hrs in advance to allow the water to cool.
Water heaters weigh concerning 150 lbs. You’ll need a strong assistant or a dolly when you relocate the old one out as well as wheel the new one in. Waste solutions normally charge regarding $25 to take the old one. Innovative Plumbing & Drain
Before you start, acquire the tools and materials shown here at a pipes supply or hardware shop or a residence facility. Examine the dimensions of the supply of water pipes (most will be 3/4 in. like the ones in our photos) as well as purchase the right-size installations. With whatever available, you’ll need 4 to 6 hours to complete the task (assuming no big drawbacks!).
The temperature level and also pressure relief valve is a safety and security device that restricts storage tank stress and also keeps it from taking off (Picture 4). A brand-new one have to be included with every installment. For the valve to function appropriately, the discharge pipeline must be maintained without obstructions (Fig. A).
In areas with extremely mineralized water, or where required by local codes, make use of 3/4-in. plastic-lined nipples (concerning $2 each; Photo 5 and Fig. A) for joining different metals, usually copper tubes to the steel tank. This slows rust.
When linking the water lines, solder the copper fittings prior to you screw them to the container so you do not warm the storage tank itself while soldering (Image 5).
Usage “slip” combinings to link the old and brand-new lines (Image 6). Unlike regular couplings, they do not have an internal quit. You can move them on, straighten the copper tubes, after that glide them back and also focus them over the joint.
The new inlets and also electrical outlets on the tank don’t constantly line up with the old supply lines. Solder in a set of 45-degree installations to counter each line if required. Likewise replace the old shutoff valve with a new ball valve while you’re at it (Image 6). Air vent sizes are sized according to the heat outcome of the water heater. You could need to increase or reduce the vent dimension to ensure the most effective draft. CAUTION: If you’re uncertain if your smokeshaft has a lining, ask your pipes assessor. Ingenious Plumbing & & Drainpipe
Make gas links with strong steel pipe (Photo 8) or soft copper with flare installations (Fig. A). Both are more dependable and also more economical than adaptable stainless-steel adapters, which are not always permitted. Use inflexible copper instead of adaptable copper water lines for the exact same reasons.
If you find your water heater replacement where leakage can trigger damages to the floor or various other components of the house, set a frying pan of an approved dimension under it (metal for gas hot water heater). The pan has to have a drainpipe tube that leads to a home drainpipe or various other approved place (outdoors where permitted). The temperature level as well as stress relief valve discharge tube additionally have to result in a drain if leakage would certainly damage the floorings. If directing is tough, review options with your local plumbing assessor.
If you stay in an earthquake-prone area, band the hot water heater to the wall with special bands (Fig. A; readily available at plumbing shops and residence centers). Your pipes examiner will certainly tell you if they’re called for.
Set the brand-new water temperature setting to no greater than 120 degrees F. to stay clear of hot.
Scottsdale, AZ 85251
( 602) 892-5634
https://innovativeplumbingdrain.com
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