subject: How To Put In A New Water Heater [print this page] How To Put In A New Water Heater How To Put In A New Water Heater
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Yup I know the all too common story. You had to go down into the basement to get the laundry or grab a pair of pliers and their it was. The huge lake of water surrounding your water heater. You know what it means but you just don't want to even think about how much a new water heater replacement will cost.
If you have any experience with Do It Yourself tasks round the home installing a new water heater really should not be a problem for you. Follow along with the guidelines in this short article and you will have your new water heater installed in a couple of hours. Replacing a water heater yourself will save you approximately 300 or 400 dollars depending on the region you reside in. if you are not very DIY you'll be able to still install your water tank, however it may take a little longer than two or three hours but if you like a challenge and usually are not afraid off doing repairs on your own home it is possible for you to install the heater yourself as well.
Equipment And Materials You Will Need:
1 Water Heater- Install what you're taking out if you've got a 40 gallon and wish to improve to a 50 gallon now's the time to do it. If you do have a 50 gallon I DO NOT advise switching to anything lower than what you have.
2. Fittings - You will need 2 couplings and maybe several 90's. Confirm what kind of pipe you have going to your water heater. There are many different kinds ranging from PEX to Galvanized. If your home is under 30 years old chances are you will have copper, CPVC or PEX. I like to propose getting Shark Bite fittings because they are very simple to install with PEX, CPVC and copper piping. When you have galvanized pipe you may require to get a conversion fitting and adapt to one of the other pipes for less difficult replacement.
3. Black Pipe Fittings - You may need one or two black pipe couplings and elbows to extend or shorten the gas line linking to the heater. I install the gas line last. This way I will be aware of exactly what I need for gas fittings.
4.2 - Dielectrics. Do not use the dielectrics from the old heater they are old and need to be changed as well Be sure you get the correct dielectrics for the piping material you have got in your house.
5. You will also need some basic wrenches, a pipe wrench, flux and solder in case you have to solder copper pipes and a T&P Valve if your heater did not come with one.
Now that we've got all of our supplies let's get started. Step one would be to shut down the main water supply to the house. After that Turn off the gas vale on the gas line running to the water heater. Now connect the garden hose to the bottom on the water heater and run the hose to close floor drain. Turn on the valve (this looks like an outdoor hose bib) and let the heater start to drain.
Right now go throughout your home and switch on all the faucets. Be sure you leave the faucets in the on position and you have got hot and cold water turned on. It will allow all the water to empty from the heater plenty faster.
While you are waiting for the old heater to drain you will want to start prepping the new hater. first pipe dope and screw on the new dielectrics. Check to see if your heater came with a T&P valve. If it hasn't you will need to get one. Pipe dope the threads of the. Then Screw the T&P valve to the side of the heater you will see a hole with threads on it where it goes. The last turn can be difficult so use your pipe wrench to get the T&P valve to point down. We are now done preparing our new heater to set in place.
Wait some time and when you notice the heater is almost empty start to disconnect the gas pipe. That is the fitting which has a hexagonal middle. After you disconnect the union you will now have to disconnect the rest of the pipe after the union.
Ok now let's start to remove the water pipes form the heater You are going to need you channel locks. Use your locks to unscrew the dielectrics. Dielectrics work just like union fittings do matter a fact the real name is Dielectric union. Cut off the old dielectrics off of the copper or other piping you might have.
Once all the pipes are disconnected on the water heater and it does not seem like you can find any more water in the tank. Start to reposition the old water heater out of the way. Always leave enough room to get the new heater in place. If you have got a tiny area you will have to merely remove the old water heater to make room for the brand new water heater.
When you position your new heater try to get in line with the water pipes coming down from the ceiling. If you notice you'll need to change some water piping, leave the pipe using the cold water valve the straight pipe and just make changes to the hot water piping.
Take your shark bite fittings and install the water pipe to the new heater and dielectrics. You might have to solder the brand new dielectrics to the water piping if you have copper pipe. When soldering the dielectrics I recommend you figure out just how much pipe you may need from your dielectric to the coupling and cut it to length and solder it on the ground. This will make for an easier solder job. You will also need to take out the washers belonging to the dielectrics so you do not burn them.
Now you've gotten the water pipe all hooked up. Now when everything cools if you had to do some soldering, put the washers back inside the dielectric. Activate the main water supply. While you wait for the water heater to fill up please leave the faucets on so you can bleed all the air from the system.
Now you'll know what you need for gas pipe. Connect the gas pipe to the new heater. If you are lucky the gas pipe from the old heater will not need to be changed. If it does need to changed, reconfigure it as needed. You can buy gas piping in all ranges and measurements.
Once all air is bleed out of the system turn off the faucets. At this point we need to light the water heater. the new water heaters now a day's do not have the old match light system They have a closed burner with a click and light system. This works like an outdoor gas grill does. You are going to push in the button on the temperature valve and then click the clicker. Hold it in for 30 seconds then turn the heater on the desired setting and your water tank will begin to heat the water. You are going to now have hot water in about 30 to 45 minutes based on the size of your tank
