by the Professional Power Tool Guide Crew
Believe it or not, most of the tasks needing to be done around your home are rather simple, no matter how complex they look in theory. A water heater, for instance, can be pretty easy to install, as long as you’re going to a new water heater around the same size and style as the old one. If you’re converting from gas to electric, put up your tools and call in the experts. For those of you with the easy version out there, here are the basic steps for installing a water heater:
The first step in installing a water heater is to shut off your water and power supply. Anything that’s on could cause injury. There’s a valve at the bottom of the tank; you need to connect a hose to it so it can drain. Run the other end of the hose outside or to a nearby drain, and then open the valve to release the contents. Then unscrew the inlet and outlet pieces on the top part of the tank. If you’re working with a gas heater, disconnect the fitting in between the gas supply and inlet valve. Then remove the flue hat that sends the gas to the top of the tank.
The next part of installing a water heater requires you to take the old heater out and put the new one in its place, away from anything flammable. Make sure you can easily access the controls and burner, and keep six inches of clearance around the perimeter. Using a level, make sure that everything is on an even surface or the unit may not function properly. You can use shingles for leveling if you need to. Use pipe tape to wrap the threads from the heat trap fittings. Take those fittings and screw them into the heater, making sure that the arrows on top point towards the water flow.
Finally, the last part of installing a water heater involves putting new connectors on the inlet and outlet pipes. Install a no-shutoff valve to the cold side of the unit if there isn’t one there already. Do this before you put on the connectors. Once everything is connected, open the shutoff valve and let the tank fill up. Open a lot of hot water pipes in the house so that the air in the pipes can get out. Then if you have gas pipes to connect, follow the instruction manual for your unit’s gas connection. You should be done after that. Check for leaks by brushing soapy water on the connections and watching for bubbles. If everything is set up right, your unit will be safe to use.
