How to Plumb a Hot Water Heater

When installing a hot water heater, you have a lot of choices as to how to go about the actual plumbing of the heater. For most people who have only one heater tank and a simple piping system in their home, it's a very easy DIY task. It is always a good idea to follow the installation guide that came with the heater and refer to it often during the installation. Plumbing the hot water heater is performed in two phases: connecting the hot water and the cold water.

Things You'll Need

• A Quarter Turn Cut-Off ball Valve
• 1 or 2 Pieces of 3-inch galvanized pipe
• 1 6-inch piece of galvanized pipe
• 1 or 2 dielectric unions
• A roll of thread tape
• A tub of plumbers compound
• Soldering supplies
• 2 galvanized couplings
• Channel lock grips
• Large adjustable pipe wrench
• Hot water heater installation guide

Instructions

Connect the Hot Water Outlet to the Hot Water Heater

1. Wrap a layer of plumber's tape around the threaded stub of the water inlet and then coat the threads of the stub with a generous amount of plumber's compound.

2. Install a galvanized coupling; this is one of the two items which you will be installing to help prevent corrosion of your pipes as well as the interior components of your hot water heater.

3. Install a 6-inch galvanized nipple (short piece of pipe threaded on both ends) to the coupling. Wrap a layer of thread tape around the pipe end and apply a heavy coat of plumber's compound.

4. Install the Dielectric union to the galvanized pipe by wrapping a layer of thread tape around the pipe end and applying a heavy coat of plumber's compound. Remove the brass portion of the union being careful not to lose the thick rubber O-ring that is inside.

5. Solder the brass portion of the dielectric union to the extension of the copper pipe that runs into your household plumbing.

6. Slide the large steel nut down the copper pipe extension and re-seat the brass fitting into the union making certain that the rubber O-ring is in place.

7. Tighten down the steel nut to the threaded exterior of the union's lower half. Make sure this connection is very tight as there is no sealant involved here.

8. Connect the copper pipe to the hot water line of your house.

Connect the Cold Water Inlet to the Water Supply

1. Wrap a layer of plumber's tape around the threaded stub of the water inlet and then coat the threads of the stub with a generous amount of plumber's compound.

2. Install a galvanized coupling.

3. Install a 3-inch galvanized nipple to the coupling. Wrap a layer of thread tape around the pipe end and apply a heavy coat of plumber's compound.

4. Install a Quarter-Turn Cut-Off ball valve onto the 3-inch nipple, using the thread tape and a generous amount of plumber's compound.

5. Install another 3-inch nipple to the cut-off valve. Wrap a layer of thread tape around the pipe end and apply a heavy coat of plumber's compound.

6. Install the Dielectric union to the galvanized pipe by wrapping a layer of thread tape around the pipe end and applying a heavy coat of plumber's compound. Remove the brass portion of the union, being careful not to lose the thick rubber O-ring that is inside.

7. Solder the brass portion of the dielectric union to the extension of the copper pipe that runs into your household plumbing.

8. Slide the large steel nut down the copper pipe extension and re-seat the brass fitting into the union making certain that the rubber O-ring is in place.

9. Tighten down the steel nut to the threaded exterior of the union's lower half.

10. Connect the end of the cut-off valve to the cold water supply pipe of your home using the thread tape/compound method.

References

• How to Plumb a Hot Water Heater
• Replacing a Water Heater
• How to Replace a Water Heater