I'm 95% I'm the guy from in side the electric Rheen water heater box above lol. That picture is at least 2 or 3 years old. How in the world did u find that picture? anyways I was googlign for Rheem picutes and saw myself in that box. pretty funny. anyways.
Great tips! To bad most people are to old, don't have the tools, don't have the time, to nervous about elctric and gas problems.
I wonder? What would u tell these people if the gas valve doesn't hold after they disconnect the gas piping, or if they can't get the water to stop dripping when installing the new one, after they tightened down the main as much as possiable. ANYONE! can do pretty much any plumbing task when things go smoothly. (which only happens maybe 30% of the time) For the other 70% of plumbing jobs that dont go smooth u will need a pro, and by the time u figure out u need one, one might be hard to find. Good luck all do it urselfers!
I've dont' even use a tourch anymore, I use my propress gun for all copper connections, and have electric gas tester/ carbon tester. Weather it's me or another pro, DON"T MESS WITH GAS INSTALLS people to many things can go wrong. New heights on taller heaters will require smoke pipe adjusting, if the gas piping don't match up from ur old union to ur new water heater gas cock, you'll need a bucket of parts to mix and match to get to get the reconnection correct.
Installed over 1,200 water heaters for the dreaded home depot. Started my own company. I install new water heaters for 200 bucks labor!
Jay- (the guy from the Rheem box with the backwords hat on top of the page) * licenced and insured*
Anonymous
October 24, 2009
Our landlord is in the process of changing our water heater and I, of course, got online to help offer better suggestions to what he was doing (when you hear him ask his accomplice things like "what about removing this thing?" you start to get a little nervous!). Nice write-up! Informative but humorous. Even three years after you wrote it!
Now if only I could convince them the flex pipes would be easier than reconnecting the solid copper pieces... And hope that he's going to fix the deck stairs where the "incident" occurred as they were trying to remove the old one! (at least he got out of the way before it fell on him...)
alexrussell
December 15, 2006
I appreciate all your comments. I did update this post to specify it's for electric water heaters. I've set dozens of these things, both electric and gas, and the average homeowner should definitely stick to the electric models. It's also a great idea to check with local building codes to see if setting a water heater is something that needs to be done by a licensed plumber. In Seattle, where I am, a homeowner can even run their own water and drain lines if it meets code.
And to answer Vince, electric water heaters do not simply plug in with a cord. The most challenging part is matching up the black and white wires, which isn't that hard. As, for the temperature and pressure valve, a new one should come with every new water heater out of the box, along with galvanized steel nipples to screw into the new tank. Most of the ones I've set even came already wrapped in teflon tape. But it's important that the t&p valve line is tied into a drain specifically for it, usually 3/4 inch copper or cpvc. It's so rarely used, a lot of plumbers don't even solder or glue the joints, though I don't at all recommend that. If the water heater's in a basement with a drain, the pipe can run straight down to the ground.
I also like VintageSwank's comment about tankless water heaters. A plumber I've worked with raves about them and suggested I write them up in a Curbly post. Unless somebody else beats me to it, of course.
vincechan
December 15, 2006
Hey Alex, nice post. A couple of points, however, from someone who has worked on a lot of hot water heaters.
I did not read your older posts, and it looks like this is for an electric hot water heater. I don't have experience with them, as I use primarily gas. I didn't see anything in your post about hooking up the electrical wires or anything - I find it hard to believe that it would just be a cord to plug in.
2. The pressure release valve, if our loyal readers are planning on putting it in themselves, can be taken off the old one and re-used. However, if a new one must be purchased, remember that the pipe shouldn't be more than 12"-18" off the ground. Where I'm from, that's code. Also, I have seen them in action. Very useful when the hot water heater wants to blow up and trickles out hot water out of the spout instead.
3. VS writes of tankless hot water heaters, which are nice if you have a lot of initial cash and/or not a lot of space to work with. I don't like them because (a) I don't have a problem with installing a new hot water heater quickly, and (b) I fear change and will stick to my $240 hot water heaters, thankyouverymuch.
Nice post, overall though!
VintageSwank
December 14, 2006
The bulk and dauntingness of a traditional water heater can be subsided with some of the new options that await home owners out there. I am partial to the great economical and space saving (not to mention light) tankless water heaters. These units get ride of the water storage tank (which is the cause of most problems with water heaters) and has an electronic system that delivers hot water on demand and as much as you need. It's a bit more costly, but the cost savings over time is well worth the initial upfront investment.
They do come in both gas and electric models and you can find them at almost any local home store.
Thanks for the thorough how-to Alex. I've helped do this before, and it's definitely less daunting than it might seem (especially if you're careful and have the right tools).
CasaHartman
December 14, 2006
Nice post, Alex. One thing to keep in mind, though: some municipalities require water heaters to be installed by a licensed plumber. My county is one such place... though that won't stop me from doing it myself. I'm just saying.
Jay the plumber
I'm 95% I'm the guy from in side the electric Rheen water heater box above lol. That picture is at least 2 or 3 years old. How in the world did u find that picture? anyways I was googlign for Rheem picutes and saw myself in that box. pretty funny. anyways.
Great tips! To bad most people are to old, don't have the tools, don't have the time, to nervous about elctric and gas problems.
I wonder? What would u tell these people if the gas valve doesn't hold after they disconnect the gas piping, or if they can't get the water to stop dripping when installing the new one, after they tightened down the main as much as possiable. ANYONE! can do pretty much any plumbing task when things go smoothly. (which only happens maybe 30% of the time)
For the other 70% of plumbing jobs that dont go smooth u will need a pro, and by the time u figure out u need one, one might be hard to find. Good luck all do it urselfers!
I've dont' even use a tourch anymore, I use my propress gun for all copper connections, and have electric gas tester/ carbon tester. Weather it's me or another pro, DON"T MESS WITH GAS INSTALLS people to many things can go wrong. New heights on taller heaters will require smoke pipe adjusting, if the gas piping don't match up from ur old union to ur new water heater gas cock, you'll need a bucket of parts to mix and match to get to get the reconnection correct.
Installed over 1,200 water heaters for the dreaded home depot. Started my own company.
I install new water heaters for 200 bucks labor!
onlywaterheaters@yahoo.com
Jay- (the guy from the Rheem box with the backwords hat on top of the page) * licenced and insured*
Anonymous
Our landlord is in the process of changing our water heater and I, of course, got online to help offer better suggestions to what he was doing (when you hear him ask his accomplice things like "what about removing this thing?" you start to get a little nervous!). Nice write-up! Informative but humorous. Even three years after you wrote it!
Now if only I could convince them the flex pipes would be easier than reconnecting the solid copper pieces... And hope that he's going to fix the deck stairs where the "incident" occurred as they were trying to remove the old one! (at least he got out of the way before it fell on him...)
alexrussell
I appreciate all your comments. I did update this post to specify it's for electric water heaters. I've set dozens of these things, both electric and gas, and the average homeowner should definitely stick to the electric models. It's also a great idea to check with local building codes to see if setting a water heater is something that needs to be done by a licensed plumber. In Seattle, where I am, a homeowner can even run their own water and drain lines if it meets code.
And to answer Vince, electric water heaters do not simply plug in with a cord. The most challenging part is matching up the black and white wires, which isn't that hard. As, for the temperature and pressure valve, a new one should come with every new water heater out of the box, along with galvanized steel nipples to screw into the new tank. Most of the ones I've set even came already wrapped in teflon tape. But it's important that the t&p valve line is tied into a drain specifically for it, usually 3/4 inch copper or cpvc. It's so rarely used, a lot of plumbers don't even solder or glue the joints, though I don't at all recommend that. If the water heater's in a basement with a drain, the pipe can run straight down to the ground.
I also like VintageSwank's comment about tankless water heaters. A plumber I've worked with raves about them and suggested I write them up in a Curbly post. Unless somebody else beats me to it, of course.
vincechan
I did not read your older posts, and it looks like this is for an electric hot water heater. I don't have experience with them, as I use primarily gas. I didn't see anything in your post about hooking up the electrical wires or anything - I find it hard to believe that it would just be a cord to plug in.
2. The pressure release valve, if our loyal readers are planning on putting it in themselves, can be taken off the old one and re-used. However, if a new one must be purchased, remember that the pipe shouldn't be more than 12"-18" off the ground. Where I'm from, that's code. Also, I have seen them in action. Very useful when the hot water heater wants to blow up and trickles out hot water out of the spout instead.
3. VS writes of tankless hot water heaters, which are nice if you have a lot of initial cash and/or not a lot of space to work with. I don't like them because (a) I don't have a problem with installing a new hot water heater quickly, and (b) I fear change and will stick to my $240 hot water heaters, thankyouverymuch.
Nice post, overall though!
VintageSwank
The bulk and dauntingness of a traditional water heater can be subsided with some of the new options that await home owners out there. I am partial to the great economical and space saving (not to mention light) tankless water heaters. These units get ride of the water storage tank (which is the cause of most problems with water heaters) and has an electronic system that delivers hot water on demand and as much as you need. It's a bit more costly, but the cost savings over time is well worth the initial upfront investment.
They do come in both gas and electric models and you can find them at almost any local home store.
Vintage Swank
www.vintageswank.com
bruno
CasaHartman
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