Waterheater Articles

Water Heater Installation

What you Need to Know About Water Heater Installation

There are many different things that you need to know in regards to water heater installation, especially if you are planning on completing the water heater installation process yourself. After all, one of the most common household plumbing projects is that of a water heater installation, and so thus there is much to be known in regards to this.

Water Heater Installation

In regards to the matter of water heater installation, the first thing that you are going to need to do is remove your old water heater; first you need to turn off the gas or electricity to the heater, and on a gas heater, you want to separate the vent pipe from the draft hood, and it should lift off after you remove the sheet metal screw that holds it.

After making sure that the pilot light is out, you need to disconnect the gas line at the heater and then cap it, and then remove the heater from its water piping. If connected with unions, then you need to take them apart with a pair of pipe wrenches, and then pipes without unions will have to be hack sawed off.

Then after this, you will have to install the new water heater. You need to take the new heater to its location by “walking� it or by using an appliance cart, dolly, or hand truck, and then position the new heater so that your piping – particularly in that of a gas vent pipe – will reach most easily.

Then you need to install the heater’s new draft hood, and remember that every gas water heater needs proper venting that is no smaller than that of the draft hood collar of the new heater; it is a good idea to use new vent pipe elbows, as the old ones will most likely be corroded at their present angles, and so they will really be of no good. The vent should go straight up as far as possible, and then any horizontal run should slope upward at least ¼ inch per foot.

After this, you are basically done, and all you really need to do now is make the proper connections, and then your new water heater is installed. It is a quite easy process, and so you really should know that you can do it yourself, and that you thus do not necessarily need to have a professional come in to do it for you.