Connecting a water heater is one of those home repairs that is completed on a regular basis. It is not particularly difficult, but if not installed properly, the results can be disastrous. Installing a hot water is not hard, but you must be sure you know what you’re doing. First of all, you should read all instructions before beginning installation. Remember going without hot water is an undesirable way to go through life.
The first step in installing a new water-heater is disconnecting the old unit. Before you do this, you need to turn off the gas or electricity, depending what type water heater you have. Next drain the old water from the heater. The best way to do this is to connect a water hose to the drain valve and open the drain valve. If you havea gas heater you disconnect the exhaust pipe where the draft hood is connected. Loosen the hood and make sure that the pilot’s light is out. Once you are sure that it is disconnected according to the gascompany, you have to cap it.
Disconnecting the water heater from the pipes should be done with caution. The tubes may have hot water in them so handle them with care. Use a wrench, if necessary, to separate the pipes. Check to see whether any state laws determine how the water heater is disposed of. If none exist then put the heater in the garbage heap.
A dolly will be necessary to get your new water heater in the house. Water heaters are to hard to pick up and even if you manage to get the heater under control enough to drag it in, use a dolly to prevent injuries. Besides possible injuries to your self, some of the fragile parts of the water heater could be broken. Set your water heater in a way that it can be easily connected to the tubes. Make sure that gas water heaters are connected properly, so that no lethal gas can escape.
Next you need to hook up the water connections, hot and cold, to the heater. Connect it to the same lines, the heater was previously connected to. Next hook up the third line to the main water line that sends water throughout the house. This is the step that many homeowners mess up. To ensure that you do it right, turn the hot water and see if it’s hot.
The pressure relief valve is present to control the heater and keep it from blowing up. T find them and turn on. The last step is connecting your new water heater’s power if it is electric. Pull out the instructions again and refresh your memory..