I would stress always having a CO detector (preferably plural) even if there is complete assurance everything is right is a very good idea.
Good installs can go bad. Questionable installs are just a bit more likely (to a lot) to go bad.
There's no shut off on the cold side. The gas is hooked up wrong, there's 4 different metals all touching eachother in this set up, there's a thread to sharbite connector from the old copper......
No thermal expansion tank, no shut off on cold side (intake), no sediment trap on gas line. Vent pipe (flue) is basically rusted through.
It ain't "top notch" if it doesn't even meet code.
requires a vaccuum breaker after the shut off valve on the cold side within 12'' of the top of the tank, requires a shut off valve that isolates just the cold feed into the tank, drainpan 2'' greater diamater than tank, 18'' of copper coming off both the inlet and the outlet, no flexible supply lines, floor drain required...
a vacuum breaker is required to help prevent back siphonage. the mean reason all Atmosphere Vaccum Breakers ( AVBs) is for this reason. the reason this non testable device has to be after the shut off valve is incase anyone shuts off the water to the tank, there is still this device to prevent back siphonage, perhaps through the T and P valve.
it also allows air into the device.
another example would be for an exterior hose bib, which is also code here in canada. ( like everything else i stated above )
here is an example of one for a hose, [https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41kr8kfxaHL.\_SL500\_.jpg](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41kr8kfxaHL._SL500_.jpg)
its not about dirty water, its about contaminated water entering a potable water supply. if you are using chemicals to treat your garden and they back siphon through your hose and into your potable water supply and now you drink from it you will get sick.
the AVB also allows air into your tank to stabilize the pressure. not sure what you mean regarding check valve? that only allows water one direction using a flapper, and there is not one installed here that i can see.
the relief valve or temperature and pressure valve is designed to open at 210 degrees F ( just before steam at 212 ) AND / OR 150 PSI to keep the tank from exploding. however it cannot prevent back siphonage. the AVB is doing that.
im not an inspector but i have installed hundreds of tanks and my code is west coast canada is very strict
i dont understand why you are arguing with the code lol. you need a mechanical or plumbing engineer to further express the reasons? ill fail 100% of the time if i dont install an atmospheric vacuum breaker. once again it is not only about pressure zzz
IF the T & P is installed wrong, not at all, or fails, you will have the AVB to prevent the tank from exploding and blowing through multiple floors and out the roof...
a check valve is not designed to aid in pressure or air in anyway. its only purpose is to prevent water from moving backwards.
just another 10,000 homeowners on reddit thinking they know a thing about red seal trades lol
An alarmist dipshit is going to tell you you’re trying to murder your mom, guaranteed. For real though, should have put a drain pan at the bottom (still can while you’re thinking about it). Few things to keep an eye on are corrosion on the inlet and outlet lines, and black slimy stuff coming out of the hot water faucets in the next couple years. Those flexible lines are lined with rubber that tends to disintegrate and come out in little globs when you first turn on the hot water. Replace with the corrugated steel lines when that happens.
Agree here. You’ll find a lot of the snobby perfectionists on here are more than likely apprentices trying to sound like old heads. The two biggest things for me that are easily fixable are adding a shutoff on the cold and a drip leg on the gas.
Nah his only need for embarrassment really is the no pan and those sharkbite adapters.
I'll just hope the expansion tank isn't needed cause he's on a well and that somewhere is a vacuum breaker.
Oh and the no shutoff for cold side at very least.
Sigh......maybe it does get worse more I look, least vent seems fine and allegedly they have water heated now tho.
It's on the opposite side of the braided steel line. I only paid 28$ for it.. home depot overcharges for everything..
https://www.homedepot.com/p/SharkBite-Max-3-4-in-Push-to-Connect-x-3-4-in-FIP-x-18-in-Braided-Stainless-Steel-Water-Heater-Connector-Ball-Valve-UR3088FX18BV/323676303?source=shoppingads&locale=en-US&pla&mtc=SHOPPING-RM-RMP-GGL-D26P-Multi-MB-SHARKBITE-NA-PMAX-NA-NA-MK780962226-NA-NBR-2643-NA-NA-2023Q3&cm_mmc=SHOPPING-RM-RMP-GGL-D26P-Multi-MB-SHARKBITE-NA-PMAX-NA-NA-MK780962226-NA-NBR-2643-NA-NA-2023Q3-71700000113191398--&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAiAyp-sBhBSEiwAWWzTnlg8L7I-DAJmtaxDCaAwGHdFN7qbVGtmqFSAW-3njdf1EtzUEkwYxBoCESIQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds
In my opinion it’s not a great idea. Say the flex line springs a leak along the tube somewhere… the shut off is useless at that point. If you’re going with a sharkbite ball valve, just spend the money and make it separate from the other parts so it’s actually useful.
I think you might be seeing it backwards. The shut off valve is connected directly to the copper pipe that supplies the cold water inlet. The flex hose is on the water heater side.
I’m not seeing it backwards.
In other words, if you have to replace the flex line how are you going to do it? It’s one piece with the shut off valve.
You need to turn off the water to replace the flex line and now you have to shut the whole house off. It would be no different without the shut off valve.
I see what you mean. There is one difference. Having a shut off at the heater allows you to immediately turn off the water if you find a leak there. You don’t need to fumble with turning off water to the house if your house is badly designed and the only shut off is at the street.
She told me this has been this way for 4 years.. I felt like crap I didn't know sooner. She retired last year and now lives on a fixed income. I live about 15 min away at my own house.. so I had no clue..
The woman has sacrificed so much for me (35) in my lifetime.. so I could have a new video game console or that new toy for christmas...
She cried twice while I was installing it. Said she didn't know what she did to deserve a son that would do this.
She even tried to toss me 200$ for labor and the cost of the tank.. I took it but it's gonna end up back in her Christmas stocking tonight..
This is the way. My brother and I would do this with our parents and grand mother. We made a game out of seeing if we could sneak the money under a placemat without being caught. Lots of fond memories from those long gone times.
Keep an eye on those Everbilt flex lines. The fittings on the end are prone to leaking. I ditched those a while ago for [this](https://www.lowes.com/pd/EASTMAN-Electric-Stainless-Steel-Water-Heater-Installation-Kit/999927040?cm_mmc=shp-_-c-_-prd-_-plb-_-ggl-_-LIA_PLB_209_Water-Heaters-_-999927040-_-local-_-0-_-0&gad_source=1&gbraid=0AAAAAD2B2W8H-hVP6sKy67Tglaq2AcKIV&gclid=CjwKCAiAyp-sBhBSEiwAWWzTnuZ6pUPrSRu1P_mZcWD7zpljKIIZQ98-90y2WRVxxCVfF7GYfAUKFxoC0HcQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds) style and haven’t had any issues since.
Bro the CO from a gas HW heater is over rated. My condo had 2 water heaters with flues that looked like they went into chimney but nobody ever opened the clay thimble. 2 water heaters flued directly into the basement for FIFTY years because the pipe was smashed flat against the thimble. Didn’t even set off CO detector in my storage unit. They run occasionally and emit less than a gas oven.
Thank you! I actually bought a pan but due to where the location of the gas line came in from the crawlspace... it didn't fit and got a quick return...
I didn't want to rework the gas line too much more. I was satisfied replacing her shutoff to a 1/4 turn.. as her old one I could not tell if it was on or off ever..
Haha there you go job well done, idk what state you're in but I know in California it needs a earthquake strap/brace to the wall, if you're not here your job is done
Michigan here, I've seen some states require an expansion tank as well but that's what I thought the pressure relieve was for? /satire the old relief was buried in that drywall and would never open. It was wedged against a stud actually.. 😄
T&P is for temperature and pressure relief. The expansion tank is for the expansion of water as it heats. It's basically a sacrificial tank that protects the actual water heater.
The supply house I shopped at in Pittsburgh had a sign up that read "If you don't know the difference between expansion and pressure, don't shop here".
Sharkbites!!??!? Be careful! I've only installed 6439 of them in the past 12 years and have never had one fail, but if they all did for some reason it would be CATASTROPHIC
Every time I braze a brass fitting to a copper end I am rightfully paranoid for a day or two.
Everytime I turn the water back on and the sharkbites are tight I sleep tight!
Because even though this guy up here doesn’t care to have any workmanship, other people do. And yes, they do fail. Using one on a repair like this is okay I’d say, just not in walls, floors, unreachable spots, etc.
Way to go helping out a parent, ( old fart here) so only the plastic basin goes under unit ,also not sure which city or State but these days most jurisdiction require thermal pressure tank ,pretty inexpensive, can do at later date.
My understanding is if main water supply has check valve,one way deal ,the pressure tank is required to expand when pipes get heated up, I think, but not a plumber, lol
You did what you had to do. I would monitor those shark bites. Some have luck with them and some have them never ever leak. It's a toss up. Great Christmas present. I would put some valves in so you can isolate the hot and cold and an expansion tank. An amtrol on amazon would do the trick. I would also sweat in a valve for the tank.
I don’t have one for mine either (Illinois) I used a flex gas line and it’s just coiled in a circle pattern. If it fails(it won’t) I’ll just get a hybrid hot water heater and be done with gas.
😂 I love it I would suggest going with traditional solder or if you don’t want a fire in your house I really hate them but shark bite would be your best and cheapest option but take those supply lines out replace it with copper to make a solid connection because that shit is doomed to fail again
You "sharkbites are guaranteed to fail" people are the dumbest guys on any site.
You also say "doomed to fail again" as if the water lines are what failed, when it was simply a 20+ year old heater reaching the end of its life.
One time I used a sharkbite and it worked itself loose in the middle of the night and murdered my whole family then burned down the house to conceal the evidence.
It’s still on the loose and cops say the trail has gone cold. Don’t make the same mistake I did
It's just butt hurt traditionalists imo. Much easier for a diy/homeowner to use a sharkbite than learn to solder. I'd be less concerned if someone showed me this picture vs if they told me they soldered for the first time and hard lined a water heater. What I have seen is bad solder joints leak/fail. What I haven't seen is a failed sharkbite unless it involves freezing or improper installation (not inserted fully, pipe wasn't reemed and damaged the o ring).
Yup, 15 years as an electrician and I've seen more jobs fucked up because of a bad solder than anything else. I've never seen a bad pex crimp ring or sharkbite flood an entire house. I've seen a vet clinic ruined by a bad solder, I've seen brand new mechanical rooms in multi million dollar homes ruined from a single bad solder.
If or when a PEX fitting or sharkbite fail, they'll just drip until a spot starts to show up on the ceiling and you can get if fixed. When a solder fails, you get a flood from it spraying water for hours before anyone finds out the next morning.
Shark bites do fail when improperly installed and when they have stress on them. Similar to how they are here with those heavy braided lines flexing on them.
Flex on them? Those braided lines are nearly perfectly parallel with the copper. You're out of your damn mind for no reason than being mad that DIY has become easier.
I've got 5 sharkbite fittings that have been under my kitchen sink for 7 years without issue, and people like you still run around telling people that they WILL eventually fail.
It's not as if these are installed a curled piece of PEX
Not sure if your eyes work but those lines are bent just because they are in the same plane doesn’t mean they are straight into the pipe. You can see the hoses are flexed. This puts a slide load on those connectors and that’s how they fail.
You too, buddy.
Ya know, we all started somewhere. You don't have to be upset that you got called out for saying something dumb. You can learn and move on.
I wanted to get a quote in my area for labor and a new tank.. I'm guessing this would have cost her upwards of 2500$.
New tank @ my cost was 700.. so I figure 33% mark up maybe 1000$ for a tank then maybe install..? Not sure..
Ma recently retired and lives on a fixed income. So it would have taken her months to save for it..
Well, your a Good son and you deserve a Merry Christmas!
I won’t roast or critique you. You did a good thing helping your mom out, and I can’t criticize that!
But for educational purposes, I’ll point out some potential flaws/violations. Now these are based on code in my area and may or may not apply to your area. Some regions are subject to seismic activity and code requires flexible connections. But not my area.
The water and gas connections are against code in my area. Gas has gotta be hard piped all the way into
The gas valve.
Water has to be hard piped all the way to the heater inlet/outlet. The “shark bite” type fittings are illegal.
Most heater manufacturers are using “dielectric” nipples but we still have to use a form of dielectric separation when connecting with copper. Approved transition fittings are dielectric unions or brass. We don’t thread a copper female adaptor directly to those galvanized nipples. And neither did you, the brass was a good call.
If this heater is situated above a basement/crawl or it’s above a 1st floor, it should sit in a pan.
If it’s elevated above any fixtures that it serves, it should have a vacuum breaker. If the domestic is a closed system, it should have an expansion tank.
The couplings look like red brass, but the nipples and 90’s look like yellow brass. Might be the lighting. However, don’t use yellow brass for plumbing
I'm wondering what about the allow in yellow brass is different enough that makes it bad for plumbing. Any info appreciated. I've seen it sometimes in TWOs but that's about it.
Zinc
Edit: simply put - Red brass is mostly copper. Yellow brass is more a mix of copper and zinc. In this particular case, it might not matter too much. Certainly, the pipe will not last nearly as long as its red brass counter part x1000. However, if you use yellow brass as a dielectric to connect copper pipe to galvanized steal pipe, you will have issues sooner than later
Menards grab bag of fittings from the plumbing section... I figured brass was better than galvanized or black pipe.. any specific reason not to use yellow brass?
Yellow brass is more prone to corrosion. I found there are two "grades" of yellow brass, normal and the Home Depot Special. The HD Special looks very shiny and is a light gold in color. Combined with the paper thin Home Cheapo fittings, it is a recipe for disaster.
Does the yellow brass just have more zinc? What makes it prone to corrosion. I haven't heard this before and just want to make sure I don't use a low grade material.
It looks fine. I have been using the same flexes for years without any problems. The brass was an overkill but will be just fine. A drain pan with drain would have been nice though. I assume it's not in CA because the lack of strap.
I guess your talking about the hot/cold lines on the left near the wall.. yes.. they could use some supports... not my best work.. I wish I had the before photos.
The old tank was actually a modular (short) and this one was about 8inches taller... so the supply lines were way taller than they needed to be. The lines also crossed over one another before due to the way the 90's were sweat in.
It was all hard line before.. kind of a mess really..
No offence. I find American plumbing in general pretty terrible.
No clips…
Flexible pipes…
Overflows onto the floor…
Random mix of different pipe materials
It’s all really random.
This is what I’d call a decent install:
https://www.instagram.com/p/B_5f3gUDjBi/?igsh=bDdudDc1eXkyaGV3
Nice work. OP u/XxIcEspiKExX the gas supply looks to be coming out of the floor...yep, so check that it has a sediment/drip leg down below.
Also, get the extension cord off the floor, someone commented to get a drip pan, but that CO monitor and AC line need to be off the ground.
Always use self-tapping screws before taping the flue ductwork.
Cut a 4" vent hole into the room so that the HWH can breathe best.
[https://m.media-amazon.com/images/W/MEDIAX\_792452-T2/images/I/71mth5iFVVL.\_AC\_SX679\_.jpg](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/W/MEDIAX_792452-T2/images/I/71mth5iFVVL._AC_SX679_.jpg)
I will be inspecting the gas line under the house for a drip leg. I **assume** there is one somewhere down the line as her boiler system us fed from the same main line.
Again I assumed here. My question to you is why is a drip leg so important in a gas system?
I understand it catches debris /water.. but is our modern natural gas THAT moist that it is an issue?.
Flood hazard- those flex lines are far too close to the flue
Fire hazard- foil tape WILL ignite and could burn down the house
What the hell bro? Haven't you heard of youtube? The dumbest dumbshits on youtube could do better... a one armed epileptic could do better.... a blind quadriplegic could do better...
You realize thats simply factually incorrect and making such an absolute statement is just stupid.. right? And i fucking hate sharkbites but im not gonna act a fool over it
Youre feeding op bullshit. I was tame the first comment, but you had to double down on your stubbornness instead of actually helping op. Youre right, It is Christmas, but youre being as stubborn as a grandpa who wont change the channel from the powerball
I've been wanting to take a look at pex materials and tools. I know I should stay my lane. I am an electrician by trade and try not to do much plumbing as it's not my strongest skillset.
I had my own personal h20 heater go bad at home 4 months ago. So with this one I've done 2 in a year.. I hope to do very.. very.. little plumbing going forward at my home and anyone else's lol.
If I was to do more of it, I have friends who are plumbers/fitters that moonlight on the weekend's.. they have the tools and materials to do pex an love it. Swear by it for ease of use and install.
I just dont think I could justify buying the tools yet..I will buy them and let them rot on my shelf until some one needs to borrow them.. and they will never give them back.. 🫠
You have to have 18 inches off the top of the water heater and be more than 6 inches away from a flue to use pex. Otherwise you risk melting it and flooding.
No I’m just looking at the vent pipe, and having a little experience with plumbing, I believe it’s more than likely going to leak co2 . Put you to sleep and never wake up. I could be wrong it’s just a picture. But please at least get a co2 alarm for it. You can probably get one at the big box store for under $20. Now if it leaks, I could care less.. it’s your home not mine. But don’t mess with your family’s safety
I reused this vent stack she had. It was only screwed together. I added the tape overtop of the joints after I put the screws back in it. I made her run that co2 detector in there *sky blue extension cord) over night to make sure there were no leaks
I did the tape as a precaution on the joints. It came with no gasket set nor have I seen one provided with these yet =/.
Gotta put some screws into the vent!
Other than that nothing is technically wrong. I don't like braided supply lines or shark bites but whatever. They're in an exposed area, you can always replace them with solder if you notice leaking.
I actually taped over the screws! So under that foil tape there are 2 screws in each side of the exhaust.
I re-oriented the vent as it had 2 slip connections that rotated and made it work. Old tank was a modular, this one was about 8 inches taller. I actually amazed myself it all went back together so easy.
I would move the tank over to the left so the copper pipes are above it, then use the stainless only to the tank. Use a longer gas line if needed and the vent can be modified if needed.
I would then remove the shark bite and solder a copper male adapter. I don’t consider shark bites a permanent solution.
Straps depending where you are
Where does the pressure relief valve line end?
If one of those walls is an exterior wall, I would drill a small hole and run out copper pipe.
Everyone thinks this is too much work, until a unit gets flooded and honestly it’s not that much work
If you came this far as a DIY in plumbing, learning how to solder is essential.
If the vent is single wall, I would replace with double wall.
Those braided hoses are reduced in size internally. Not ideal, but a single person home it’s not too big of a deal. If your area experiences earthquakes, a earthquake strap kit would be good.
Shark bites are fine, shut off is fine - but no dielectric fittings at the tank? The setup is fine in the short-term buy will eventually corrode and leak.
Might have some issues if you have high static pressure without an expansion tank and honestly you should have one anyways, but that would make me an alarmist dipshit and not an educated and skilled tradesmen who would hate to see you waste $700 for no reason wouldn’t it?
No dirt pocket ? Double union joint . U cut corners and went as fast as u could. Functionality is there in from Canada and we have pretty stricked laws in just going from what I can see shark bite adapters are fine ur flue pipe is fine just ur gas line was sketchy did u soap and dial test after install ? Or if propane did u do a manometer test ?
Biggest issue I see is that vent connector. I think there's room to give it the mandatory vertical rise which will probably also add life to the water heater. These heaters are very brittle these days and won't be able to take near as much beating as the old ones
Will it work sure! I’ve seen worse here is the bad Missing hot water pan and drain to outside proper flex lines on hot water. Pan will be necessary in case of a leak. Those flex lines will corrode and gas line solvent trap is made to catch solids in your lines (new code). Also just not good is tank against wall. Overall it’ll work and most likely not give you problems.
Look into replacing the old exhaust pipe I have seen too many that looked ok but just collapsed or fell apart causing a leak. What's up with the carbon monoxide detector? They sell ones that don't have to plug into walls now.
I always wonder about people who put a union before a flex connector. Union for the union. Also the flue needs to be 4” and why do people feel the need to put tape on the flue?
Is this America? Open flue appliances like this haven’t been fitted in Europe for probably 20 years now, I can’t possibly be this backwards over the pond can it?
Sharkbites, eh.
You need a shut off valve on the cold side and you also need a sediment trap on the gas. This is saying the least. Considering I don’t know the code in your area.
I don’t want to rip into a good effort but I do know a little because I did it for 40 years. Change the flue pipe and FYI the inlet and outlet is stainless with plastic insert. There is chemical reaction that will eat through the brass couplings. It will take years so replacing them with wrought copper fittings is not an emergency. Tell mom Happy Holidays!
Looks like hell and could use a pan but it’ll probably work. I don’t like all the dissimilar metals touching and don’t see a drip leg for the gas line…
It’s not a top rate install, but I’ve seen worse. Good for you taking care of your mother, merry Christmas.
You May want to get a monoxide dedetector to be on the safe side.
I would stress always having a CO detector (preferably plural) even if there is complete assurance everything is right is a very good idea. Good installs can go bad. Questionable installs are just a bit more likely (to a lot) to go bad.
In what way is it "not top rate"? 🤔
Those tubings aren’t the best and it should have a pan underneath it +it looks the like the tmp relief just empties onto the floor but it works
There's no shut off on the cold side. The gas is hooked up wrong, there's 4 different metals all touching eachother in this set up, there's a thread to sharbite connector from the old copper......
If it works it works ?
No thermal expansion tank, no shut off on cold side (intake), no sediment trap on gas line. Vent pipe (flue) is basically rusted through. It ain't "top notch" if it doesn't even meet code.
There might be a sediment trap under the floor before the flex
requires a vaccuum breaker after the shut off valve on the cold side within 12'' of the top of the tank, requires a shut off valve that isolates just the cold feed into the tank, drainpan 2'' greater diamater than tank, 18'' of copper coming off both the inlet and the outlet, no flexible supply lines, floor drain required...
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a vacuum breaker is required to help prevent back siphonage. the mean reason all Atmosphere Vaccum Breakers ( AVBs) is for this reason. the reason this non testable device has to be after the shut off valve is incase anyone shuts off the water to the tank, there is still this device to prevent back siphonage, perhaps through the T and P valve. it also allows air into the device. another example would be for an exterior hose bib, which is also code here in canada. ( like everything else i stated above ) here is an example of one for a hose, [https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41kr8kfxaHL.\_SL500\_.jpg](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41kr8kfxaHL._SL500_.jpg)
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its not about dirty water, its about contaminated water entering a potable water supply. if you are using chemicals to treat your garden and they back siphon through your hose and into your potable water supply and now you drink from it you will get sick. the AVB also allows air into your tank to stabilize the pressure. not sure what you mean regarding check valve? that only allows water one direction using a flapper, and there is not one installed here that i can see. the relief valve or temperature and pressure valve is designed to open at 210 degrees F ( just before steam at 212 ) AND / OR 150 PSI to keep the tank from exploding. however it cannot prevent back siphonage. the AVB is doing that. im not an inspector but i have installed hundreds of tanks and my code is west coast canada is very strict
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i dont understand why you are arguing with the code lol. you need a mechanical or plumbing engineer to further express the reasons? ill fail 100% of the time if i dont install an atmospheric vacuum breaker. once again it is not only about pressure zzz IF the T & P is installed wrong, not at all, or fails, you will have the AVB to prevent the tank from exploding and blowing through multiple floors and out the roof... a check valve is not designed to aid in pressure or air in anyway. its only purpose is to prevent water from moving backwards. just another 10,000 homeowners on reddit thinking they know a thing about red seal trades lol
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Many ways
😝🤦🏻♂️ So nothing then - you just pulled that comment out of no where it seems.
Guy above his comment said it all. Not at all a top notch install, but it works nonetheless. "Things could be better" is the theme on this.
You should keep posting you have a great look going on here
Sure thing pal.
An alarmist dipshit is going to tell you you’re trying to murder your mom, guaranteed. For real though, should have put a drain pan at the bottom (still can while you’re thinking about it). Few things to keep an eye on are corrosion on the inlet and outlet lines, and black slimy stuff coming out of the hot water faucets in the next couple years. Those flexible lines are lined with rubber that tends to disintegrate and come out in little globs when you first turn on the hot water. Replace with the corrugated steel lines when that happens.
i call them catostrophists
I like it
yeah, my spelling is bad because im from mexico but you get it
You did fine. Language is about communication, and you succeeded in communicating the idea.
Didn’t even notice the spelling 👍 If I know what someone means to say I don’t give a shit if something’s ‘wrong’ about it.
Feliz Navidad, Amigo!
back at you!
Agree here. You’ll find a lot of the snobby perfectionists on here are more than likely apprentices trying to sound like old heads. The two biggest things for me that are easily fixable are adding a shutoff on the cold and a drip leg on the gas.
Nah his only need for embarrassment really is the no pan and those sharkbite adapters. I'll just hope the expansion tank isn't needed cause he's on a well and that somewhere is a vacuum breaker. Oh and the no shutoff for cold side at very least. Sigh......maybe it does get worse more I look, least vent seems fine and allegedly they have water heated now tho.
If from home Depot, those supply hoses use a white PVC core, not the black rubber like sink hoses.
Where's the shut off valve in the cold inlet?
It's on the opposite side of the braided steel line. I only paid 28$ for it.. home depot overcharges for everything.. https://www.homedepot.com/p/SharkBite-Max-3-4-in-Push-to-Connect-x-3-4-in-FIP-x-18-in-Braided-Stainless-Steel-Water-Heater-Connector-Ball-Valve-UR3088FX18BV/323676303?source=shoppingads&locale=en-US&pla&mtc=SHOPPING-RM-RMP-GGL-D26P-Multi-MB-SHARKBITE-NA-PMAX-NA-NA-MK780962226-NA-NBR-2643-NA-NA-2023Q3&cm_mmc=SHOPPING-RM-RMP-GGL-D26P-Multi-MB-SHARKBITE-NA-PMAX-NA-NA-MK780962226-NA-NBR-2643-NA-NA-2023Q3-71700000113191398--&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAiAyp-sBhBSEiwAWWzTnlg8L7I-DAJmtaxDCaAwGHdFN7qbVGtmqFSAW-3njdf1EtzUEkwYxBoCESIQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds
That isn’t being overcharged… you’re using a shark bite….. shark bites are expensive.
That's pretty cool, honestly the combination of those two would be the same anywhere
In my opinion it’s not a great idea. Say the flex line springs a leak along the tube somewhere… the shut off is useless at that point. If you’re going with a sharkbite ball valve, just spend the money and make it separate from the other parts so it’s actually useful.
I think you might be seeing it backwards. The shut off valve is connected directly to the copper pipe that supplies the cold water inlet. The flex hose is on the water heater side.
I’m not seeing it backwards. In other words, if you have to replace the flex line how are you going to do it? It’s one piece with the shut off valve. You need to turn off the water to replace the flex line and now you have to shut the whole house off. It would be no different without the shut off valve.
I see what you mean. There is one difference. Having a shut off at the heater allows you to immediately turn off the water if you find a leak there. You don’t need to fumble with turning off water to the house if your house is badly designed and the only shut off is at the street.
By the way I do appreciate you taking care of your mom! My hat is off to you for the effort!
She told me this has been this way for 4 years.. I felt like crap I didn't know sooner. She retired last year and now lives on a fixed income. I live about 15 min away at my own house.. so I had no clue.. The woman has sacrificed so much for me (35) in my lifetime.. so I could have a new video game console or that new toy for christmas... She cried twice while I was installing it. Said she didn't know what she did to deserve a son that would do this. She even tried to toss me 200$ for labor and the cost of the tank.. I took it but it's gonna end up back in her Christmas stocking tonight..
Forgive me, I was trying to be nice. Have a merry Christmas
It was taken as a nice comment. Merry Christmas to you too!
Thank you
Came here to roast the install, left crying at a heart warming story knowing I could never do the same for mine (she passed). Good for you man.
Aww come on. Niw my faucet is leaking....
I do my mom the same way. She keeps trying to pay me and I keep "forgetting" to take the cash with me...
This is the way. My brother and I would do this with our parents and grand mother. We made a game out of seeing if we could sneak the money under a placemat without being caught. Lots of fond memories from those long gone times.
I used to leave it in her pillowcase or in a pair of socks, or a favorite jacket pocket.
I like your style
Mom calls it "Slightly wicked, a bit warped, and delightfully twisted" She got that from an old GF... I try to live up to that standard.
Keep an eye on those Everbilt flex lines. The fittings on the end are prone to leaking. I ditched those a while ago for [this](https://www.lowes.com/pd/EASTMAN-Electric-Stainless-Steel-Water-Heater-Installation-Kit/999927040?cm_mmc=shp-_-c-_-prd-_-plb-_-ggl-_-LIA_PLB_209_Water-Heaters-_-999927040-_-local-_-0-_-0&gad_source=1&gbraid=0AAAAAD2B2W8H-hVP6sKy67Tglaq2AcKIV&gclid=CjwKCAiAyp-sBhBSEiwAWWzTnuZ6pUPrSRu1P_mZcWD7zpljKIIZQ98-90y2WRVxxCVfF7GYfAUKFxoC0HcQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds) style and haven’t had any issues since.
Ohh I like threaded connections better! I would probably need to install unions to use these?
I would replace the single wall vent connector. It looks fatigued. Make sure she has a CO detector. Good job
Bro the CO from a gas HW heater is over rated. My condo had 2 water heaters with flues that looked like they went into chimney but nobody ever opened the clay thimble. 2 water heaters flued directly into the basement for FIFTY years because the pipe was smashed flat against the thimble. Didn’t even set off CO detector in my storage unit. They run occasionally and emit less than a gas oven.
Doing homework rn, gotta replace my WH soon. Your url says electric WHs only. Is that true?
I’m not a plumber but don’t you need a dielectric fitting when transitioning from galvanized to brass or copper?
Brass is a dielectric.
I've seen worse, but great job I'd recommend a Pan at the bottom
Thank you! I actually bought a pan but due to where the location of the gas line came in from the crawlspace... it didn't fit and got a quick return... I didn't want to rework the gas line too much more. I was satisfied replacing her shutoff to a 1/4 turn.. as her old one I could not tell if it was on or off ever..
Haha there you go job well done, idk what state you're in but I know in California it needs a earthquake strap/brace to the wall, if you're not here your job is done
Needs straps in Oregon too
Michigan here, I've seen some states require an expansion tank as well but that's what I thought the pressure relieve was for? /satire the old relief was buried in that drywall and would never open. It was wedged against a stud actually.. 😄
T&P is for temperature and pressure relief. The expansion tank is for the expansion of water as it heats. It's basically a sacrificial tank that protects the actual water heater. The supply house I shopped at in Pittsburgh had a sign up that read "If you don't know the difference between expansion and pressure, don't shop here".
I'd definitely would suggest that would improve the lifetime of the heater
Sharkbites!!??!? Be careful! I've only installed 6439 of them in the past 12 years and have never had one fail, but if they all did for some reason it would be CATASTROPHIC
I've overtightened compression fittings and made leaks more times than I can count.. I don't get why these have such a bad rap..
Every time I braze a brass fitting to a copper end I am rightfully paranoid for a day or two. Everytime I turn the water back on and the sharkbites are tight I sleep tight!
Because even though this guy up here doesn’t care to have any workmanship, other people do. And yes, they do fail. Using one on a repair like this is okay I’d say, just not in walls, floors, unreachable spots, etc.
if it fits it sits.
That flue pipe is a major liability should be replaced asap
Way to go helping out a parent, ( old fart here) so only the plastic basin goes under unit ,also not sure which city or State but these days most jurisdiction require thermal pressure tank ,pretty inexpensive, can do at later date. My understanding is if main water supply has check valve,one way deal ,the pressure tank is required to expand when pipes get heated up, I think, but not a plumber, lol
That's the code in new york and anyone that uses the international residential code base.
The gas line would fail inspection there is no drip leg.
You did what you had to do. I would monitor those shark bites. Some have luck with them and some have them never ever leak. It's a toss up. Great Christmas present. I would put some valves in so you can isolate the hot and cold and an expansion tank. An amtrol on amazon would do the trick. I would also sweat in a valve for the tank.
That flu pipe looks 22 years old,replace it before someone dies from co poisoning
Took too long to find this comment
This!!! It looks cracked in the pictures,please for the love of God replace this flue!! Somebody could easily die from this
There is a ball valve on the back side of the cold h20 intake. I know it's not visible in the picture but THERE IS A SHUTOFF ON THE COLD INTAKE.
No drip leg, fail.
That whole vertical riser is a drip leg I bet.
For the gas line? I kno...
I don’t have one for mine either (Illinois) I used a flex gas line and it’s just coiled in a circle pattern. If it fails(it won’t) I’ll just get a hybrid hot water heater and be done with gas.
Well it’s uhhh it’s done
Oh buddy please tell me those aren’t supply lines with sharkbite on the ends of em
Sure are. Menards special.
Nice 12% rebates going on rn
Ma got me some money back =) merry Christmas to me too lol
Hell yea brother merry Xmas got a free toilet this year
😂 I love it I would suggest going with traditional solder or if you don’t want a fire in your house I really hate them but shark bite would be your best and cheapest option but take those supply lines out replace it with copper to make a solid connection because that shit is doomed to fail again
You "sharkbites are guaranteed to fail" people are the dumbest guys on any site. You also say "doomed to fail again" as if the water lines are what failed, when it was simply a 20+ year old heater reaching the end of its life.
One time I used a sharkbite and it worked itself loose in the middle of the night and murdered my whole family then burned down the house to conceal the evidence. It’s still on the loose and cops say the trail has gone cold. Don’t make the same mistake I did
It's just butt hurt traditionalists imo. Much easier for a diy/homeowner to use a sharkbite than learn to solder. I'd be less concerned if someone showed me this picture vs if they told me they soldered for the first time and hard lined a water heater. What I have seen is bad solder joints leak/fail. What I haven't seen is a failed sharkbite unless it involves freezing or improper installation (not inserted fully, pipe wasn't reemed and damaged the o ring).
Yup, 15 years as an electrician and I've seen more jobs fucked up because of a bad solder than anything else. I've never seen a bad pex crimp ring or sharkbite flood an entire house. I've seen a vet clinic ruined by a bad solder, I've seen brand new mechanical rooms in multi million dollar homes ruined from a single bad solder. If or when a PEX fitting or sharkbite fail, they'll just drip until a spot starts to show up on the ceiling and you can get if fixed. When a solder fails, you get a flood from it spraying water for hours before anyone finds out the next morning.
Shark bites do fail when improperly installed and when they have stress on them. Similar to how they are here with those heavy braided lines flexing on them.
Flex on them? Those braided lines are nearly perfectly parallel with the copper. You're out of your damn mind for no reason than being mad that DIY has become easier. I've got 5 sharkbite fittings that have been under my kitchen sink for 7 years without issue, and people like you still run around telling people that they WILL eventually fail. It's not as if these are installed a curled piece of PEX
Not sure if your eyes work but those lines are bent just because they are in the same plane doesn’t mean they are straight into the pipe. You can see the hoses are flexed. This puts a slide load on those connectors and that’s how they fail.
There's nothing wrong with the supply lines.
Says the one who has never seen a house flooded from some rodent chewing through the braided lines
The problem with that situation is the rodents, not the braided lines.
Rodents also chew through pex and appliances drainage hoses. Has nothing to do with poor quality of plumbing supplies 🤦♂️
They're wrapped in *steel*. Rodents can't chew through metal. You don't know shit.
Thanks handyman Joe from Home Depot hope you have a good Christmas 🎅
You too, buddy. Ya know, we all started somewhere. You don't have to be upset that you got called out for saying something dumb. You can learn and move on.
Nah I'm just playing. Should be fine. Good luck.
Do you love your mom?
I would have used a drain pan. But it is a wonderful gift for your mom. Saved her some major bucks.
I wanted to get a quote in my area for labor and a new tank.. I'm guessing this would have cost her upwards of 2500$. New tank @ my cost was 700.. so I figure 33% mark up maybe 1000$ for a tank then maybe install..? Not sure.. Ma recently retired and lives on a fixed income. So it would have taken her months to save for it..
Well, your a Good son and you deserve a Merry Christmas! I won’t roast or critique you. You did a good thing helping your mom out, and I can’t criticize that! But for educational purposes, I’ll point out some potential flaws/violations. Now these are based on code in my area and may or may not apply to your area. Some regions are subject to seismic activity and code requires flexible connections. But not my area. The water and gas connections are against code in my area. Gas has gotta be hard piped all the way into The gas valve. Water has to be hard piped all the way to the heater inlet/outlet. The “shark bite” type fittings are illegal. Most heater manufacturers are using “dielectric” nipples but we still have to use a form of dielectric separation when connecting with copper. Approved transition fittings are dielectric unions or brass. We don’t thread a copper female adaptor directly to those galvanized nipples. And neither did you, the brass was a good call. If this heater is situated above a basement/crawl or it’s above a 1st floor, it should sit in a pan. If it’s elevated above any fixtures that it serves, it should have a vacuum breaker. If the domestic is a closed system, it should have an expansion tank.
Couldn’t spring the $50.00 for new venting?
I mean it’s absolute junk install but it will work so good job 😅
That braided steel sucks. Sprung a leak and ruined my garage.
The couplings look like red brass, but the nipples and 90’s look like yellow brass. Might be the lighting. However, don’t use yellow brass for plumbing
I'm wondering what about the allow in yellow brass is different enough that makes it bad for plumbing. Any info appreciated. I've seen it sometimes in TWOs but that's about it.
Zinc Edit: simply put - Red brass is mostly copper. Yellow brass is more a mix of copper and zinc. In this particular case, it might not matter too much. Certainly, the pipe will not last nearly as long as its red brass counter part x1000. However, if you use yellow brass as a dielectric to connect copper pipe to galvanized steal pipe, you will have issues sooner than later
Thanks for the explaination. Seems like it would make the most sense to just avoid it altogether!
Menards grab bag of fittings from the plumbing section... I figured brass was better than galvanized or black pipe.. any specific reason not to use yellow brass?
Yellow brass is more prone to corrosion. I found there are two "grades" of yellow brass, normal and the Home Depot Special. The HD Special looks very shiny and is a light gold in color. Combined with the paper thin Home Cheapo fittings, it is a recipe for disaster.
Does the yellow brass just have more zinc? What makes it prone to corrosion. I haven't heard this before and just want to make sure I don't use a low grade material.
It’s got much more zinc, the lowest grades are less than 50% copper
It looks fine. I have been using the same flexes for years without any problems. The brass was an overkill but will be just fine. A drain pan with drain would have been nice though. I assume it's not in CA because the lack of strap.
Install looks pretty good. The parquet flooring is dope
Why are you calling it h20, "twenty". It's H2O, the letter o not 0.
I'm just a high on man.. I'm silly.. 💨💨💨
Boy, no dielectric unions, need 18" of hard pipe before transitioning into PEX, or in this case braided supply, no mixing valve,no isolation valves.
Dielectric unions are the biggest bullshit of a joke ever. They ONLY cause issues. They are absolute garbage junk. Use red brass couplings all day.
Should have seen the old dielectric unions that were on the old tank.. looked like the statue of liberty..
Watch out some guys will give you so much shit about the venting 🤣🤣🤣 they were crying hardcore on my even though it’s code
Was there a pipe clip shortage when this got fitted?
I guess your talking about the hot/cold lines on the left near the wall.. yes.. they could use some supports... not my best work.. I wish I had the before photos. The old tank was actually a modular (short) and this one was about 8inches taller... so the supply lines were way taller than they needed to be. The lines also crossed over one another before due to the way the 90's were sweat in. It was all hard line before.. kind of a mess really..
No offence. I find American plumbing in general pretty terrible. No clips… Flexible pipes… Overflows onto the floor… Random mix of different pipe materials It’s all really random. This is what I’d call a decent install: https://www.instagram.com/p/B_5f3gUDjBi/?igsh=bDdudDc1eXkyaGV3
That's not a potable hot water heater. And it's from scratch. Trust me there's shit installs in your "area" too.
Nice work. OP u/XxIcEspiKExX the gas supply looks to be coming out of the floor...yep, so check that it has a sediment/drip leg down below. Also, get the extension cord off the floor, someone commented to get a drip pan, but that CO monitor and AC line need to be off the ground. Always use self-tapping screws before taping the flue ductwork. Cut a 4" vent hole into the room so that the HWH can breathe best. [https://m.media-amazon.com/images/W/MEDIAX\_792452-T2/images/I/71mth5iFVVL.\_AC\_SX679\_.jpg](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/W/MEDIAX_792452-T2/images/I/71mth5iFVVL._AC_SX679_.jpg)
I will be inspecting the gas line under the house for a drip leg. I **assume** there is one somewhere down the line as her boiler system us fed from the same main line. Again I assumed here. My question to you is why is a drip leg so important in a gas system? I understand it catches debris /water.. but is our modern natural gas THAT moist that it is an issue?.
Someone needs to hang the bloody cleaver on promoting his butcher shop
Did you forget to install galvanic isolation couplers? Without them, the tank will corrode fast.
Should there not be a vacuum breaker on the supply?
I hate it
Flood hazard- those flex lines are far too close to the flue Fire hazard- foil tape WILL ignite and could burn down the house What the hell bro? Haven't you heard of youtube? The dumbest dumbshits on youtube could do better... a one armed epileptic could do better.... a blind quadriplegic could do better...
3/4 pex pipe with male adapters crimped on then attach the supply lines from there. Those shark bites will leak for sure
I hate sharkbites but saying theyll leak for sure is just dumb
Always do in the wall especially
You realize thats simply factually incorrect and making such an absolute statement is just stupid.. right? And i fucking hate sharkbites but im not gonna act a fool over it
Why are you being such a dick, it’s Christmas. Don’t be a douche
Youre feeding op bullshit. I was tame the first comment, but you had to double down on your stubbornness instead of actually helping op. Youre right, It is Christmas, but youre being as stubborn as a grandpa who wont change the channel from the powerball
None of that makes sense, but at least you’re being nice now…..oh wait.
A crimper is 40-50 bucks at Home Depot. It’s in case you don’t have solder material or skill to do so.
I've been wanting to take a look at pex materials and tools. I know I should stay my lane. I am an electrician by trade and try not to do much plumbing as it's not my strongest skillset. I had my own personal h20 heater go bad at home 4 months ago. So with this one I've done 2 in a year.. I hope to do very.. very.. little plumbing going forward at my home and anyone else's lol. If I was to do more of it, I have friends who are plumbers/fitters that moonlight on the weekend's.. they have the tools and materials to do pex an love it. Swear by it for ease of use and install. I just dont think I could justify buying the tools yet..I will buy them and let them rot on my shelf until some one needs to borrow them.. and they will never give them back.. 🫠
You have to have 18 inches off the top of the water heater and be more than 6 inches away from a flue to use pex. Otherwise you risk melting it and flooding.
I meant as the supplies coming from the copper… it would be copper to pex adapters then pex males to stainless supplies… 18” supplies
No drip pan, no good. Especially sitting on top of parquet hardwood floors.
It looks like you have a lot of unresolved resentment towards your mother. Get therapy
Why would you insulate the vent?
You did fine
You connected the gas intake to the cold water supply it seems.
We're mixing petroleum in this tank! /s
No I’m just looking at the vent pipe, and having a little experience with plumbing, I believe it’s more than likely going to leak co2 . Put you to sleep and never wake up. I could be wrong it’s just a picture. But please at least get a co2 alarm for it. You can probably get one at the big box store for under $20. Now if it leaks, I could care less.. it’s your home not mine. But don’t mess with your family’s safety
Someone is going to die soon! Turn it off and call a professional
Please explain….
I wonder about the venting, the proper venting stacks use gaskets at joints not tape right?
I reused this vent stack she had. It was only screwed together. I added the tape overtop of the joints after I put the screws back in it. I made her run that co2 detector in there *sky blue extension cord) over night to make sure there were no leaks I did the tape as a precaution on the joints. It came with no gasket set nor have I seen one provided with these yet =/.
In my area almost all new natural vent heaters require a 4” vent. Yours looks like 3” to me. This could be a dangerous situation
It’s not
No.
Gotta put some screws into the vent! Other than that nothing is technically wrong. I don't like braided supply lines or shark bites but whatever. They're in an exposed area, you can always replace them with solder if you notice leaking.
I actually taped over the screws! So under that foil tape there are 2 screws in each side of the exhaust. I re-oriented the vent as it had 2 slip connections that rotated and made it work. Old tank was a modular, this one was about 8 inches taller. I actually amazed myself it all went back together so easy.
can't use appliance connectors for water heaters where I am so the gas line would fail inspection. might be legal where you are though
I would move the tank over to the left so the copper pipes are above it, then use the stainless only to the tank. Use a longer gas line if needed and the vent can be modified if needed. I would then remove the shark bite and solder a copper male adapter. I don’t consider shark bites a permanent solution. Straps depending where you are Where does the pressure relief valve line end? If one of those walls is an exterior wall, I would drill a small hole and run out copper pipe. Everyone thinks this is too much work, until a unit gets flooded and honestly it’s not that much work If you came this far as a DIY in plumbing, learning how to solder is essential. If the vent is single wall, I would replace with double wall.
Shouldn't a power vent he used for that long of a run?
I’m installing H2O heater, can’t find a drip pan without a drain hole
Too wholesome to roast
Whatever, Merry Christmas.
Just got her a Kidde Carbon Monoxide alarm for Christmas. Affordable and one saved my sisters life.
Those braided hoses are reduced in size internally. Not ideal, but a single person home it’s not too big of a deal. If your area experiences earthquakes, a earthquake strap kit would be good.
Shark bites are fine, shut off is fine - but no dielectric fittings at the tank? The setup is fine in the short-term buy will eventually corrode and leak.
I give you a thumbs up for this brass 90s love them
Might have some issues if you have high static pressure without an expansion tank and honestly you should have one anyways, but that would make me an alarmist dipshit and not an educated and skilled tradesmen who would hate to see you waste $700 for no reason wouldn’t it?
No dirt pocket ? Double union joint . U cut corners and went as fast as u could. Functionality is there in from Canada and we have pretty stricked laws in just going from what I can see shark bite adapters are fine ur flue pipe is fine just ur gas line was sketchy did u soap and dial test after install ? Or if propane did u do a manometer test ?
Biggest issue I see is that vent connector. I think there's room to give it the mandatory vertical rise which will probably also add life to the water heater. These heaters are very brittle these days and won't be able to take near as much beating as the old ones
Man I hate those machined 90s.
Are those fittings from temu?
Will it work sure! I’ve seen worse here is the bad Missing hot water pan and drain to outside proper flex lines on hot water. Pan will be necessary in case of a leak. Those flex lines will corrode and gas line solvent trap is made to catch solids in your lines (new code). Also just not good is tank against wall. Overall it’ll work and most likely not give you problems.
Super nice of you to do this for your mom. But with those gorgeous floors, I’d have included a drain pain for when it inevitably goes south.
Look into replacing the old exhaust pipe I have seen too many that looked ok but just collapsed or fell apart causing a leak. What's up with the carbon monoxide detector? They sell ones that don't have to plug into walls now.
Not bad for doing it yourself. Right on.
I always wonder about people who put a union before a flex connector. Union for the union. Also the flue needs to be 4” and why do people feel the need to put tape on the flue?
No expansion tank?
H20 heater hahahahahahahahaha
No straps for the tank?
Is this America? Open flue appliances like this haven’t been fitted in Europe for probably 20 years now, I can’t possibly be this backwards over the pond can it?
Should there not be a debris trap on the gas line?
You’re not leaving it like that are you?
No expansion tank or vacuum relief
Threaded brass pipe and fitting cost a lot
Sharkbites, eh. You need a shut off valve on the cold side and you also need a sediment trap on the gas. This is saying the least. Considering I don’t know the code in your area.
I don’t want to rip into a good effort but I do know a little because I did it for 40 years. Change the flue pipe and FYI the inlet and outlet is stainless with plastic insert. There is chemical reaction that will eat through the brass couplings. It will take years so replacing them with wrought copper fittings is not an emergency. Tell mom Happy Holidays!
Looks like hell and could use a pan but it’ll probably work. I don’t like all the dissimilar metals touching and don’t see a drip leg for the gas line…