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Check For Backdrafting
Most water heaters rely on a natural draft to draw combustion fumes up the flue. If the draft doesn’t work, those fumes, possibly containing deadly carbon monoxide, will spill out into your home. After completing your installation, check the draft. Close all exterior doors and windows and turn on your kitchen and bathroom exhaust fans. Then open a nearby hot water faucet until you hear the gas burner in the water heater ignite. After a minute, move a smoking match around the edge of the draft hood on top of the heater. The smoke should be drawn up the vent pipe. If the smoke doesn’t draw, the fumes from the burner aren’t venting. Turn off the gas to the water heater and call a licensed plumber to correct the problem.
FIG. B Connections For Steel And Plastic Pipe
Click image to enlarge.
Many homes have galvanized steel or plastic (CPVC) water supply pipes. Galvanized steel pipes are difficult to replace. We recommend that you remove the pipes back to the nearest tee, screw on a plastic-lined galvanized nipple and complete the connections with copper as shown in our photo series.
Because of potential heat buildup, keep plastic pipe at least 6 in. away from the vent and tank. Make a transition from plastic to copper with a special coupling that’s available wherever CPVC is sold.
Flexible copper connectors are easier to install than solid copper, especially when the existing pipes and the tank inlets don’t line up. But not all local codes allow them. If yours does, take special care not to pinch or kink them. You could get a leak.
Installation details for electric water heaters
FIG.C Electrical Connections
First turn off the power to the water heater at your main electrical panel. Then follow the same draining procedures as for a gas water heater. When the water heater is drained, disconnect the electrical wires from the screw terminals under the access panel, which is usually located near the top. (If you don’t have electrical experience, hire an electrician to handle all the electrical wiring.)
Follow the manufacturer’s instructions for wiring the new water heater. If the new water heater is shorter and the old wires won’t reach, surface-mount a 4-in. x 4-in. x 1-1/2 in. metal electrical box on the wall or ceiling nearby, run the old wires to the box, and then run a new section of armored cable or electrical conduit to the water heater. Check the instructions and make sure the rating of the old fuse or circuit breaker is high enough to handle the new water heater. In addition, the circuit should have a shutoff switch within sight of the water heater.
Call your local electrical inspector before you begin the job. You’ll probably need a permit. Then, when you’re finished, have the electrical inspector check your work.
CAUTION: Aluminum wiring requires special handling. If you have aluminum wiring, call in a licensed pro who’s certified to work with it. This wiring is dull gray, not the dull orange that’s characteristic of copper.
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