I have been a plumber for twenty-seven years. Homeowners have called me at all hours of the night because of broken water lines spewing crystal clear water everywhere, making their beautiful presence felt on the carpet, ostensibly to say, “I’m here to destroy you or, “I’m going to soak you and fade your beautiful color. I’ve been called to beautiful homes with sewers in every corner of the home, making it look like a barn instead of a mansion. Nothing is more frustrating than going to a home where the water the heater is wrecked and the landlord is complaining that he must have hot water before morning, or he will surely die. I have wanted to say, so many times, “if you hadn’t touched it, and just left it alone, then it would have I’ve been fine until morning.” If I had said something like that, he would have been on the phone with my boss, and I can hear him now, “That’s your job. You’re on guard. If you don’t want to do the job, I’ll find someone who will.” So I bite the bullet and speak nicely to the wrecker, I mean the homeowner, while I work through his mistake. After a while I forget all about it. .about my irritation with him.

Anyway, enough said about why I had to replace the water heaters in the middle of the night. You may be able to shed some light on the correct way to install in this column, which I write so diligently to highlight a different plumbing problem every week.

One thing about plumbing is that every job needs to be done step by step, especially water heaters. Once you have determined that the leak is indeed from the tank…

1. Shut off the water supply to the appliance.

In accordance with the Uniform Plumbing Code. (The plumber’s bible). There is supposed to be a closure, no more than two feet from the water heater on the inlet or cold side of the appliance. Most likely it is a “wheel valve”. You must turn right to turn off the water and you must turn left to turn on the water. Turn this valve clockwise until it turns no more. The water must be out of the water heater. You will still have cold water in the house for all the fixtures. I recommend that you do not use the cold water until the installation is complete, because you will get backwater from the pipes you disconnected from the water heater. If the house is very old, or if the original plumber did not meet the UPC, a shutoff for the water heater may not have been included. If you encounter this situation, you will need to turn off the water supply to the entire house at the main shutoff, which is usually located at the front of the house, on the exterior wall. This act of necessity isn’t usually a problem for an experienced plumber, but it can be a terrifying experience for a novice homeowner or repairman, because after you’ve finished replacing the water heater, you can’t turn the water back on due to a leak. leak or other unforeseen problem. Wives, girlfriends or children tend to get upset when they don’t have water to shower or cook with. Plus, you can almost ruin a marriage when you have to call a plumber at two in the morning on a Sunday and pay him $2,500.00 for an emergency call, after working on it all day.

2. Drain the water heater.

Locate the drain valve at the bottom of the water heater. It looks like an outside faucet, and you probably have two or three around your house in different places. Screw your garden hose onto the drain valve and pull it out to a place where you can let the water drain. The water will not harm the grass.

Sometimes these drain valves are clogged with sediment and need to be cleaned so that the water and water drain out in a timely manner. (A wire coat hanger works well.) Next, locate the temperature pressure relief valve on top of the water heater (also required by code) and manually open it. (Some people call them an exhaust valve.) This will force air into the water heater and allow it to drain. The reason I do this is the same principle as holding your thumb over a straw, with water in it. The water stays there. When you remove your thumb, the water drains out. Open this valve and start draining the heater.

3. Unplug the old water heater.

Locate the unions on the hot (outlet) and cold (inlet) lines to the w/h. (Also required by the UPC, no more than 12 inches from the fixture.) Undo the joints with two pipe wrenches. Close the gas valve on the left side, at the bottom of the water heater, and disconnect that union as well. Disconnect the vent by unscrewing the three sheet metal screws from the dead center of the draft diverter at the top of the water heater. The water heater is completely unplugged and you can continue to the next step.

4. Prepare the new water heater for installation.

It is time to prepare the new water heater to be installed, in place of the old water heater. I always use a ¾” x3″ brass nipple, with a screw-in brass ball valve for the cold side. (Remember, the cold side is the inlet, where the shutoff is supposed to be.) water heater, I’m avoiding electrolysis. Electrolysis happens every time copper is screwed to steel. It will greatly speed up the corrosion process, and the pipe will last about a third of the time, if you use dissimilar metals. Next, I screw a nipple I put some brass on the hot side of the water heater, with a short piece of tubing, and I add joints to both sides. Any house that is eight years old or so is probably copper and will need to be soldered connecting the hot and cold side of the water heater, they should be cleaned with a piece of sandpaper made with aluminum oxide and fluxed with a brand name flux, to ensure that the solder takes well in the Make sure that the joints are n at the same height from the top of the water heater, and everything is old. Also install a new temperature pipe. and pressure relief valve exactly six inches from the floor. (Also required by the Uniform Plumbing Code.) This completes the water connection.

There should be a drip leg on the gas connection to trap moisture and sediment so it doesn’t clog the pilot and burners. Install a new gas lock and reconnect the gas line to the gas control on the left side of the appliance. Next, make sure the vent pipe is the correct diameter size for the BTU rating of the new heater and connect it to the new draft diverter. Be sure to use three sheet metal screws, at each vent joint. Drive them with a screw gun.

5. Turn on the water.

Turn on the water after you have turned on the hot side of the faucet only, in the bathtub. It’s best to open the one farthest from the water heater, to bleed off air and help it fill faster. Also repeat the step you did above, opening the temperature and pressure relief valve, until you hear the water almost to the top of the heater. At first only air will come out. Once the water has drained well from the tub, turn off the tub faucet and check for leaks in the area of ​​the water heater. Open the gas valve and check for leaks in the gas line.

6. Light the pilot

When you light the pilot, use a long match, because most people can’t get their hands into the small combustion chamber. If you can, you’ll probably cut your hand when you pull it out.
Press the red button while the knob is on the pilot and light the pilot. Hold down the button for about 30 seconds or so. When you release the red button, the pilot should stay lit. Turn the knob to the “on” position and turn the thermostat up, to the position marked “normal.” The burner flame should ignite with a buzz! Do not be afraid, because this is normal. Check burner flame. It should be a nice yellow color, with blue tips in the flame. Clean the area in front of the water heater.

The last thing I need to mention is that you will hear a drip, drip, drip sound, which you immediately think is a leak. Do not be alarmed! It’s the condensation from heating forty gallons of cold water at once. It will stop in about thirty minutes.

A new water heater has come out and by code, by September 4, 2007, the water heaters will be different with a sealed combustion chamber. These new ones will turn on with the push of a button, and are much safer. You don’t even need to raise them above the garage floor 18″ as the code used to be.

I hope you find it easier to replace that water heater when it starts to leak. But remember, don’t panic. Put a towel around the old and leaky water heater and wait until the next morning to tackle the task. However, if you need me during the day, don’t hesitate to call me!