How To Eliminate 4 Common Water Heater Installation Mistakes?

If you’re a DIY kind of person who enjoys taking on home projects, the idea of installing your water heater may not seem to be a frightening job. For those who lack the necessary skills or competence, however, there are numerous potentials for heater installation mistakes to occur.

So, if you are not confident enough, then you should opt for the assistance of the best water heater installation San Diego services.

Installing a water heater on their own isn’t a good choice for the majority of folks. The water heater is dangerous since it uses high temperatures, flammable gas, as well as an open flame. It emits flammable gases such as toxic carbon monoxide which is extremely risky for health.

Due to this reason, water heater installation should be done by professional and cautious people, but not by someone who just wants to try their hand at it.

If you’re confident in your ability to install a water heater and plan to do it yourself, proceed with caution. In this article, we’ll discuss four frequent water heater installation blunders or mistakes and how to avoid them:

1.  Using Incompatible Metal Connections

Many individuals make the mistake of installing a water heater with mismatched metal connections.

Some people believe that incompatible metal connections aren’t a major concern yet joining incompatible metals in a single connection results in a join with a high failure risk. Metal corrosion will occur at a much faster rate.

When corrosion occurs, you’ll be dealing with considerably more significant issues. Use connectors that match the metal of your pipes to avoid corrosion. Copper connectors should be used if your water pipes are copper (brass connectors are compatible with copper as well).

Because the metals aren’t compatible, using galvanized steel nipples with copper pipes will result in a dielectric union connection.

Corrosion will inevitably reduce the lifespan of your water heater, resulting in water leaks. The expense of repairing the damage to your heater and your property will be far greater than the cost of having the necessary fittings in the first place.

2.  Improper Pipe Soldering Is A Common Heater Installation Mistake

The soldering of pipes is one of the most common blunders that homeowners make while installing their water heater. To establish a connection, the pipes must be soldered to the tank and water line, but many individuals make the mistake of connecting the pipes too close to the tank.

What exactly is the issue here? The water tanks, for example, feature several plastic fittings as part of the overall ensemble. When a propane torch is brought too close to these plastic parts, it might melt and ruin the tank, rendering it useless.

Before soldering pipes, make sure the pipe nipples are removed from the tank. Create an extension section that will be soldered to the nipples as far as feasible from the tank.

After that, wait for the pipes to cool before reconnecting them. The plastic fittings will be prevented from melting as a result of this.

3.  Standard Safety Precautions Aren’t Being Followed

One of the many heater installation blunders that individuals make is neglecting critical safety precautions. The tendency to dry fire the tank is one example of this. This refers to the practice of turning on the water heater before the tank has been filled with water.

The concern is that you’ll burn out the electric heating elements if you do this. If you have a gas-fired heater, dry burning it can shatter the tank.

How can you keep your tank from being dry-fired? Before starting up the tank, open the water faucets in your home and wait for an uninterrupted flow of water.

Another safety measure that is sometimes overlooked is adequately securing the water heater after it has been installed. A tank that isn’t firmly fastened to the structure can topple or fall, especially in the event of an earthquake or other disaster.

Make sure your water heater is securely fastened in the proper position and don’t assume that it won’t specifically get knocked over.

4.  Incorrect Installation Of The Relief Valve

The relief valve on a typical water heater is a safety device that regulates the pressure and temperature of the water.

If this crucial component isn’t properly installed, your water tank could explode, flooding anyone within a few feet with boiling water. This is why it’s critical to properly install the relief valve!

The relief valve, which is placed about 6 inches above the floor on the side of the tank, allows it to automatically open and alleviate the pressure within the tank.

Connect a threaded drain tube to the valve outlet to secure your safety. This tube should then be directed to the floor, to divert any unwanted discharge away from you and the tank.

Others Mistakes To Avoid

There are also some more mistakes that most people are not aware of. These are as follows:

§  Don’t Underestimate Your Hot Water Requirements

Your energy cost will rise if you buy a smaller water heater to save money. Take the effort to figure out how much hot water your family uses instead.

The amount of hot water you use during the busiest hours of the day is your peak hour demand. Use the following information to compute it:

·         Every ten minutes, the shower uses ten gallons of water.

·         2 gallons per minute when hand-washing dishes.

·         6 gallons per use, in the dishwasher.

·         7 gallons per usage in the washing machine.

Pick a water heater that is within a gallon or two of your peak hour demand. Look for the Energy Guide label for more information.

§  Ignoring Emerging Technologies

Renewable energy sources are used in innovative and new water heating technology. Solar water heaters are an excellent example of this.

These heaters use the sun’s heat to warm your home’s water. Your water heating expenditure will be lowered to half if you install a solar water heater.

In cold climates, several types of solar water heaters are ineffective. Closed-loop heater systems are the best option in that case.

§  Water Heaters That Are Energy Efficient Are Often Overlooked

The cost of a tank water heater is always on the lower side. The disadvantage is that these heaters require a lot of maintenance as well as replacement parts. Each visit to the repair shop costs around $600 which is a huge amount of money.

Tankless water heaters use half the energy of traditional water heaters and last twice as long. Because they don’t have a water tank, there’s less sediment in the system to cause rust to form.

Tankless systems are not popular among homeowners because they cost twice as much as traditional tank heaters. These are a better deal when you consider the long-term expenditures and hence, are known to be an energy-efficient option.

Final Verdict

So, the above-discussed ones are some of the most common water heater mistakes which you should essentially avoid.

It is a good idea to take the help of the best water heater installation San Diego services as they have the expertise to handle the work perfectly.