Feb
09
replacing fittings on water heater?
Byour water heater is slowly leaking from the top fittings. We got all new parts to replace them and have drained alot of water withour hose. We are still getting water coming out when we loosen the fittings. We had the main water to the heater turned off. Do we have to drain the whole tank.? It is quiet a bit of water coming out when we loosen the fitting.
5 Comments
February 9th, 2010 at 3:15 am
Open your hot water tap in your kitchen maybe, and relieve the pressure on the tank.Maybe this will help you.Be sure to use Teflon tape.
February 9th, 2010 at 3:26 am
With water supply to the tank off, keep the drain valve open on the bottom. Open a HOT side of a faucet that is ABOVE the tank somewhere in the house. This will get the water out of the line. Once you hear it stop bubbling, you can take the lines apart.
February 9th, 2010 at 4:16 am
Good answers already. When you finish, and there are no leaks, be sure to open some hot water valves to get the air out of the tank. You will be able to tell at the faucets when the air is out of the tank.
February 9th, 2010 at 5:08 am
Open water faucets around the house and let the lines drain down through the hose. Do the same when you refill the tank to purge the air out of the lines. Hope you turned the power off ?
February 9th, 2010 at 5:53 am
Back to square 1!
If you have galvanized pipe transitioning to copper, you should have dielectric unions to sever the natural electrolysis that occurs between zinc and copper in an acid environment. This will inhibit corrosion not just at the heater, but elsewhere in the system.
Twenty years ago I might have used teflon tape instead of pipe dope cause it worked better. But now I swear by TFE paste. It too has teflon and it also has specs that make it suitable for boiler and gas applications that supersede any that I would use the tape for.
You’ll have to do just what you had to do to install the water heater in the first place and that’s shut the water off to the system if you don’t have shut off valves on both sides of the unit. Then relieve the pressure before you disconnect and then reconnect the heater. But not drain the whole tank.
This would be a good time to put in gate valves if there’s not now. Heaters last for ten to fifteen years (more or less) depending on water quality and maintenance procedures. Aside for safety and convenience (don’t use this to wake up somebody in the morning shower if you value life), future change outs or retrofits are a swift thing.
Take the screens off the faucets before turning the water back on and then put them back once clear steady flow has been re established. Sediment can come loose anytime water flow has been interrupted where air has to be bled out of the system. You might also drain a little water from the bottom of the tank a couple times a year to get rid of any sediment collecting on the bottom of the tank. It’ll extend it’s life alot.