Project Water Heater was a simple one. I am thankful that I had help however. Last Fall/Winter I saw a very slightly wet floor and a bead of water running from under the top cap of the old water heater. It was the original with the house so it must have been 11 - 12 years old. I decided that I didn't want to wait for a real mess to replace it.
I waited until we had some extra money to buy the water heater. I did the research and found the water heater I wanted and was also watching for sales. The price stayed steady for about 5 months.
I replaced a 50 gallon tank with another 50 gallon. I did, however, get the 12 year warranty due to the research showing that they are built better. Better insulation and better efficiency led to that decision. It ended up being a bit larger in diameter and height too.
There were some possible issues I was looking at when replacing the water heater. First of all is the PEX pipe running throughout the house. I wasn't willing to go buy a crimper and didn't know anyone that had one laying around. I needed to replace the shut off valve due to it leaking and corroding quite a bit.
Using our tax refund I was able to purchase the tank I wanted. It only took a couple of weeks to get a free day to make the switch. My step-dad offered and came to help.
I ended up buying a new ball valve and flex copper pipe. I purchases shark-bite connectors instead of planning on soldering fittings because of the ease of using them and their ability to work on copper or pex. They have been touted worthy of this project.
The switch went fairly smoothly. Gary and I went to Home Depot before starting anything to get some extra vent pipe in case we had to move the tank and/or raise the far elbow to give it more of an upward pitch. As it turns out the location worked out so we didn't need the extra length and the extra height of the tank did not break the "at least 1/4 " per foot" incline rule I needed.The only problem encountered was a faint gas smell. I opened all the windows and put a fan in to clear out the smell. Then checked again and still smelled it. Although I checked the fittings with soapy water it was a low enough pressure fitting that I didn't get bubbles. I called the gas company last night and they came over, checked it, and redid the connections for me.
So, project complete. I have several more to do that I will try to post before and after pictures.
