A hot water system is a vital household item in every home. It distributes hot water to your fixtures and appliances like your at-home showers, dishwasher machine, and so on.
Additionally, installing a water heater in your house makes your heat management at home very efficient. There’s no need for ventilation, the tank heats up faster, and the heat generated remains inside your home instead of escaping through the vents.
Besides that, a hot water system is eco-friendly and easy to install. An electric water heater is environmentally friendly and can utilize renewable energy like solar as a power source.
It’s great to know that an electric water heater doesn’t require gas lines or vents and is relatively easy to put up. Nonetheless, you must follow different procedures to properly install a hot water unit in the name of more water efficient households.
Wondering how a hot water system is installed? Here’s a number of steps you can take note of:
1. Make Sure That The Old And Current Heaters Match
When installing a hot water system in your home, you’d want to ensure that the old and new heaters are similar in size, capacity, and others. Determine how the hot and cold pipes fare and compare the two heaters to ensure they’re a match.
Next, switch the electricity supply off at the main switch. Consider using an electrical tester to confirm the power is off. After that, turn on the tap and permit the warm water to run until it becomes cold. This enables you to empty the tank safely.
Finally, shut down the unit supplying cold water to the heater, and empty the tank through the drain valve or into buckets.
2. Detach Utility Lines
Here, you need to disjoin the cold and hot water pipes. You may have to sever the pipes if you initially plumbed your water heater with copper piping.
Nevertheless, if the temperature and pressure (T&P) discharge line is in perfect condition, you can take it out from the valve and use it for your new connection.
3. Take Out The Existing Water Heater
After draining the tank, remove the former water heater and put the replacement water tank in place. Confirm if the electric supply sufficiently reaches the tank and that you can reach the drain valve unit and panels for maintenance. If you used copper piping in your earlier plumbing and had to cut them, use sandpaper for proper preparation.
After that, connect the component of the electrical wiring. Link the ground wire to the location of the green ground screw at the top of the heater, and use the preceding connection to find the proper configuration for the remaining cables. Various electric heaters have distinct colorations and layouts.
Have an electrician connect or check your connection to avoid electrocuting yourself or destroying your heater’s circuitry.
4. Connect The Supply Lines And Attach The T&P Discharge Pipe
You need to join the cold and hot supply lines at this stage. Ensure your connection is appropriate to avoid connecting the cold water pipe to the hot water inlet. Next, use a ¾ inch male copper fitting to link the discharge pipe to the T&P valve and tighten it. Afterward, clean the fittings and attach them to the pipes. Use a torch and solder to install the pipe.
Alternatively, use flexible supply lines if you can’t fix the previous inlets and outlets. Join the pipes using dielectric unions to prevent electrolysis from affecting your pipe connection or water heart.
5. Fill The Tank With Water And Test It For Leaks
Switch on the water at the main switch and open the cold water valve. Switch on a faucet in a nearby room and check every joint in the heater to ensure there are no leakages. If you spot any leaks, fix them by tightening the pipes and soldering the loose connection, then check again. Consider switching on hot water across your home to activate the heater.
6. Power The Heater And Set It To The Recommended Temperature
After confirming that your connection is appropriate and there are no leaks, switch on the electricity and set your heater to the right temperature.
Every heater has temperature control in distinct places. Therefore, ensure you read your user guide to identify the panel’s location on your device.
Also, don’t set the temperatures beyond the recommended option to avoid overheating the water and loosening the pipes over time.
Conclusion
Putting up water heaters is a relatively straightforward process. It involves aligning connections, soldering pipes, and securing valves to the heater. Nonetheless, before starting the task, you must know the proper procedure to avoid improper connections that can damage your heater’s circuitry or accidentally electrocute you. With the abovementioned steps, you can install your water system within a few hours and enjoy a fresh heated water supply in your household.
