Installing a Tankless Water Heater

Installing the tankless water heater does require some expertise in assembling gas and water fittings. While installing pex is reasonably easy, these two taskes are certainly not in the realm of your everyday DIY'r.

WARNING: Not doing the gas piping right could be very dangerous and in many jurisdictions requires a certified professional to do the installation or at least test it BEFORE first operation.

But there are a few things you can do to make the job easier.

1) Use Pre-fab Pipe
Most of the big box home improvement stores will have all the black pipe materials in various pre-cut sizes and lengths that you need for this job so doing any cutting of pipe can be avoided or eliminated entirely. The stores will have all the pipe, values, nipples, T's, safety values and other parts. JUST BE SURE TO GET GAS RATED PIPE AND FITTINGS!

While black pipe is adequate for the gas pipe I recommend getting either stainless or galvanized for the water lines.

2) The Gas supply line
You will need to get and route the appropriate size (diameter) gas pipe from your outside source point to the hot water heater. The perfect pipe for this is the corrugated stainless steel tubing (csst) as that manufactured by Gastite. The material bends around corners similarly to PEX so you can run one continuous pipe without elbows. The only connections to be made are at the outside wall (to connect to your gas source) and at the water heater. THESE TWO CONNECTIONS ARE CRITICAL SO ONLY PROFESSIONS SHOULD MAKE THESE.

Using this corrugated pipe eliminated any of the work associated with running and connecting the black pipe normally used for the task.

3) Use the right tools
You simply must have the right tools to tighten these connections. A good set of pipe wrenches is essential.

4) Use plumbers putty
All the fittings must use the appropriate gas-rated putty for sealing the connections.

5) Testing is Absolutely mandatory
You need to test all the fittings for leaks using a soapy fluid.

Related Posts:
Installing Propane Gas at the Cottage
11 rules for venting a tankless water heater (gas)
3 reasons to use corrugated stainless steel tubing (csst)
;-)

3 Reasons to Use Corrugated Stainless Steel Tubing (CSST)

We roughed in the propane gas line the previous weekend. This was necessary so that we could frame and drywall the ceiling bulkhead in the basement.

We used corrugated stainless steel tubing (CSST).

We love the tubing because:

1) Easier to route
The tubing is reasonably flexible, so running the tubing through walls and the bulkhead was very eaily

2) Fewer Connections
Because it is flexible you can make tight turns. We actually have only two connections and those are the ones on either end: 1) the one shown in the picture - which is the external connection, and 2) the second connection will be to the appliance itself.

3) No Special Tools Required
We required no special tools. The connectors art each end are attached easily with just two pipe wrenches.

To find more about corrugated stainless steel pipe here are a few links:

• www.gastite.com - a manufacture of CSST
• Installation Guide from Gastite
• An alternative to traditional threaded black-iron gas piping
• Corrugated Stainless Steel Tubing: A Good Choice for the Short Run

Future Posts:
I future posts I will be exploring my travels with installing the gas line and its connection to the tankless water heater.

Related Posts:
11 Rules for Venting a Tankless Water Heater (Gas)
Installing the Tankless Water Heater

;-)

5 More Rules for Installing Tankless Water Heaters

There are lots of rules - but for good reason - to keep you alive!

1. Install Heater with Lots of Elbow Room. You can place the heater in a closet but remember you need to keep it free from anything within 2 feet of the front and 1 foot on each side plus clear air above it. Not only to you not want anything flammable leaning against it you need room to service it. You should place the unit at eye level so that it is easy to service.
   
2. Use Category III Stainless Vent Pipe: Treat the exhaust pipe like any other chimney - after all it is a chimney with lots of hot exhaust gases going up it. In my opinion Z-Flex makes the best and easiest to use Cat III SS Vent Pipe.
   
3. Follow All the Rules for Black Gas Pipe installation: Key rules include: a shut off valve at each appliance, sediment trap (drip leg), do not under-size the pipe (use 3/4 inch pipe); be sure to test for leaks!; and use flex pipe to connect appliances to the black pipe (this isolates movement, hence, potential leaks).
   
4. Follow the Instructions for Connecting to the Water system: The critical things are a relief value on the hot water side of the heater and water shutoff on both sides of the heater - one for hot one for cold. Also if you are using the newer plastic pipe for your water system, you should not connect it directly to the heater - most suggest a buffer of 2-3 feet of copper pipe. You also need a drain near by where the relief valve can drain and where you can drain the water to when winterizing the cottage.
   
5. Use Clean Water: This is especially important for the Cottage. Be sure to install all your water purification systems in the line before the heater.