I replaced my gas water heater this weekend.

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
1

After going to Lowe’s and finding that they’d charge me roughly $600 (installation, delivery, permit fees, etc) to install a $400 water heater, I decided to do it myself.

It works!

Lessons learned:

  1. Don’t use teflon tape on brass fittings for copper pipe. Use Pro Dope. Teflon tape will just rip and peel away.

  2. SharkBite fittings are awesome.

  3. Don’t use a hacksaw. Use a real pipe cutter. Like this one. It will make a clean, even cut (not much deburring required) without spiraling.

  4. Use the proper tools – big wrenches, rubber mallets, etc.

  5. Don’t overtighten pipe connections.

  6. Have a ShopVac handy to clean up water.

  7. Put the water heater on a pedestal (I built one with 3/4" plywood and 2x4s) or in a water heater pan.

2

And you did the gas disconnect/reconnection with no problems?

3

Yeah, every connection was done slowly and carefully. Before I ignited the pilot light, I made sure there were no leaks by using a spray bottle with a soapy solution and checking for bubbles.

4

What were the rubber mallets for? :confused:

If the teflon tape rips and peels away, you’re doing something wrong with it - probably wrapping it the wrong direction.

Oh, and don’t forget to strap the heater to the wall.

5

cause if the house burns down, and the insurance company finds out (that the water heater wasn’t installed by a licensed plumber), you are SOL!

6

I used a rubber mallet to gently tap the SharkBite fittings into place (it was an awkward position and I couldn’t get leverage to push them).

Maybe I had a bad brand of teflon tape. I tried it several times (wrapping it the right way) in my hand before installing a connected piece, and it flaked away, no matter how gently I tightened.

Can’t strap it to the wall. It’s in a closet, right next to the air conditioner – house is on a cement slab.

No permits required that I could find. I looked at both the county and my gas company’s web sites.

7

Ah, so the mallets are unique to your situation. No Shark Bites out here as PEX is currently illegal in this state.

Strange about the teflon. I’ve never had it flake. The cheap stuff has a tendency to flop around and transform from tape to string, but I’ve never seen it go flaky.

Permits are a strange breed. In my county, I can do my own work and not pull a permit as long as the project costs less than $500. If it’s more than $500, or if I pay someone else any amount of money, I need a permit. The county is silent on what happens if I “paid” someone with food. The less they know about my barbecue, the better. :wink:

8

That’s good to know about the teflon in that it really does work. The stuff I have must be crappy.

Thanks Ralph for getting me nervous about the permit. I called up the county office and sure enough, I need a permit. It cost $70 and I have an inspection scheduled for Friday. I hope all goes well!