New water heater install

Any tips for a non-pro plumber going to replace his own water heater? We have a 40 gal. natural gas now, going with a 50gal. this time. Thing is 22 years old with a softener on it only the last 6 or so. Its due.

Whats the deal with dielectric nipples? Needed or usually furnished with the tank? Treat me like I've never seen a copper pipe in my life. I'd say we have good water quality, would rather just have rigid pipes going down to the tank, don't like flexible shit. Just plan on cutting pipes up as high as I can and attaching the tubes to the tank and sweating two collars around the pipes for the supply/ hot lines. Need gas pipe dope for the gas connections, assuming black iron pipe is ok for gas?

 

sharkbite connectors. did mine in 20 mins. get the new yellow flex pipe for the gas.

 

Yep, easy and fast. Did mine a couple years ago. Make sure your pan drain is clear, don't ask me how I know.

 

Not going tankless?

 

Awesome typo.

 

Make sure you get swatches from Home Depot so you can match the color or the solder. Don't use the stuff from Lowe's, only lazy electricians shop there.

 

If you discourage others from shopping there, they may discontinue the products you need. Pretty damn short sighted if you ask me.

 

Damn it Acree. I discourage others from shopping there so I can breeze in and out without having to wait for mouth breathers asking if the Paris Kardashian line of wire nuts are on sale this week.

 

I thought those were the nutless connectors.

 

I told you I won't use stab-ins.

 

HD and Lowe's are about 1/2 mi from each other here. HD has self checkout, Lowes doesn't. For general stuff, I'll go to HD for that simple reason. Every time I go to Lowe's, it seems like I'm the 5th person in line and they do the 'code blah blah blah all available associates to the front'.
Paris Kardashian wire nuts aren't on sale this week, but, in memory of the recently passed wrestler, all Chyna nuts are on sale.

 

Just did my electric one two days ago. Piece of cake even from a non-plumber's standpoint. 2-3 hours and that's taking your jolly time.

Youtube and google how to vids

 

Drain the old one first.

 

Keep it. Your 22 year old water heater will probably still hold water in 8 years. The new one, not so much.

 

Well what brought this up is the drain valve leaked about 80 gallons onto the floor so we're in the process of drying that shit all out. Plan on just getting a new one due to hard water before and the age, and putting a catch drain under the new one. Im sure the new ones aren't built as great as the old ones but I don't want a catastrophic failure any worse than this last issue.

Any particular brands that stand out as quality? We have Rheem now, heard they were good so I dunno?

 

Those things are like witchcraft.

 

They're all junk honestly. Rheem is no more or less junk than the other junk. Just buy one from the most convenient place and plan to change it in eight years.

 

Are the sharkbite connectors a proven thing like soldering. Its not like im doing the whole house, its two connections so "time" is really not a big factor here. It'll take me 5 more minutes to sweat the tube.

 

Why are they so much shittier then yesteryears? Just skimping on tank thickness and shit that really counts?

 

Installed properly, they should last as long as the water heater.