How hard can it be to replace any old or broken water heater? Well, it’s not impossible if you have the right tools and the appropriate safety precautions. Many people have gone through the hard work of figuring out how to replace any old or broken water heater, only to learn that they probably did it wrong. Here are some tips to help you figure out just what kind of tools and materials you need to replace any old or broken water heater in your home.
Before you start digging through your things, you will want to make sure that you have all of the necessary tools ready for use. You will need to have a pair of long screws to go into the baseboard behind the water heater. These will be needed to attach the new heater to the existing water heater, but if you think installing it on your own would be a problem, then it’s better to call Water Heaters to do it for you. You will also need a nut driver and screwdriver. This is important to loosen the nuts on the old unit before replacing the new one. Once you have everything prepared, you can start removing the old water heater.
The first thing you will need to do is disconnect the existing water supply from the home’s main supply line. You will want to do this because the old water heater will begin to work automatically if you don’t. Next, you will need to disconnect the hot water supply from the home’s electrical system. You will want to do this because if you don’t, the old heater will need to be powered by electricity, which could be dangerous. Once both the hot and cold water supply lines have been disconnected, it will be time to remove the old unit.
One of the easiest ways to replace a heater is to use the vacuum technique. This method will require you to remove the floor around the old unit and the old filter and pipes beneath it. Once you have these out of the way, you can easily place the new one in its place. This usually takes no more than an hour or so, depending on how large the old unit was.
Before you put the new one in place, you should test it to ensure that the tank is empty. It would help if you emptied the tank by flushing it down with fresh water. If the tank is completely dry, replace it with a fresh one. If you are replacing an old unit, this is the most important part of the process because you don’t want to damage the pipes or the workings under the tank.
Once the tank is filled with water, the next step is to install the actual heater. When you buy a heater, the package will include the pipes and the fitting, but you will probably have to install your own fitting. This is not difficult at all. In fact, it can even be done by you if you have some basic hand tools.
Once the pipes are installed, you can replace your heater. To do this, you will want to fill the tank with water and turn on the power. Check to make sure that the valve is closed. Now attach the new heater to the tank using the instructions included with it. Your new header should look similar to the old one. That’s because it has been re-designed to work with the existing units.
Finally, you can turn off your electricity. Shut off the water supply to your home. The last thing that you need to do is to wait for the gas to be burned away. You may have to do this in the future when you replace your old unit, but it’s safer to do now. After all, you don’t want to have to learn all over again how to do something as simple as changing a faucet. By learning as you go, you’ll save time and money.
