scale wrote:
No it is a gas water heater setup. Not an electric. I was also looking
at the home depot today and a few things hit me as weird. THe plasic
pan says it isnt made for gas water heaters. I take it this is code or
some sort of strange rule where you can only use a metal pan?

Also, i dont have shutoffs on or near my inlet pipe so once i do the
replacing of my water heater, IM going to go from my straight 3/4in
pipe into a shut off into another straight down into one of those
threaded copper fittings that screw right on the top of the heater and
then solder on the pipe to complete.

I dont know that i need to use the flex pipe. That stuff seems
cheap...maybe its just me but i dont know if i trust it

I was asking the clown at homedepot about screwing a copper fitting to
the galvanzied pipe that comes out of the top of the water
heater.......first he said it was fine but then i mentioned the metal
reaction between the 2 and then asked about the dielectric union and he
went on about how you solder that to the copper and then screw the
fitting to the galvanzied.....but then he said that you cant solder
brass to copper.....then about 5 minutes later he said you
do......needless to say....he didnt know what the heck he was saying.
He sounded very confused

My heater and my uncles are screwed with a simple copper fitting and
then that gets soldered to the pipes that come down. I dont see the
problem here since thats what people seem to have. I have read that the
2 metals are not compatible ....so i dont know what to think.

Any input??

I might rethink my flex pipe and use it due to the fact that i wont
have to be so precise with my measurements I can just compensate
with the copper flex pipe. I dont know. IM leary of the braided metal
flex hose.

I just want to be sure im doing this correctly before i screw it up

Thanks guys


I have never seen a problem with mixing iron and
copper fitting and we have hard water. If you hve
a 28 year old heater you don't have corrosive
water. Others will tell you what you have to do,
but for me I would just hook it up and forget it.

And, I would use the corrugated copper hook up
pipes. If you look in the ends you may find that
nylon actually prevents contact of the copper with
the next fitting. If possible, bend these pipes
to fit and don't fiddle with them.

The braided metal flex hose is fine if they have
the stainless steel braid. Of course you don't
use those with a water heater.