jim wrote:
Doing this can cause drips at the safety valve, since water expands
when heated, and the inlet pipe may be the direction the pressure
thus developed is normally relieved.

Get a plumber as most of the Bob Villas on here are wrong gas is
something you should not play with and to the idiot that doesn't pull
permits. Most insurance companies will not cover a fire if you have
one and the tank had no permit pulled so it is your house and your
pocket book but I err on the correct way. My Licence has taught the
right way and correcting the Bob Villas of the world when it comes to
gas

Strange, what few gas explosions I hear about are in jurisdictions that
require permits (my city, the 4th largest in the nation) does not.

A 1/2" disconnected gas pipe in an average house (18,000 cu ft) will cause a
low explosion level (LEL) in about 5 hours. This is sufficient time to
evacuate to the next STATE, no matter where the house is located.

As the article from which I gleaned the above points out, a broken water
heater gas line in a typical gargage will reach LEL in only six minutes. But
it's only the garage...