"ConnetiCat" wrote in message
...
Replacing the hot water heater...are flexible connectors any good, and
if so which are the best?

No idea, but I used screw-on flex connectors and they work fine. Make sure
they have a plastic liner in them (it's part of the unit), this prevents the
steel tank from contacting the brass or copper of the flex connector. Same
function as a dielectric union. I used the screw-on kind, just sweated some
threaded fittings on to the copper pipe. This way I don't need the torch
when it comes time to replace the heater.

The EPA recommends a "heat trap" for in and
out going water; a flexible connector, basically, with a u-bend. Is
this a good idea?

Yes, my heater doesn't seem to fire as often because the hot water stays in
the tank. Traps also make insulated pipes pretty much unnecessary. But if
you try & bend these "flexible" connectors, you will soon find out they are
not very flexible. I soldered some copper pipe in a loop for this purpose,
then used the flex connectors to hook up to the heater.


About nine years
ago, I was talked into installing a pressure regulator, and I've had
nothing but trouble since. I don't have overly high (city) water
pressure; never had trouble before with anything. The house was built
in 1989. Why shouldn't I just take it out, and that way I don't have
to install an expansion tank? Any ideas, Joe?

Maybe the pressure regulating valve is not adjusted right. 50-75 psi at a
faucet is the range I was told. Get a pressure gauge at the local hardware
store.