I posted a few days ago to ask about ideas on reloacting my HW heater.
I just noticed a possible issue with clearance of the heat trap nipple
on the hot side.
My 6" furnace duct runs close to where the HW heater is going. In
order to avoid it, I was going to make a tight 90 degree turn off the
top of the water heater to clear it. But I forgot about the heat trap
nipples, which are about 3-4 inches high. So now I run the risk of
hitting the duct.
I have seen some HW heaters that do not have these nipples installed,
including my own. I have heard sometimes they cause noise/flow
problems. What are the downsides if I don't put them in, besides lose
some heat loss in the pipes.