wrote:
I volunteered to install a water heater. No sweating of pipes needed
because it is a mobile home and the plumbing is nothing more than
flexible copper tubing and fittings.

I made a drawing with dimensions and headed for Sears. I ran into a
problem once I started to look at the water heaters on display. They
all had the hot water outlet on the top left and the cold water inlet
on the top right. The water heater that I will be replacing has the
cold water inlet on the bottom right of the tank. This spot on the
tank usually has the drain fitting. Either this is an (1) oddball
tank
or (2) the cold inlet on the top is capped and someone decided to
use the drain instead. I have been unable to eyeball the tank as of
yet to determine which.

Is this method of supplying cold water problematic or perfectly
acceptable?

My old tank was like this; the cold inlet was integrated into the
outlet. It was electric, an old rental from the local power company; I
inherited it when I bought the house. I forget the brand, sorry; but I
believe it was made in Canada. There was nothing to indicate that there
was ever a top inlet on the unit.

It seems like a reasonable way to do it; one fewer hole in the tank and
no dip tube to fall into the tank. But I wouldn't refit such a scheme
onto a tank that wasn't made that way.

Chip C
Toronto