Man, what a fantastic video. I bought the same water heater and this 63 year old guy installed his first water heater ! Thanks for helping give me the courage to step out of my comfort zone, and save money doing it. Awesome!
8:05 I thought I was the only one to take pictures to ensure the connections are correct! Love how your video is real......meaning you show the little things we all may encounter. Good Job!
Your video just saved me. I’m 21 years old and I inherited my grandfathers very very old home.. money is tight and I absolutely can’t afford to have someone replace my leaking electric water heater right now. I am pretty handy. I’ve replaced leaking piping and fixed sewer issues but this is something out of my expertise. Thank you! A million times thank you!
Just a few things to note. Opening hot water faucets in the house will help the heater to drain (when water supply has been turned off) as it will allow air to into the system to replace the water. If you have a combination hot/cold faucet in the house, if you don't have it all the way on hot, cold water can back feed through the hot water supply pipes (which is why the tank was filling with water before he turned the cold water supply back on to the tank). Also wrapping the ground wire clockwise around the green screw will further tighten the wire down, where as if you wrap the other way, the wire wants to come loose as you tighten the screw.
I am so glad I clicked on your video. My water heater has been sitting in the living room for two months, and i was trying to figure out if I was going to tackle this myself. It is great to see someone in their house doing this. I think i have the confidence to try it. Thanks so much.
Awesome, glad it helped. I was in the same boat as you. Wanted to try but had to watch a few videos to get the confidence. One of the motivating factors of course was that a professional would charge $500-$1500.
I've was a service plumber for more than 10 years, u did a decent job, it's advised u use a little pipe dope on metal to metal connections and even teflon, both won't hurt, b4 u turn on the electric to it, always bleed the furthest hot side faucet, otherwise burning out an element is possible. The only other thing u might want to check, is the t-stat settings, they should be set at 120 degrees, some H2O heaters have one and some have 2.
I had to set ours at 90 degrees...Because my wife and daughter take longer in the shower if it lasts too long. That costs us a lot more water usage which means larger water bill.... So, yeah. 90 degrees it is. 👊👍
If any of you see my comment, here's some advice to speed up your installation. First, you need to either open a hot water valve to a sink inside your house (preferably the closest one to your water heater) after you open the drain valve on the water heater. If you don't, it will cause an air lock and your water will just drip slowly. You can also open the pressure safety valve on the water heater. Using the tube cutter keep tightening the knob as tightly as you can and keep turning it backwards so the round cutter wheel is moving away from you. It should not take more than 4-5 turns to cut through the tube.
Thank you for this video! I’m a 50 y-o single female home owner and often feel I’m getting scammed (plumber quoted me $500+ to replace a check valve for my sump pump and I did it by myself with the $10 part). After seeing prices for a hot water install from $1200-$1800 this gave me the confidence to know I could do it myself!
It's hard to believe those prices, but many have commented that's what they were quoted too. For that much, it's definitely worth a try for any homeowner. Good luck and let me know how it goes.
I encourage everyone to save money and learn to work on your home you can learn alot of things on youtube . Guess what my project tomorrow is...yup replacing the water heater.
Did this today except i went from a 50 gal to a 40 gal, we're only 2 people and i wanted to save $80. Video was great, only thing i did differently was cut the pipe too low on purpose, slide the old heater out, slide the new heater in, thread the new hoses in first then hold the hose next to the pipe to figure out where to cut the pipe again. Video gave me tons of confidence to do the project.
I'm doing this exact thing with my moms water heater. Got a 30 gallon 4500w Rheem as well. I wouldn't have guessed it came with instructions lol. But got all my cpvc. My primer and specific glue. Bought the water heater nipples and needed joints. Pan. Finished and set the water temp. Worked out better than I thought. I had to learn along the way. Make a couple extra trips to Home Depot but also well. Thanks for the video. And good job. Would of drained quicker if had opened the top piping to let air flow.
This was an exact replacement for the old one that lasted about 10 years. th-cam.com/users/postUgkx7yWIKcrbA9KMHkGSfcgxW2lsjHT6B8Sh The top of my mitigation tube by my roofline was just a 90 elbow which allowed too much debris to fall down into the fan, eventually ruining it. Without this issue, I bet it would have kept running another 10 years. When I replaced this fan, I added an extra elbow joint so the top tube now it does a 180, which should solve that problem. The radon guys around here wanted to charge me a $300 diagnostic fee, then parts/labor (probably close to $600 total). I installed this all by myself in about an hour for the cost of the fan; it would probably be even easier/faster with two people. FYI the manufacturer's warranty greatly differs depending on whether you install it yourself (1 yr warranty) or have a licensed installer do it (10 yrs).
I bought this same water heater today. Gotta install it. Nice to see a fellow TH-camr getting his info from these types of videos. Suggestions. Hook up a drain pipe on the relief valve. You'll find them next to the water heaters with pressed on fittings at Home Depot ( I see them at :24 bottom right). Very important to put this on. If not, someone could walk by the water heater when/if it releases pressure it will blow hot water in your face if it stays like it is presently installed. The relief drain pipe is like a big long 90 and will point the water down and away from eye/face level. Also, to drain a tank. 1. Turn power off. 2. Turn off water valve. 3, Open water drain. 4. Flip Relief Valve up to open it. 5. Then turn on a sink or tub on the hot water side and leave it on. (this will give the tank some air to help drain). Once you get water out of the top of the heater, you can take supply lines off to allow more air to assist in draining. Great video and thanks!
Thank you for posting this video. Im a widow with 3 children that lives in a rural area, no lowes or home depot for 200 miles. I've had no hot water since beginning of September. Was just able to purchase my new water heater last month. Although it has been sitting in my front room, i have 0 help to install it. My Late husband and i installed our last one 14 years ago. My old one burned up on me. Like almost started a fire, luckily the breaker kicked off. Im hopping my 19 year old, 17 year old and myself can do this. It's getting 🥶.
Hope it helps, let us know if they get it in for you or if you had to pay someone. I can't believe the prices some people put in the comments for what they've been quoted / charged.
This video helped me install a new heater for my disabled mother. Thank you SO MUCH for sharing your knowledge. It was pretty cut and dry, but I was a little weary on the electrical, so you helped confirm it. 👍
Excellent job for your first try. This encourages many of us to just do it. My concern was really the pipes, but those pressures fittings look smooth. Thanks
One thing is, it is best to transport the hotwater heater vertically. I have read a few places that its okay to lay it down but if you damage the internal workings from bumps when layed down it will fail when you install it and you wont see the damage till you try to run it.
All the plumbers I called (I’m in PA) averaged $600 I wasn’t expecting that! I always try to do stuff on my own, I had a tire shop for years and did my own roof and plumbing stuff and anything else if I could avoid paying for it by doing it myself!
Roll Tide or is that the Atlanta A you cover the tag with? In that case Go Braves! I’m from North Alabama and I still confuse the two A’s. Either way I’m a fan of both. Round here it’s all A lettering from Alabama to Auburn and Atlanta.
Great that yours lasted so many years. Mine is 11 years old and starting to seep at the top due to corrosion like yours. Mine was a 30g GE tank with a 6 year wtee.
I like that you also are just figuring this out becouse you ran into mistakes I would have made that they don't mention in the Profesional install videos.
Thanks for hearting the comment, it will make it this much easier to find your video. I just ran out and got a water heater! Time to make a mess, I'll let you know how it goes!
I used those same supply hoses in my business and they started to corrode, one of them started leaking after maybe a year or so. Replaced them with a different sharkbite set that looks like the style you were holding @6:30 so we'll see lol...
Overall good job. Please get yourself a better pipe cutter if you do any other repairs in your Home! And you really needed to ream the ends of the cut pipes, before installing those Sharkbite fittings, which I personally would NOT have used. I installed a Skarkbite fitting, in an emergency situation, onto plastic piping, and failed to catch a small burr, and it leaked on me. Always make sure they are ‘burr free!’ This is MOST important on Copper. But kudos for doing it yourself. 👍👍👍😁✌🏻🇺🇸
@@weekendhomeprojects I turned the water off and disconnected the old Whirlpool water heater. The older flex water pipes from the wall to the water heater were too long. The copper pipes from the wall had to be cut. I did not have the courage to cut the copper pipes out of fear I would cut too short. I put the new Rheem in the place of the old Whirlpool - which lasted fourteen years. I called a plumber recommended by family. He made the pipe connections, and now the new water heater works just fine. I suspect that I saved at least $200 by disconnecting, draining, and physically removing the old water heater myself. A friend helped me lift the new water heater into place. I must have drained forty gallons of water out of the old water heater. Whirlpool did me right! Good brand. Now, Rheem is at bat. 50 gallon. 12 year warranty. Show me what you got Rheem!
Thats a good looking dolly. Can u tell us the part number spec of that one? Im going to replace my water heater thanks to your video. Will save ~$1000 over those rip off plumber prices
When you started taking showers again did you have slightly brown/orange colored water for a little bit when using the hot water. Just exchanged my HWH and the water is hot but now has a very slightly brown/orange color. Have only flushed it in the tub once or twice.
Awesome. Did you debur the copper pipe before inserting into the fitting? Also, usually a good idea to put these on a platform too. Helps with height when needed, and draining if needed
Just got a quote for gas watwer heater 40 gallon and the lowest quote was $2,065 to replace it. I'm about to doit my self and save some money. Thanks for the video 👍
Wow, that’s expensive. I’m glad mine was electric. Gas throws in another element to worry about as a DIY. But it may be just as simple. Good luck, let me know how it goes.
@@weekendhomeprojects thanks man. About to run to home Depot and grab everything I need it shouldn't run over $550-600 with all that I need to get this job done.
@@rustynail6819 yep I spend $627 on everything Reem performance 40 gal, lower pam, drain pipe to the sump just in case, shark bite 3/4 pipe kit, pipe compound, 6 feet garden hose to drain the old tank., Soap water bottle $1 dollar, man this was very simple installation. 💪👍
Thanks for the video I'm in the exact stages you were in three months before making this video which is just found it leaking from the same identical spot and seeing if it's possible to repair or having to replace the entire water heater and if I'm calling a plumber or doing it myself but watching this video I'm definitely leaning towards trying it myself
@@weekendhomeprojects it is now nearly 20 years and I have never tampered with it. Water still heats up fine. I am the only one using it, and I haven't noticed any issues. I will be looking at it today to see what it looks like. It is in it's own space behind a door in a closet. Oh, it is in a manufactured home.
great video! if you leave the electrical cover plate that the conduit lock nuts to disconnected from the heater while you wire it helps make folding the wires in and shaping the ground connection through the second plate cover a littler easier and cleaner
Anytime you tighten down a screw with a wire under it, wrap the wire the same direction you turn the screw, this way the wire is pulled tighter around the screw as you tighten it down instead of getting pushed out.
Good video. The only thing I would say is when you connect the electric wires you should twist them together before adding the wire nut. Side by side like that they can open through thermal expansion and contraction. I have seen this happen.
Hey Dude you already have a stub of copper tubing below the ball valve, so move the new heater out of position and slide the new fitting on your new flex hose onto that stub until it bottoms out, then take a magic marker and draw a line at the edge of that new fitting on the copper tube, then pull the fitting off and measure the distance from the end of the tube to that magic mark. That will tell you how much of the tube will be used to make your calculation on where to cut the existing tube above the old valve and on the other line. Don't forget to account for the amount of the flex line will be shortened in height by the amount that the threads will lower the new line when it is tightened down. If you are too long you can flex the line to make it work (which is something you should intentionally do so you form a parabolic curve in that line that will allow it to contract by straightening out the curve slightly and directing it [outward] as it expands, and foam insulation will help keep the temperature of those pipes stable and minimize expansion/contraction ). If you're too short you will have to shim up the heater at its feet. You don't want to have to do that, accuracy is the key. The flex lines also help with expansion, the rigid mount of the old lines was not a good idea because copper expands and contracts so those rigid lines lengthen and shorten with the variation of temperature (as in that garage being colder in the Winter and then you have demand for hot water and the tube expands, lengthens and forces down on the top of the heater and may be a reason for the original heaters leakage failure.)
@@ian863 of course *SharkBite Connectors are Removable* (without damaging them, when using the appropriate U Ring (de?)Compression 'Release Teeth' Tool)... (as well as the 'copy' connectors...)
the white wire should be wrapped with black or red tape to show it’s a power wire and not a common. also twist the wires together with line plyers before using connectors.
Great advice. Bout a pair of linesman plyers recently just for that, but at the time of this video I didn't have a few tools I should of had. Still got hot water 4 years later tho :)
Nice job! George Brazil wanted $1500 including the heater, crazy! You just helped me! I have a question..I have a line coming out the center, copper. I am assuming overflow? Do I not reattach that?
And I had another commenter mention his area doesn’t install for less than $1,500. That’s $1000 profit at least. I’d do that every day of the week if I could, but scares me as a home owner. It’s important to look into it and see if you can make it a weekend project (see what I did there).
when draining, pop the relief valve on the top. or you're just creating suction inside the tank. but great video! I'm looking to swap mine this weekend.
Yeah, took me awhile to figure that out. I think when I opened the upstairs valve (via the sink) it did the same thing. I thought it was build up inside even after so I cut it open in another video to take a gander.
If you open the pressure release valve at the top, the water heater will drain much faster. Do this when filling the tank as well and watch for water to come out of the pressure release valve, then close it. Before turning on the power, purge the air from the water pipes.
Tip....when you turn the water on, be sure everything is closed and then listen for any air leakage. If you don't hear anything then open a valve in order to allow the heater to get full.
this is a old video but it seems you never transferred the pressure relief pipe from the old heater to the new heater ... you need to do that so it doesn't shoot hot water out of the top of the tank... you can get a plastic one with a bend in it at home depot or lowes for $15 just screw it in to your pressure relief valve. ..... also for anyone else .. make sure you open a few faucets when draining and filling the tank the first time.. don't turn the electric on until water is coming out your faucets for a few minutes or you can burn out the heating elements... faucets need to be open when refilling the tank
@@mendingo99 yeah turn your tub to hot and let water come out of it and then turn all your sinks to hot and let water come out of them.. and then you know the tank is completely filled with water and its safe to turn the power on to the heater.. if not the heating elements will burn out right away.
So I just did this exact heater set up, but still no hot water. I found your video just because I was curious if I had missed a step. Any suggestions as to why is still not supplying hot water after a day?
Some areas require it, yes. So probably not a bad idea even if your area doesn't. However, I was just replacing exactly what I had, mainly to see if I could even do it. Wasn't even sure "expansion tanks" were a thing until the comments started rolling in. I'll probably add one soon.
Did you install a new or used water heater? Did you let the water run for awhile? When you first turn on the water, there will be air bubbles you have to get ride of. That takes a few minutes. If your water is discolored it means something was in the water heater that it's flushing out. Let me know what you ended up finding out.
@@couchmayne4351 On a used unit, there was more than likely rust or sediment in the tank that flushed out when you first turned on the water. It there's no heat, check your breaker to make sure it's on, and then use a meter to see if electricity is getting to the tank. If the power is not the issue, then it is likely one or both of the heating elements. If you turned on the power to the water heater prior to the tank filling up with water (or if the previous owner did), then it burned one or both of them. The elements cannot heat up without being in water or they "burn up". They are easy to change and you can get replacements at the big box stores. You'll have to do some research on TH-cam on how to do it. Good luck.
It's on top of the new Rheem water heater. You can see it in the bottom right corner of the video around 19:52. I attached a drain pipe to it around 1:57 of this video: th-cam.com/video/LLECn2n9u9Q/w-d-xo.html
Nice! I'm putting the same one in today. Thanks for demystifying what to expect. It's always helpful to see what's going on and then picture your situation. 👍
Man water heater was cheap back then. Current price of that same water heater is $519. Since your water heater is in the garage so close to the garage door, you could have just put it on a cart and bring it outside to drain instead of waiting 2 hours. It will be heavy, but doable. You should connect a pipe to T&P valve. I needs to be terminated 6" above the floor or drain with air gap.
You have to turn the knob on the tube cutter often when cutting the pipe to get a clean cut. Rotate & then turn the knob. Also you didn't debur your fittings and mark the depth of your sharkbite fittings with a marker.
(16:05) Just learned that not only do you not need to use thread seal tape, but actually advised NOT to use it on compression fittings as the threads don’t hold the water back, but the compression fitting itself. Seems like common sense now that I read the explanation for it, but had no idea before reading up on what you said. Funny how that works lol. I’m sitting here sayin “look at this dude here smh sayin you don’t need thread tape on a plumbing connection smh what an idiot” lol so I go and do some research and 🤦♂️ I’M the idiot!! Lol. I try to learn something new everyday and it’s 0454 hours so I’m good for the day I can go back to sleep! Lol great video man, learned me somethin! I sub’d as well as I bought my first home here a couple years ago and any tips/tricks on repairs is ALWAYS a good thing! Take care brotha!
Haha, yeah I had the same experience after I looked into it. “You don’t need plumbers tape?”. Thanks for watching and good luck on any future DIYs you do on your new house.
This just happened to me this morning. Kind of ruin my day off but got lucky. The heater for my mobile home was the last available at my local Lowe's. Further my brother has knowledge installing heaters. He even brought in all the extras to do the job. By the end of the end the problem was fixed
Expansion tanks are good to have, and some codes require them. But not in my area, and I was just trying to reinstall a new one just like the one that was previously there.
Man, what a fantastic video. I bought the same water heater and this 63 year old guy installed his first water heater ! Thanks for helping give me the courage to step out of my comfort zone, and save money doing it. Awesome!
Great to hear! Glad the video helped.
Couldn't agree more
Jesus is God
@@raptureready9502 well that’s confusing. This should clear it up,
_corn is plant_
@@sethie_shots wrong
This is amazing. Single mom here and going to attempt with my 16 year olds help.
Good luck. You can do it :)
8:05 I thought I was the only one to take pictures to ensure the connections are correct! Love how your video is real......meaning you show the little things we all may encounter. Good Job!
Thank you for the comment.
Your video just saved me. I’m 21 years old and I inherited my grandfathers very very old home.. money is tight and I absolutely can’t afford to have someone replace my leaking electric water heater right now. I am pretty handy. I’ve replaced leaking piping and fixed sewer issues but this is something out of my expertise. Thank you! A million times thank you!
Awesome, glad it helped.
Just installed a new water heater in the house and went off your video and then the comments. Worked like a charm! Much Appreciated!
Awesome! Glad it helped. And the comments on this video are amazing. So many good suggestions.
I'm 53 and changed my first water heater after watching your video. Thanks dude
Awesome!! Glad it helped.
Just a few things to note. Opening hot water faucets in the house will help the heater to drain (when water supply has been turned off) as it will allow air to into the system to replace the water. If you have a combination hot/cold faucet in the house, if you don't have it all the way on hot, cold water can back feed through the hot water supply pipes (which is why the tank was filling with water before he turned the cold water supply back on to the tank). Also wrapping the ground wire clockwise around the green screw will further tighten the wire down, where as if you wrap the other way, the wire wants to come loose as you tighten the screw.
Awesome, all great pieces of advice. I'm actually making a followup video soon incorporating all the great comments.
Today is Feb 14 and you just saved me $600 bucks. That's how much they wanted to charge just to replace my water heater. I'm doing it myself now.
That's great! Some people save $1,000 to $1,500 by replacing their own. Def. worth the try.
I am so glad I clicked on your video. My water heater has been sitting in the living room for two months, and i was trying to figure out if I was going to tackle this myself. It is great to see someone in their house doing this. I think i have the confidence to try it. Thanks so much.
Awesome, glad it helped. I was in the same boat as you. Wanted to try but had to watch a few videos to get the confidence. One of the motivating factors of course was that a professional would charge $500-$1500.
How did it go?
Were you able to change them out fairly easily? I need to replace mine but am a little comprehensive about doing it myself.
Did you get it changed out 2 years ago?
@@lindas7146 Did you end up trying yourself?
I've was a service plumber for more than 10 years, u did a decent job, it's advised u use a little pipe dope on metal to metal connections and even teflon, both won't hurt, b4 u turn on the electric to it, always bleed the furthest hot side faucet, otherwise burning out an element is possible. The only other thing u might want to check, is the t-stat settings, they should be set at 120 degrees, some H2O heaters have one and some have 2.
Great advice, thank you sir.
Do you bleed the faucet while the tank is filling up with water or after? Might be a stupid question lol.
I had to set ours at 90 degrees...Because my wife and daughter take longer in the shower if it lasts too long. That costs us a lot more water usage which means larger water bill.... So, yeah. 90 degrees it is. 👊👍
@@zackd7597 Did you ever get an answer? Curious also. Seems having the tank full would be the only thing preventing the element from burning out.
@@zackd7597 Always kelpt mine open it helps you know when the tank is full and the air is out instead of having to guess
If any of you see my comment, here's some advice to speed up your installation. First, you need to either open a hot water valve to a sink inside your house (preferably the closest one to your water heater) after you open the drain valve on the water heater. If you don't, it will cause an air lock and your water will just drip slowly. You can also open the pressure safety valve on the water heater. Using the tube cutter keep tightening the knob as tightly as you can and keep turning it backwards so the round cutter wheel is moving away from you. It should not take more than 4-5 turns to cut through the tube.
Going to lowes this a.m. feeling confident after this video brother. Thanks!
@@christopherh730 Did you end up getting it changed out? Just saw you comment as I was preparing for a followup video.
Did everything turn out ok? I'm about to do this myself as well.@@weekendhomeprojects
@@theydontknowmeson007 Yes. A few years later and still getting hot water. All is well.
Sounds like you should have nearest hot water source open BEFORE opening the drain valve?
Great video...loved how you checked and rechecked the electrical ...you can never be to safe.
Thank you.
Thank you for this video! I’m a 50 y-o single female home owner and often feel I’m getting scammed (plumber quoted me $500+ to replace a check valve for my sump pump and I did it by myself with the $10 part). After seeing prices for a hot water install from $1200-$1800 this gave me the confidence to know I could do it myself!
It's hard to believe those prices, but many have commented that's what they were quoted too. For that much, it's definitely worth a try for any homeowner. Good luck and let me know how it goes.
This is one of the BEST DIYer install on a water heater! You have helped me to decide to do job myself. THANKS, and excellent job for sure!
Thank you! And good luck on your install.
I encourage everyone to save money and learn to work on your home you can learn alot of things on youtube . Guess what my project tomorrow is...yup replacing the water heater.
@@mike605 Good luck!
Did this today except i went from a 50 gal to a 40 gal, we're only 2 people and i wanted to save $80. Video was great, only thing i did differently was cut the pipe too low on purpose, slide the old heater out, slide the new heater in, thread the new hoses in first then hold the hose next to the pipe to figure out where to cut the pipe again.
Video gave me tons of confidence to do the project.
Awesome! Glad to hear it helped.
I searched for my water heater and couldn't find something similar but now I know what to do. Thanks for the video.
God bless you sir you saved your family a plumping bill.
Bless your wife she has a smart husband.
Thank you for the video, I followed all your steps, same unit. Worked like a charm! This was my 2024 easter project 🐣.
Awesome!! Glad it helped.
I love this. I feel like I'm watching myself figure another project out! I needed a video to show me what to do with the copper pipes. Thanks, man! 🙌
I'm doing this exact thing with my moms water heater. Got a 30 gallon 4500w Rheem as well. I wouldn't have guessed it came with instructions lol. But got all my cpvc. My primer and specific glue. Bought the water heater nipples and needed joints. Pan. Finished and set the water temp. Worked out better than I thought. I had to learn along the way. Make a couple extra trips to Home Depot but also well. Thanks for the video. And good job. Would of drained quicker if had opened the top piping to let air flow.
This was an exact replacement for the old one that lasted about 10 years. th-cam.com/users/postUgkx7yWIKcrbA9KMHkGSfcgxW2lsjHT6B8Sh The top of my mitigation tube by my roofline was just a 90 elbow which allowed too much debris to fall down into the fan, eventually ruining it. Without this issue, I bet it would have kept running another 10 years. When I replaced this fan, I added an extra elbow joint so the top tube now it does a 180, which should solve that problem. The radon guys around here wanted to charge me a $300 diagnostic fee, then parts/labor (probably close to $600 total). I installed this all by myself in about an hour for the cost of the fan; it would probably be even easier/faster with two people. FYI the manufacturer's warranty greatly differs depending on whether you install it yourself (1 yr warranty) or have a licensed installer do it (10 yrs).
Good video man, always remember to twist your ground wire clockwise around the screw not counterclockwise.
I bought this same water heater today. Gotta install it. Nice to see a fellow TH-camr getting his info from these types of videos.
Suggestions. Hook up a drain pipe on the relief valve. You'll find them next to the water heaters with pressed on fittings at Home Depot ( I see them at :24 bottom right). Very important to put this on. If not, someone could walk by the water heater when/if it releases pressure it will blow hot water in your face if it stays like it is presently installed. The relief drain pipe is like a big long 90 and will point the water down and away from eye/face level.
Also, to drain a tank. 1. Turn power off. 2. Turn off water valve. 3, Open water drain. 4. Flip Relief Valve up to open it. 5. Then turn on a sink or tub on the hot water side and leave it on. (this will give the tank some air to help drain). Once you get water out of the top of the heater, you can take supply lines off to allow more air to assist in draining. Great video and thanks!
Thanks for the input. I hope your install went well. I did end up getting a relief valve pipe - th-cam.com/video/LLECn2n9u9Q/w-d-xo.html
Thanks man, you motivated me to do the same and save; the local plumber referred by Home Depot quoted me $ 425 for installation ....
I just got quoted $900 for installation of a 30 gallon electric on the ground floor. I think maybe I need a second quote...
Thank you for posting this video. Im a widow with 3 children that lives in a rural area, no lowes or home depot for 200 miles. I've had no hot water since beginning of September. Was just able to purchase my new water heater last month. Although it has been sitting in my front room, i have 0 help to install it. My Late husband and i installed our last one 14 years ago. My old one burned up on me. Like almost started a fire, luckily the breaker kicked off. Im hopping my 19 year old, 17 year old and myself can do this. It's getting 🥶.
Hope it helps, let us know if they get it in for you or if you had to pay someone. I can't believe the prices some people put in the comments for what they've been quoted / charged.
This video helped me install a new heater for my disabled mother. Thank you SO MUCH for sharing your knowledge. It was pretty cut and dry, but I was a little weary on the electrical, so you helped confirm it. 👍
Awesome, glad it helped.
Excellent job for your first try. This encourages many of us to just do it. My concern was really the pipes, but those pressures fittings look smooth. Thanks
Thank ya sir. 3 years and still pumping out the hottest of water.
One thing is, it is best to transport the hotwater heater vertically. I have read a few places that its okay to lay it down but if you damage the internal workings from bumps when layed down it will fail when you install it and you wont see the damage till you try to run it.
thanks for the great video, my 14 year old water heater just started leaking and I'm gonna try it myself. You answered all the right questions!!!
Thank you I just installed my new heater and used your video.
Great to hear. Glad it helped.
Thanks sooo much! I just avoided paying a plumber $619! Got mine set up in two days. This video was done perfectly
Awesome, glad it helped! Thanks for sharing the price you were quoted. I always find that interesting.
All the plumbers I called (I’m in PA) averaged $600 I wasn’t expecting that! I always try to do stuff on my own, I had a tire shop for years and did my own roof and plumbing stuff and anything else if I could avoid paying for it by doing it myself!
:0 $619. Mine quoted $1,000 even if I paid for water heater myself for them to install.
@@ch1ckencrafts294 hope you did it in ur own like me and him lol
15:22 so you just slide that shark bite piece onto the copper pipe and it clicks and stays? No crimping or anything?
Yep, that’s all.
Roll Tide or is that the Atlanta A you cover the tag with? In that case Go Braves! I’m from North Alabama and I still confuse the two A’s. Either way I’m a fan of both. Round here it’s all A lettering from Alabama to Auburn and Atlanta.
It was the Braves "A". But yea, they all look about the same, haha.
Great video, just had to replace our water heater and got one from home Depot as well, a smaller rheem one
Great that yours lasted so many years. Mine is 11 years old and starting to seep at the top due to corrosion like yours. Mine was a 30g GE tank with a 6 year wtee.
Have you got a new one yet? Going to put it in yourself?
Thank you for making this video. I’m doing this later today and it’s given me a lot more confidence in doing so.
what kind of cercuit tester is he using
Did you end up doing it yourself?
@@henriettedavid8208 - I bought this set awhile back - amzn.to/3ODlcLk
Thank you for the video, it was pretty straightforward and very helpful. Great job.
The white is actually a black and hooks to red?
How do you know if you need an expansion tank?
This is the absolute best hot water heater change out video on TH-cam. Thank you for making and go Braves.
Thank you, much appreciated. Bravos back to back here we come :)
I like that you also are just figuring this out becouse you ran into mistakes I would have made that they don't mention in the Profesional install videos.
Thanks for hearting the comment, it will make it this much easier to find your video. I just ran out and got a water heater! Time to make a mess, I'll let you know how it goes!
very honest and shows typical aspects needed to solve and install, tanks for sharing
I used those same supply hoses in my business and they started to corrode, one of them started leaking after maybe a year or so. Replaced them with a different sharkbite set that looks like the style you were holding @6:30 so we'll see lol...
Overall good job. Please get yourself a better pipe cutter if you do any other repairs in your Home! And you really needed to ream the ends of the cut pipes, before installing those Sharkbite fittings, which I personally would NOT have used. I installed a Skarkbite fitting, in an emergency situation, onto plastic piping, and failed to catch a small burr, and it leaked on me. Always make sure they are ‘burr free!’ This is MOST important on Copper. But kudos for doing it yourself. 👍👍👍😁✌🏻🇺🇸
Sharkbites are great as long as you clean up the cut ends properly. I have sharkbites on for years with no problems.
You saved me $325...many thanks again.
The only thing i did different was I used SST Braided hoses instead.
So far so good.👍
Awesome!! Glad it helped.
Thanks for your commentary and video! I have the exact old model and the exact new model. I want and need to do this myself. Thanks!
Both the exact same? That's crazy. It's almost like this video was made specifically for you :) Hope it helps.
@@weekendhomeprojects I turned the water off and disconnected the old Whirlpool water heater. The older flex water pipes from the wall to the water heater were too long. The copper pipes from the wall had to be cut. I did not have the courage to cut the copper pipes out of fear I would cut too short. I put the new Rheem in the place of the old Whirlpool - which lasted fourteen years. I called a plumber recommended by family. He made the pipe connections, and now the new water heater works just fine. I suspect that I saved at least $200 by disconnecting, draining, and physically removing the old water heater myself. A friend helped me lift the new water heater into place. I must have drained forty gallons of water out of the old water heater. Whirlpool did me right! Good brand. Now, Rheem is at bat. 50 gallon. 12 year warranty. Show me what you got Rheem!
Are you not tightening anything at the pipe to hose transition. You just push it in. Thats it?
@@pascalwagner6896 it’s sharkbites, so you just push them in.
Thats a good looking dolly. Can u tell us the part number spec of that one? Im going to replace my water heater thanks to your video. Will save ~$1000 over those rip off plumber prices
Thank you not a lot of fluff straight to the point.looks like I can do it. Very informative.
Good luck! Let me know how it goes.
Excellent vid...thanks! Getting ready to do the exact same thing.....replacing old leaking hot water heater w new HD Rheem.
Thanks :)
Superbly done video and paced just right! Thanks.
Thanks for the comment. Was the volume ok? Someone just commented the volume was low. I think they just had an issue with their speakers.
When you started taking showers again did you have slightly brown/orange colored water for a little bit when using the hot water. Just exchanged my HWH and the water is hot but now has a very slightly brown/orange color. Have only flushed it in the tub once or twice.
Mine didn't, but I've watched others videos were this does happen. Just keep flushing until it's clear again.
The most important step, the T&P valve what did you do with it?
Put it on in another video.
Awesome. Did you debur the copper pipe before inserting into the fitting? Also, usually a good idea to put these on a platform too. Helps with height when needed, and draining if needed
@@_mylastname I didn’t like I should have…which is probably why the first shark bite hose leaked. 2nd one went on well and no leaks in 4 years.
Just got a quote for gas watwer heater 40 gallon and the lowest quote was $2,065 to replace it. I'm about to doit my self and save some money. Thanks for the video 👍
Wow, that’s expensive. I’m glad mine was electric. Gas throws in another element to worry about as a DIY. But it may be just as simple. Good luck, let me know how it goes.
@@weekendhomeprojects thanks man. About to run to home Depot and grab everything I need it shouldn't run over $550-600 with all that I need to get this job done.
DYI for everything about $600. Pro plumber average is around $1500 total. $2,065 is a total rip-off.
@@rustynail6819 yep I spend $627 on everything Reem performance 40 gal, lower pam, drain pipe to the sump just in case, shark bite 3/4 pipe kit, pipe compound, 6 feet garden hose to drain the old tank., Soap water bottle $1 dollar, man this was very simple installation. 💪👍
@@weekendhomeprojects it went super smooth thanks for the help and this video 👍
Best diy vid on hwh. Should get anyone through the process. Unless the tank is lime locked lol
Thanks. You getting ready to switch one out?
@@weekendhomeprojects yep. My current HWH is air locked and lime locked. Gonna be fun
@@JayN4GO How'd it go?
Thanks for the video I'm in the exact stages you were in three months before making this video which is just found it leaking from the same identical spot and seeing if it's possible to repair or having to replace the entire water heater and if I'm calling a plumber or doing it myself but watching this video I'm definitely leaning towards trying it myself
Did you end up changing it out yourself?
Is your water heater a tall or short one, was old one in a used home? Or did you have your original one brand new?
Tall. I bought the house new so the water heater was new. Lasted 15 years.
@@weekendhomeprojects it is now nearly 20 years and I have never tampered with it. Water still heats up fine. I am the only one using it, and I haven't noticed any issues. I will be looking at it today to see what it looks like. It is in it's own space behind a door in a closet. Oh, it is in a manufactured home.
great video! if you leave the electrical cover plate that the conduit lock nuts to disconnected from the heater while you wire it helps make folding the wires in and shaping the ground connection through the second plate cover a littler easier and cleaner
Thanks :). Yeah I kept fighting that ground wire. That was probably the hardest part, haha.
Anytime you tighten down a screw with a wire under it, wrap the wire the same direction you turn the screw, this way the wire is pulled tighter around the screw as you tighten it down instead of getting pushed out.
Great video man! only call out is clean up that ground wire connection. LOL
Haha, I agree...I just couldn't get it twisted around so it looked good. I messed with it a good half hour before settling on what the video showed.
Good video. The only thing I would say is when you connect the electric wires you should twist them together before adding the wire nut. Side by side like that they can open through thermal expansion and contraction. I have seen this happen.
That’s a great tip. Thanks
Does it really matter which wire goes where? Just for element
Hey Dude you already have a stub of copper tubing below the ball valve, so move the new heater out of position and slide the new fitting on your new flex hose onto that stub until it bottoms out, then take a magic marker and draw a line at the edge of that new fitting on the copper tube, then pull the fitting off and measure the distance from the end of the tube to that magic mark. That will tell you how much of the tube will be used to make your calculation on where to cut the existing tube above the old valve and on the other line. Don't forget to account for the amount of the flex line will be shortened in height by the amount that the threads will lower the new line when it is tightened down. If you are too long you can flex the line to make it work (which is something you should intentionally do so you form a parabolic curve in that line that will allow it to contract by straightening out the curve slightly and directing it [outward] as it expands, and foam insulation will help keep the temperature of those pipes stable and minimize expansion/contraction ). If you're too short you will have to shim up the heater at its feet. You don't want to have to do that, accuracy is the key. The flex lines also help with expansion, the rigid mount of the old lines was not a good idea because copper expands and contracts so those rigid lines lengthen and shorten with the variation of temperature (as in that garage being colder in the Winter and then you have demand for hot water and the tube expands, lengthens and forces down on the top of the heater and may be a reason for the original heaters leakage failure.)
Idk if you can
Pull shark bites off after Once on
@@ian863 of course
*SharkBite Connectors are Removable* (without damaging them, when using the appropriate U Ring (de?)Compression 'Release Teeth' Tool)... (as well as the 'copy' connectors...)
Greatest video man, you just saved me $1,000
Awesome! Glad it helped.
It's nice when very easy! nothing behind walls , less pipe 2 work with ,no old lousy gate valves which (both) can't stop leaking !!
And not a apartment building either!!!!!!!
the white wire should be wrapped with black or red tape to show it’s a power wire and not a common. also twist the wires together with line plyers before using connectors.
OMG, Finally, somebody noticed ! Thank you.
Great advice. Bout a pair of linesman plyers recently just for that, but at the time of this video I didn't have a few tools I should of had. Still got hot water 4 years later tho :)
On the two hoses you put on top of the water heater, it looks like you just slipped them over the copper pipe at the top. Is that right?
Yes. They’re called shark bites.
I am planning on installing an electric heater on my garage and your video gave me the confidence to GO-AHEAD with the install. Nice work! thanks
Awesome! Hope all goes well.
Thanks for the video! I appreciate your video and plumbing skills/advice. I have a feeling this project is in my near future. Thumbs up!
Glad it helped.
Local Mobile resident here. I saw the truck license plate coverup. Roll Tide! :)
Haha.
Just installed a new water heater lst night thanks to you!!!!!
Awesome!! Glad it helped.
Nice job! George Brazil wanted $1500 including the heater, crazy! You just helped me! I have a question..I have a line coming out the center, copper. I am assuming overflow? Do I not reattach that?
Is yours gas? May be the flue vent pipe. Or if it’s electric the only other piping I can think of is for an expansion tank.
And I had another commenter mention his area doesn’t install for less than $1,500. That’s $1000 profit at least. I’d do that every day of the week if I could, but scares me as a home owner. It’s important to look into it and see if you can make it a weekend project (see what I did there).
@@weekendhomeprojects its electric, thanks so much for responding! Will the new one have? You didn't have one right, I will subscribe to you for sure!
It’s the relief valve run a pipe off it and down
when draining, pop the relief valve on the top. or you're just creating suction inside the tank. but great video! I'm looking to swap mine this weekend.
Yeah, took me awhile to figure that out. I think when I opened the upstairs valve (via the sink) it did the same thing. I thought it was build up inside even after so I cut it open in another video to take a gander.
@@weekendhomeprojects I changed mine on Thursday. And it went SUPER smooth. Thanks to watching your video man. 🤙🏼🤙🏼
If you open the pressure release valve at the top, the water heater will drain much faster. Do this when filling the tank as well and watch for water to come out of the pressure release valve, then close it. Before turning on the power, purge the air from the water pipes.
Thank you for the suggestions. On year 3 on this one and everything is working well.
Great video! I'm about to install the 40 gallon version and this helps out as I'm not much of a handyman.
Tip....when you turn the water on, be sure everything is closed and then listen for any air leakage. If you don't hear anything then open a valve in order to allow the heater to get full.
Gooda advice.
this is a old video but it seems you never transferred the pressure relief pipe from the old heater to the new heater ... you need to do that so it doesn't shoot hot water out of the top of the tank... you can get a plastic one with a bend in it at home depot or lowes for $15 just screw it in to your pressure relief valve. ..... also for anyone else .. make sure you open a few faucets when draining and filling the tank the first time.. don't turn the electric on until water is coming out your faucets for a few minutes or you can burn out the heating elements... faucets need to be open when refilling the tank
A few weeks after this video I did get one of those cheap plastic ones.
@@weekendhomeprojects cool
Faucets should be open for hot water or cold or....?
@@mendingo99 yeah turn your tub to hot and let water come out of it and then turn all your sinks to hot and let water come out of them.. and then you know the tank is completely filled with water and its safe to turn the power on to the heater.. if not the heating elements will burn out right away.
You done good - Great clip
Thanks for sharing
Liked & Shared
So I just did this exact heater set up, but still no hot water. I found your video just because I was curious if I had missed a step. Any suggestions as to why is still not supplying hot water after a day?
One or both the heating elements may be bad. Search on how to check / change the elements.
How's the flex pipe connections holding up? A lot of pros say they're horrible and leak.
2 years holding strong.
4 years, holding strong.
Do you not need an expansion tank? I need to replace mine, but everyone is telling me I need an expansion tank (I am in Florida).
Some areas require it, yes. So probably not a bad idea even if your area doesn't. However, I was just replacing exactly what I had, mainly to see if I could even do it. Wasn't even sure "expansion tanks" were a thing until the comments started rolling in. I'll probably add one soon.
I followed these instructions but I have orange stuff splashing out of my sink is there a reason as to why? Thank you
Did you install a new or used water heater? Did you let the water run for awhile? When you first turn on the water, there will be air bubbles you have to get ride of. That takes a few minutes. If your water is discolored it means something was in the water heater that it's flushing out. Let me know what you ended up finding out.
@@weekendhomeprojects it’s preowned and thank you that worked but now I’m not getting any hot water and I even pressed the reset button and nothing
@@couchmayne4351 On a used unit, there was more than likely rust or sediment in the tank that flushed out when you first turned on the water. It there's no heat, check your breaker to make sure it's on, and then use a meter to see if electricity is getting to the tank. If the power is not the issue, then it is likely one or both of the heating elements. If you turned on the power to the water heater prior to the tank filling up with water (or if the previous owner did), then it burned one or both of them. The elements cannot heat up without being in water or they "burn up". They are easy to change and you can get replacements at the big box stores. You'll have to do some research on TH-cam on how to do it. Good luck.
Where is the pressure relief valve? Or did I miss that
It's on top of the new Rheem water heater. You can see it in the bottom right corner of the video around 19:52. I attached a drain pipe to it around 1:57 of this video: th-cam.com/video/LLECn2n9u9Q/w-d-xo.html
Nice! I'm putting the same one in today. Thanks for demystifying what to expect. It's always helpful to see what's going on and then picture your situation. 👍
Good luck! Let me know how it goes.
What is the name of that tool that let you know that electricity is present?
Non-contact voltage tester
No thermal expantion tank? Is that not recomended?
I’m sure it’s, but mine didn’t have one to begin with.
great information and you give me confidence to do my own water heater.
Did you think about a hybrid?
Thanks for the video. Bought this same water heater 2 days ago (June ‘22) $539 @ Home Depot up from $379 in 2020. 😒
Wow..up 42% in 2 years. Crazy. You get it installed yet?
@@weekendhomeprojects doing it over the weekend
what a great video, thank you. Too bad I have a small space and can't use those hoses. I'll need A plumber to weld the connections.
Just curious is there a chance that i can find a water heater thats the same height as the one im replacing i am nervous about the plumbing part
They’re all pretty standard, so finding the same height shouldn’t be too difficult. Measure yours and go to Lowe’s / Home Depot and see what they got.
Thanks buddy, so I don’t have to solder . Did you have any leaks?
No soldering and no leaks
Man water heater was cheap back then. Current price of that same water heater is $519. Since your water heater is in the garage so close to the garage door, you could have just put it on a cart and bring it outside to drain instead of waiting 2 hours. It will be heavy, but doable. You should connect a pipe to T&P valve. I needs to be terminated 6" above the floor or drain with air gap.
Looking at buying one today, man is this ever true!
Just put a new one in the other day now I have very little pressure for hot water in my kitchen sink. I have pressure for cold. Any suggestions?
Did you ever get it figured out?
You have to turn the knob on the tube cutter often when cutting the pipe to get a clean cut. Rotate & then turn the knob. Also you didn't debur your fittings and mark the depth of your sharkbite fittings with a marker.
Yeah, I didn’t want to damage the tool or bevel the pipe so I took it. I’ve and slow. But others have pointed that out as well.
(16:05) Just learned that not only do you not need to use thread seal tape, but actually advised NOT to use it on compression fittings as the threads don’t hold the water back, but the compression fitting itself. Seems like common sense now that I read the explanation for it, but had no idea before reading up on what you said. Funny how that works lol. I’m sitting here sayin “look at this dude here smh sayin you don’t need thread tape on a plumbing connection smh what an idiot” lol so I go and do some research and 🤦♂️ I’M the idiot!! Lol. I try to learn something new everyday and it’s 0454 hours so I’m good for the day I can go back to sleep! Lol great video man, learned me somethin! I sub’d as well as I bought my first home here a couple years ago and any tips/tricks on repairs is ALWAYS a good thing! Take care brotha!
Haha, yeah I had the same experience after I looked into it. “You don’t need plumbers tape?”. Thanks for watching and good luck on any future DIYs you do on your new house.
This just happened to me this morning. Kind of ruin my day off but got lucky. The heater for my mobile home was the last available at my local Lowe's. Further my brother has knowledge installing heaters. He even brought in all the extras to do the job. By the end of the end the problem was fixed
I have to do the same thing got the same water heater but my case older house and smaller copper lines
Does expansion tank require?
Expansion tanks are good to have, and some codes require them. But not in my area, and I was just trying to reinstall a new one just like the one that was previously there.