90 degree water heater supply line

[Ethan Brush]

What is the best way to make a 90 just above the water tank? I don't have much space and a traditional supply line won't quite bend enough. No one seems to make a supply hose with a 90-degree connector on one end. They do for washing machines but those are fht/mht. Of course I could put a street 90 right on the water heater connectors, but that just seems hokie plus it's hard to get them to point in the direction you want. I could add a union and then a 90, but again that's a seems like a cob job of fittings, what is the cleanest way to do this?

 

[Reach4]

You can control how much engagement a thread has by using more or less tape, and more or less torque.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[Sylvan]

You can control how much engagement a thread has by using more or less tape, and more or less torque.[/QUOTE


This is one of the popular questions on plumbing exams ..

Normally a threaded fitting is installed 3-5 turns by hand and 2 turns by wrench .

 

[Jeff H Young]

Hard pipe in copper if you don't like the look. but a 90 or 45 should be able to install cleanly. Personally I prefer the corrugated metal supple over the rubber hoses w stainless braid, corrugated bend better .

 

[Ethan Brush]

Hard pipe in copper if you don't like the look. but a 90 or 45 should be able to install cleanly. Personally I prefer the corrugated metal supple over the rubber hoses w stainless braid, corrugated bend better .

I thought about the corrugated copper lines, that they might bend more. I was trying it with the braided. Maybe I'll give that a shot.

If I use a street 90 would I want to go galvanized to match the material of the water heater inlet?

 

[Reach4]

If I use a street 90 would I want to go galvanized to match the material of the water heater inlet?

No. Use brass or bronze, or maybe stainless. Not galvanized.

 

[Terry]

Don't use a galvanized 90 there. You can, but it's going to be rusting up pretty badly.
What length of supply lines are you working with. I typically use a 24" corrugated, either stainless or copper. The longer lines allow for a better sweeping bend.

I don't use braided lines for water heaters unless there is no other choice.

 

[LLigetfa]

I could add a union and then a 90, but again that's a seems like a cob job of fittings, what is the cleanest way to do this?

Assuming the piping is rigid copper, a dielectric union (FPT-to-copper sweat) would be a clean looking install. When I installed my first water heater I did not use flex but the plumber that replaced it with a rental used flex on one side and rigid copper on the other side.

 

[Sylvan]

In NYC we never use corrugated stainless or copper .

We use either Red Brass or Type L copper

Some places do allow corrugated, either stainless or copper flaired as long as there is no plastic or rubber in contact with the potable water supply

 

[Jeff H Young]

I guess if OP already has the flex and doesn't want to buy another set (cheap me might not ) put that street 90 on brass. But the braided lines don't bend as good as corrugated and as Terry mentioned sometimes longer length is needed to give longer sweeping bends.

 

[Reach4]

Not all braided disintegrate rubbery materials into the water over time. AFAIK, no corrugated lines disintegrate materials into the water over time.