scrunchielaura
New Member
That "old looking" gas valve, what is it made of? Is it pot metal which is not (any longer?) on the gas plumbing approved materials list in the UPC? Someplace I've also read that valves of that old design should be replaced with a (gas approved) proper ball valve.
What type of connection is on the gas valve? NPT, or a built in flare end? To the pros here: I know that flex line cannot be reused (due to metal fatigue issues), but can flare fittings (adapters, valves) be reused? Is the possibility of metal galling high enough that such fittings shouldn't be reused?
Why is one earthquake strap anchored close together and the other far apart? It seems like the lower strap wouldn't work very well. Did the instructions recommend that? The engineer in me thinks the straps should go 360 degrees around the heater before hooking to the wall. (I've never dealt with strapping even though I'm in the land of shake, rattle and roll - my water heater was tested extensively 18.5 years ago and it did fine without strapping.)
What type of connection is on the gas valve? NPT, or a built in flare end? To the pros here: I know that flex line cannot be reused (due to metal fatigue issues), but can flare fittings (adapters, valves) be reused? Is the possibility of metal galling high enough that such fittings shouldn't be reused?
Why is one earthquake strap anchored close together and the other far apart? It seems like the lower strap wouldn't work very well. Did the instructions recommend that? The engineer in me thinks the straps should go 360 degrees around the heater before hooking to the wall. (I've never dealt with strapping even though I'm in the land of shake, rattle and roll - my water heater was tested extensively 18.5 years ago and it did fine without strapping.)