Hot water tank

[rufon]

I had my hot water tank replaced and the plumbers used hex pipes to connect the hot/cold water. Since then I had a couple other plumbers come in to do some other work (not related to the hot water tank) and they mentioned that using PEX pipes are not up to code and it should be copper pipes. I have had a difficult time contacting my original plumber who did the installation to ask if this is actually true. I have attached a pic of the install.

Please let me know if this is up to code or not. Thank you

 

[Twowaxhack]

Yeah, it’s not up to code. You need metallic piping to connect to gas heaters. Some codes allow electric heaters to connect direct with pex but not gas,

 

[sarg]

Your installation is certainly "different" than the norm.
Many jurisdictions do not allow pex plastic attached to the actual tank so close to the venting on a gas heater ( because of the heat ).
Better technique would have been flexible stainless steel corrugated connectors ( avoid those that are rubber lined because the rubber breaks down over time ) and then the pex .
The flexible lines make life much easier next time.

ALSO .. I note a ball valve shut off installed on the HOT side of the tank. That is usually avoided because of the risk of someone shutting it down allowing excess pressure to build within the heater.

 

[rufon]

Yeah, it’s not up to code. You need metallic piping to connect to gas heaters. Some codes allow electric heaters to connect direct with pex but not gas,

Thank you. I will follow up with my plumber

 

[SHEPLMBR]

Typically 18" of copper or other metal pipe is required.

 

[MicEd69]

ALSO .. I note a ball valve shut off installed on the HOT side of the tank. That is usually avoided because of the risk of someone shutting it down allowing excess pressure to build within the heater.

A valve on the hot-water side of a water heater will simply isolate the fixtures from the water heater. Any pressure the hot water tank tries to supply will simply "backflow" into the cold-water pipe, assuming there is no check valve in the supply line to the house. A closed valve on the cold-water supply line to the water heater will result in a closed system and will cause increased pressure in the water heater and the hot water piping.

An expansion tank fixes this problem.

 

[Twowaxhack]

A valve on the hot-water side of a water heater will simply isolate the fixtures from the water heater. Any pressure the hot water tank tries to supply will simply "backflow" into the cold-water pipe, assuming there is no check valve in the supply line to the house. A closed valve on the cold-water supply line to the water heater will result in a closed system and will cause increased pressure in the water heater and the hot water piping.

An expansion tank fixes this problem.

If you close both hot and cold valves and the thermal pressure relief valve fails and the thermostat runs away…….kaboom

 

[Twowaxhack]

But there’s no code against using one on the hot side. I wouldn’t be scared to install one on each side but Ive said before that valves are also a liability once you have “ enough “ . Anymore than that and you’re just adding another part to fail.

 

[Ludington]

If you only close the valves to service the water heater, does it really matter how many shut offs you have ? You just turn t
he tank off.... , I suppose if your shutting the valve on the hot water side to service piping, you just turn the tank off also while you work.