In fact, there are not so many reasons to buy a water heater, but all of them are compelling and directly affect the comfort of living. Annual “greetings” from utility workers in the form of two-week preventive maintenance, or the lack of hot water supply at a dacha or country house will force you to make a strong-willed decision and equip your home with a boiler.
A new trend of recent years, actively gaining popularity on the Internet and gaining a foothold in people’s minds, is the DIY (Do It Yourself) movement, which literally means “do it yourself”. The “consumer society” is gradually becoming obsolete, which pushes people to do work that was previously uncharacteristic for them. And, paradoxically, many of them successfully achieve their goal. After all, the motto of a true master is: “If you want to do something well, do it yourself!”
Installing a water heater does not involve any insurmountable difficulties, so you can do all the work yourself. Why not prove to yourself and your environment that you can work not only with your head, but also with your hands? Let’s start, as usual, with the theory, but the reader will have to do the practical part on his own – in accordance with our instructions.
The task of the boiler is to heat water. According to their design, they can be divided into:
- full-size electric heaters with a capacity of 80 to 200 liters;
- small volume electric water heaters – 10-50 l;
- flow-through electric heaters, which, unlike the first two types, heat water as needed, which is called “live”;
- gas boilers. Water is heated by burning natural gas under the heat exchanger of the device.
- Full Size Electric Water Heater Installation Instructions.
The installation of an electric boiler can be divided into three stages:
- wall mounting;
- connection to the water supply;
- connection to the electrical network.
Before starting work, we determine the location of the water heater installation. It should be located in close proximity to the water intake points. This approach will help reduce heat loss when transporting heated water from the tank to the mixer.
At the stage of mounting the water heater on the wall, the instructions (it provides the dimensions for installing the fasteners) and a physically strong assistant who is able to hold the structure in the air for some time while standing in an uncomfortable position will provide invaluable assistance.
The tools you will need are: a pencil or marker, a tape measure , a hammer drill , a bubble level ,pliers or an adjustable wrench .
After carefully studying the instructions or measuring the water heater fasteners, markings of future holes for fasteners are applied to the wall, after which they are drilled with a hammer drill.
It is important to understand that a filled tank has a solid weight, so the fastening to the wall must be reliable! As a rule, the manufacturer specifies the necessary fastening parameters in the instructions. Basically, L-shaped hooks with a diameter of 12-14 mm or bolts of the same diameter are used to install a 100-150 l storage tank.
After tightening the mounting hooks or installing the mounting strip, it would be a good idea to check the “horizon” with a bubble level.
After installing the boiler, it’s time to start connecting water to the device. At this stage, you will need the following tools: an adjustable wrench, a device for welding plastic pipes (if the connection is made using a PVC pipe) and scissors for plastic pipes. You will have to decide on the consumables (fittings, valves, tees , winding, etc.) yourself, based on the specific installation conditions. The same applies to the materials needed to organize the water main. A simpler option is to use hoses of the required length. Installation and soldering of plastic pipes is more labor-intensive and will take more time, but this solution is more reliable, practical and aesthetically pleasing.
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The diagram for connecting the water heater to the water supply system looks like this:
When connecting to a water heater, the system must have a safety valve that protects the storage boiler from excessive internal pressure during water heating, as well as shut-off valves that are necessary to stop the water supply during heater maintenance.
It is highly advisable to install a tee between the cold water inlet fitting and the safety valve, creating a branch to drain water from the tank for servicing or repair.
If you additionally install the same branch at the hot water outlet, draining the water will be even easier. An open valve will provide a good flow of air inside, which will make the task easier.
In houses with centralized hot water supply, before using the heater, it is important to make sure that the hot water supply valve to the apartment is closed. Otherwise, the water you heated will be used by your neighbors (the riser is shared), and the owner of the water heater will have to pay for this “celebration of hot water and unheard-of generosity”.
After completing the plumbing connection, you need to open the shut-off valves of the water heater, the hot water tap of the mixer and fill the water heater with water. After the air comes out and water comes out of the mixer under normal pressure, the water heater is ready for use.
There are several options for connecting to the electrical network. The water heater can be connected directly to the circuit breaker (for a 2 kW tank, a 10 A circuit breaker will be sufficient), or directly to a socket connected to a separate line and protected by an individual circuit breaker.
Installation of a small volume electric water heater
Small-volume storage boilers are designed to solve the local problem of hot water supply. As a rule, their location is the kitchen or the bathroom washbasin.
The installation plan for the small heater remains the same and largely follows the steps outlined for their full-size counterparts. However, there are some nuances to consider:
- It is necessary to clearly define the installation location. The heater model and the type of pipe connection will depend on it. There are boilers on sale with a bottom connection, which are installed above the countertop level (in a niche, cabinet or occupy part of the work area) and with an upper location of the nozzles, designed for installation below the level of the work surface (under the sink).
- Before purchasing a heater, you need to carefully measure the intended installation location. The rule: “Measure seven times, buy once” will allow you to install the boiler without using a jigsaw and radically “re-cutting” the furniture.
- For heaters with an upper water supply, installing drain branches is pointless. It will be easier to dismantle a filled boiler for maintenance or repair. For heaters with a lower supply, installing branches is highly desirable. The volume of water, although small, but “catching” it when dismantling the heater is not a pleasant task.
Installation of a flow-through electric water heater
Instantaneous water heaters prepare hot water as needed. These are lightweight and compact models, they are not limited by the volume of the tank, so they can heat water in the quantities needed by the user. After the tap is opened, water of the required temperature arrives in about half a minute.
The price for speed and “unlimited” hot water is increased power consumption. Flow-through devices are equipped with a powerful heating element, so they need to be connected with a separate cable with a conductor cross-section of at least 4 mm 2 , with mandatory line protection with a separate circuit breaker.
Installation is not particularly difficult. In many ways, the sequence of actions is similar to the installation of a storage boiler, with the only exception that the water supply and drainage are carried out without a safety valve and drain pipes. Installation of shut-off valves at the inlet and outlet of the tank is necessary. This will allow you to easily dismantle the heater for maintenance or repair.
Installation of a gas water heater
A gas water heater is perhaps the cheapest way to get hot water, and in gasified houses equipped with gas water heaters, it is the only option.
In a private home, to install a gas water heater, you will need permission and a design solution from the company servicing the gas industry. It is necessary to organize a productive chimney channel through which combustion products will be removed from the room. It will also be necessary to install a gas analyzer that will notify about a dangerous concentration of carbon dioxide or a leak of natural gas.
In an apartment building originally equipped with gas water heaters, as a rule, it is necessary to coordinate specific equipment. It will also be necessary to confirm its compliance with current standards.
In gasified multi-storey buildings (11 floors and more), it is better to immediately abandon the idea of installing a gas water heater. Obtaining permission to install it is an impossible task.
The installation and connection to the water supply procedure completely repeats the actions for installing a boiler. Only the installation of any protection of the water main (safety valve, shut-off valve, etc.) is not required. However, an additional step of connecting the combustion chamber to the chimney occurs. The connection is usually made with an aluminum corrugated pipe of the required diameter.
