New Water Heater Installation in a Condominium - Chicago Inspection Tips
To start your inspection of a new water heater installation in a Chicago condominium you have to determine what type of a water heater you actually have.
The following water heater installation guidelines will most likely apply in any jurisdiction (please double check). The only difference or rather an addition would be water heater strapping and flexible gas connectors that are required in seismic areas.
Below are 4 most common types of water heater installation in Chicago new condos:
Tank type /natural draft water heater with a metal vent pipe (galvanized steel – make sure there is no aluminum [...]
Gas burning appliances vent pipes produce heat when discharging exhaust gases to exterior.
Temperature of the vent pipe is transferred to the surrounding area and all the materials that are in the vent pipe vicinity. Problems start arising if those materials are combustible and located to close to the furnace, water heater vent pipe. If you apply heat to a combustible material for some period of time (that varies between materials), its point of ignition will gradually get lower and eventually little heat will be required to start a fire – that’s why you need a clearance between the vent pipe and a combustible material.
WH PVC vent pipes can be used only with power-vent /exhaust motor equipped hot water heaters also known as an induced draft gas water heaters (also CPVC and ABS but some manufacturer and local restriction may apply to all 3 types).
If the saddle valve installation is your first plumbing job, don’t worry, it’s very simple. Just follow these instructions carefully:
Even if the saddle valve came with some appliance installation kit, it may not be permitted in your area. You may want to check if such installation complies with your local plumbing code.
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This How to Install Saddle Valve Guide covers copper pipe installation. However, you can also use it for plastic and galvanized pipes since most steps are almost identical, and I will explain the difference whenever [...]