What Type Of Hot Water Heater Connector Lines Do You Prefer ??

billt460

billt460

Joined
Mar 30, 2015
Messages
11,962
Location
Lake Havasu City, Arizona
2 years ago I installed a new hot water heater. I used the flexible, braided Stainless Steel connectors. This morning I noticed the hot water exit line from the heater has a ring of corrosion where it was crimped on to the threaded connector. It's not wet yet, but it's only a matter of time before it corrodes enough and starts leaking.

So I'm going to replace it, but I'm done with that type of connector. They're too leak prone at the crimp joint. So I'm thinking of going with the standard crimped flex line. They're stiffer, and slightly harder to work with, but they come in both solid copper, as well as Stainless Steel.

What do you guys have, and how long has it lasted?
 
billt460 said:
2 years ago I installed a new hot water heater. I used the flexible, braided Stainless Steel connectors. This morning I noticed the hot water exit line from the heater has a ring of corrosion where it was crimped on to the threaded connector. It's not wet yet, but it's only a matter of time before it corrodes enough and starts leaking.

So I'm going to replace it, but I'm done with that type of connector. They're too leak prone at the crimp joint. So I'm thinking of going with the standard crimped flex line. They're stiffer, and slightly harder to work with, but they come in both solid copper, as well as Stainless Steel.

What do you guys have, and how long has it lasted?
Click to expand...
I prefer to hard pipe a water heater.
 
Lubener said:
I always used solid copper with dielectric couplers and a heavy solid copper wire jumped between the in/out lines of the tank.. Everytime, the plumbing was troublefree till I would replace the tank 15-20 years later.
Click to expand...

That's what I think I'm going to do this time. I'm not going to hard pipe it because I like to have a little flexibility in the connection. It makes things so much easier. I'm told the Stainless Steel connector lines are more flexible than the copper, but at the cost of being much thinner.
 
Are you in earthquake city? Why are you concerned about flexibility? There's much more stability added to the tank using rigid lines and a coupler. You already experienced a very short lifespan to the flex lines attached to the tank . I believe people use the braided flex lines is that it requires no skill to do, allows incompetent contractors with no skills to do mass tank change outs so they can then change out a tank in one hour and go onto the next job. I always prefer a more durable and professional look to my work.
 
Andrew1972 said:
Where did you buy those lines? Lowes/Home Depot or plumbing supply hose, massive difference in what you get......
Click to expand...
Believe it or not they came from a local plumbing house. I, like you, thought I would get better quality. They charged me for quality, but unfortunately I never received it... Live and learn. Just a crappy design.
 
Lubener said:
Are you in earthquake city?
Click to expand...

We've had them. It just depends where they hit. We got a pretty good shaking from both the Northridge and Big Bear quakes back in the 90's. I remember waking up to the grandfather clock pendulum banging into the chimes, and all of the verticals shaking, like when you leave a sliding door or window open when the wind starts blowing.

I just don't see any advantage to hard piping for that type of application. Especially when most every faucet, dishwasher, water softener, toilet, and washing machine are all connected with flex lines.

Not to mention every R.O. system they sell, along with every fridge with an ice maker and water dispenser, all have that crappy, push together plastic tubing that's under constant pressure.

Your plumbing is only as strong as your weakest link. So unless you hard pipe EVERYTHING in your home, you're just making additional work for yourself, And you're not really gaining anything in the process.... Except a false sense of security.
 
Last edited:
I had a similar issue with this type of connector:
Connection.jpg

This is an adapter from copper to plastic, and according to the plumber that installed it, it was supposed to be stainless steel. After a couple of years it developed a pinhole through the metal! I'm assuming dissimilar metal corrosion caused by the copper/stainless being present. Or just Chinese stainless, who knows. As you can see, I installed the solid copper bonding wire, so it wasn't stray current from the house.

Anyway, two of these were used and they both leaked eventually. I replaced them both with USA copper unions/adapters to plastic and never had any further issues.
 
billt460 said:
2 years ago I installed a new hot water heater. I used the flexible, braided Stainless Steel connectors. This morning I noticed the hot water exit line from the heater has a ring of corrosion where it was crimped on to the threaded connector. It's not wet yet, but it's only a matter of time before it corrodes enough and starts leaking.

So I'm going to replace it, but I'm done with that type of connector. They're too leak prone at the crimp joint. So I'm thinking of going with the standard crimped flex line. They're stiffer, and slightly harder to work with, but they come in both solid copper, as well as Stainless Steel.

What do you guys have, and how long has it lasted?
Click to expand...
Why would you heat hot water?
 
b4autodark said:
As a career master plumber that terminology is my pet peeve as well, it's a water heater unless you are heating already hot water to a higher temp.......
Click to expand...

That's exactly what it does out here in the middle of the Mohave Desert in Summer. It comes out of the spigot hot enough to shower and wash your clothes on full "cold".
 
b4autodark said:
As a career master plumber that terminology is my pet peeve as well, it's a water heater unless you are heating already hot water to a higher temp for sanitary purposes such as a commercial kitchen, then it's a booster heater.
Click to expand...
If you notice in my 1st reply, I stated "WATER HEATER." ;)
I would install dielectric unions at the water heater with a full port 1/4 turn ball valve inline of the cold-water supply.
I should have been more specific in my original reply.
My suggestion is just the pipe fitter in me (39 years).
 
BlueOvalFitter said:
...I would install dielectric unions at the water heater with a full port 1/4 turn ball valve inline of the cold-water supply.
Click to expand...

dQsgQYd.jpg


What I had. ^^^^

lbm2qkD.jpg


Note corrosion around red washer near crimp connection.

XWmJqCx.jpg


What I have now... FIXED! ^^^^

If the other one develops the same issue, I'll replace it with the same.
 
BlueOvalFitter said:
If you notice in my 1st reply, I stated "WATER HEATER." ;)
I would install dielectric unions at the water heater with a full port 1/4 turn ball valve inline of the cold-water supply.
I should have been more specific in my original reply.
My suggestion is just the pipe fitter in me (39 years).
Click to expand...
Why are dielectric unions necessary? There is an anode in the water heater... but to what extent is allowing electrical continuity with the rest of the copper piping system a prb? The latter is not immersed in an electrolyte and really should not corrode, and accordingly is not inappropriately using-up your anode (is it)?
 
I would prefer soldered hard copper. Some states, cities or towns don't allow flex lines to water heaters. I see now a days PEX and pro-press is a very popular method these days
 
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