Upgrading To Plastic-Lined Nipples Can Help Keep Your Water Heater From Rusting

Steel will rust when it comes into contact with brass or
copper. Hot and cold water lines on top of the water
heater are often made out of brass or copper. The water
heater's tank is made of steel. When they are connected
together, the steel tank rusts and weakens while the brass
or copper connections do not rust at all. Dielectric
unions and plastic-lined nipples were invented to defeat
this problem. We will discuss plastic-lined nipples in
this article. If your tank is installed with copper only
pipe nipples touching the steel tank, you should replace
them with plastic-lined nipples immediately. Don't panic
though. Unless your water heater is brand new and only a
few months old, there won't be a damaging corrosion problem.

If you are handy with plumbing, you can install gate valves
on your hot and cold lines on top of your water heater.
Use brass valves and install them into plastic-lined
nipples instead of directly into steel plumbing. Do not
install it to the steel plumbing directly or it will cause
the steel to rust. This will allow you to have positive
control of your water lines at the water heater itself.

Heat traps can be used where the plastic-lined nipples are
installed. Hire a plumber to do this to increase the water
heater's efficiency. Make sure adapters are attached to
the copper plumbing. If you have a combination anode rod
installed, the nipple you choose is very important as well.
Install a plastic-lined one if at all possible. If you
have a curved dip tube installed inside your water heater,
you will need a three inch long plastic-lined nipple as
well.

The easiest method of adding plastic-lined nipples if you
have steel plumbing is as follows: Attach to both the hot
and cold lines a plastic-lined nipple where the lines
protrude from the wall. Attach to both of the hot and cold
lines another set of plastic-lined nipples where the lines
connect to the water heater. Use copper flex-connectors to
connect the hot line from the wall to the water heater and
do the same for the cold line. Make sure to have heat
traps installed as well for increased heating efficiency.

Plastic-lined nipples may also be installed on the T&P
valve. This keeps the T&P from getting any trapped water
inside and allows it to flow out of the T&P for your
safety. This is not essential, but it can help.

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