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Indirect question

hr
hr Member Posts: 6,106
in THE MAIN WALL
that I've liked ;) For some reason they seem to attract corrosion. The plug up, the fiber washers crack after a while. The rubber gaskets swell or leak.

This pic shows a two year old dielectric.

If you really want a good union, consider these brass ones from Watts. With an O-ring seal they can be leak free with mere hand tightening.

I'm not sure what type of indirect service unions allow anyways? The best service for an indirect or any HW tank would be to purchase one with a handhole opening and clean them out yearly. Hard to do that through a union.

I agree with the pros get a copper to male or female adapter, a copper, or brass union if you are intent on unscrewing it frequently, for whatever reason :)

hot rod

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Comments

  • tm
    tm Member Posts: 125


    Installing an indirect hot water tank. I am not a big fan of dielectric unions but the instructions call for one on the cold feed in and domestic hot out. Are they really necessary? I know that teflon tape acts as insulator but how many of you depend on this? Any way around this as a better job is concerned? I saw a female cast brass to 3/4 copper fitting and wonder how that would be. Opinions?
  • [Deleted User]
    [Deleted User] Posts: 82
    ?dielectric questions

    1. Does the manufacturer of the tank require the dielectric unions in order to provide warranty?

    2. What material is the building piping made of?

    If the answer to question one is yes, then you would not be doing your customer a favor by leaving them out regardless of how you feel about the matter.

    If the building piping is galvanized steel piping there is also some merit in using the dielectrics.

    If it does not matter in either instance then the choice is yours to make.
  • tm
    tm Member Posts: 125


    Thanks Fred,
    I am the customer/installer. It is a Crown and I don't see anyplace in the paperwork that the warranty would be void if not used (some brands actually say that?). I am using all copper to and from the tank.
  • Tim_24
    Tim_24 Member Posts: 53
    Teflon tape

    on threads in an assebled joint does not provide insulation. The dielectric unions are necessary. Why don't you like them? If it were mine, I'd install them. Do you thing the manufacturer recommends these just for grins?
  • [Deleted User]
    [Deleted User] Posts: 82
    It is my experience that differing water conditions

    mandate differing installation considerations. In Vancouver, BC with its very soft waterm most residential tanks are installed without the unions. The installers just do not care about servicing DHW tanks or their owners.

    I always found it easier to transition from the threaded tank connections to the copper in the homeowner's building by using a dielectric union. Additionally, it the tank is your own, you might find attending to the sacrificial anode easier if a union is in place as opposed to having to cut open the piping (which almost never gets done).

    If th manufacturere does not tell you that you have to use one then the decision will be entirely your.
  • ScottMP
    ScottMP Member Posts: 5,882
    Never use them

    Never have had a problem. Please note I said Never.

    24 years of business, I have never had a corrosion problem that was related to not using a dia-eletric fitting.

    Indirects, gas hot water heater,electric hot water heaters, boilers, oil fired hot water heaters ......

    Sorry.

    Scott

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  • Robert O'Connor_12
    Robert O'Connor_12 Member Posts: 728
    tom

    use a brass nipple or coupling.

    Problem solved,.

    Robert O'Connor/NJ
  • heatboy
    heatboy Member Posts: 1,468
    Never met one.............

    that hasn't leaked. Don't use 'em, either. Cause more issues than they solve.

    hb

    There was an error rendering this rich post.

  • joe_66
    joe_66 Member Posts: 30
    dielectric

    brass coup or nip said it all.dielectrics cause the problems they are there to solve
  • Alex Giacomuzzi
    Alex Giacomuzzi Member Posts: 81
    Interesting Photo

    hr........
    You post some of the best photo examples.... thanks and keep up the great posts.

    Can you tell me where was this valve taken from(i.e. from what type of service?) ---- boiler water or domestic hot water or other? If it was in a boiler water environment, might you know if there was any conditioning treatment in the water or if there might have been a high or just normal solids content. Just curious on my part.

    It appears to be about 1" to 1-1/4" diameter.. close up photo makes this difficult to determine.

    Thanks Alex
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