Home Improvement

Install an electric water heater without glue or solder

Main difficulty in installing a water heater: choosing the right type of fixing. This problem solved, the rest of the assembly is disconcertingly simple.

Whether for a new water heater installation or the replacement of existing equipment, Water heater installation of an electric water heater is greatly facilitated by a quick attachment kit.

Requiring no glue or soldering, and a low price. it is suitable for most cases. It must nevertheless be supplemented by a few accessories, especially in terms of fixing. So plan to purchase:

– a Teflon roll,

– a sealed pouch (as a precaution) 

– and two large washers (for safety).

Where to install the hot water tank?

Ideally, your water heater should be installed as close as possible to hot water needs, both to limit the calorie losses on long pipes (due to the distance to be covered), but also to limit spending on cold water (by the time hot water arrives!).

Note also that in the case of installation in the bathroom, the device must be more than 60 cm from the bathtub and sink because of the safety volumes to be respected.

Cumulus: wall hanging or tripod mounting?

On a light plasterboard partition, wall hanging without reinforcement on the underside can only be envisaged for a water heater with a small capacity (20 to 30 liters) and with special dowels. Above 50 liters, the tripod is essential (this is also the case from 200 liters if the fixings are in heavy masonry). The wall mounting then has an anti-tip safety role.

Masonry walls (rubble stone, solid brick, concrete block, hollow brick) can present resistances requiring different fixing solutions according to their nature: long studs, chemical sealing, metallic expansion plugs…

The dowels and lag bolts (Ø 10 x 60 mm) supplied with the quick connection kits are only suitable for solid walls. Caution is advised not to impose a weight greater than that of a 100-liter water heater.

Installation of a hot water tank: how to do it?

After hanging the water heater on its fixing, you will have to mount the “safety group” on the cold water inlet of the tank (use Teflon for sealing the threads). Screw and clip the siphon elements then adjust the end of the drain hose on a drain pipe (Ø 32 mm).

Connect the stainless steel hoses to the tank (hot water outlet) and to the safety group (cold water inlet), then the biconical fittings with their sealing rings. Push all fitting until that stops on the copper pipe. Tighten the nut and lock it by tightening with the adjustable wrench.

Remove the plastic cover under the tank to make the electrical connection, which must be done with a three-conductor cable with a cross-section of 2.5 mm 2, c

The phase wire and the neutral are connected either to one or the other of the two terminals to be screwed. The earth wire (green/yellow) is to be connected to the earth of the water heater. These connections finished, close the cover.

Start-up and maintenance

  • Restore water distribution,
  • operate the cold water inlet valve on the safety unit,
  • open one of the installation’s hot water taps to let air escape while filling the tank.
  • Close this valve when the water starts to flow.
  • Connect the power supply
  • (if necessary, set the day/night switch to “forced operation”).
  • The rise in temperature then requires several hours. 
  • Thereafter, maintenance will be limited to operating the safety valve (large button) once a month to avoid scaling.
  • A slight flow of water in the siphon during heating is completely normal.

All the steps for installing a hot water tank

The content of the quick installation kits varies from one manufacturer to another: make sure that you have everything you need for the fittings on the water pipes and the fixing (lag bolts, dowels, etc.).

Use the fixing lugs to mark the locations of the lag bolts on the wall. Place a spirit level on the support to level it. Then you will screw the tabs on the body of the device.

Drilling the anchor holes will tell you how well the wall can support the water heater. If the drill mounted on a hole punch sinks very easily, the dowels may tear.

Insert the dowels in their housing, flush with the wall. Before screwing the lag screws, pass a flat washer (Ø 24 mm minimum, to buy) through the hole to reinforce the safety of the fastener.

Get help to install the water heater: empty, it already weighs around fifty kilos. Do not hesitate to test the solidity of the binding by hanging your hands on the top of the balloon. 

Seal the safety group fitting on the cold water pipe (blue mark) with a Teflon tape held tightly over the thread. Make several turns clockwise.

Screw the security group on the cold water inlet and tighten with an adjustable wrench or with the blade of a screwdriver passed through the lights (openings) at the base of the group. Orient the horizontal thread backward.

The central part of the siphon is screwed onto the group. Fixed by easy clipping, the body of the siphon will overlap. It has an outlet for the drain and overflow hose (extendable).

Screw the steel braided hose fitted with a seal to the male-female connector. Then engage the clamping nut on the tube, then the compression olive. The copper pipe abuts at the bottom of the fitting.

Flexible fittings should never be extended, but on the contrary, keep play. Professionals often sign their installations by giving lyre shapes to these fittings.

For the electrical connection, under the tank, the neutral (blue wire) and the phase (here in brown) are connected to the two free terminals. The earth (green/yellow) is connected to the metallic mass of the heating body.

The water heater installation of a day/night switch enables the cumulus to be put into service at off-peak times triggered by EDF on two pilot wires. The same water heater service can be rendered by a contact clock on the board.

Cheryl Henson

Cheryl Henson is a passionate blogger and digital marketing professional who loves writing, reading, and sharing blogs on various topics.

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