Brass Nipples/Stainless Nipples versus Dielectric Unions

[MicEd69]

I've moved over to the Brass Nipples side for water heater connection and will not be installing a dielectric union ever again. However, I've also seen recommendations for stainless-steel nipples, as well as 4" and 6" lengths for these more noble materials. So, what materials and lengths are being used/recommended?

I'm putting a new water heater in our parsonage tomorrow and wanted Twowaxhack's recommendation as he is clearly the expert here, but I think he's blocked me as I can't start a conversation with him, but maybe he'll respond to this post.

In any case, what are the recommendations from some of you other experts?

Also, the church already has purchased a Rheem water heater, and it comes with a set of nipples already installed on the inlet and outlet water connections. I've read that some of the factory installed nipples are hard to remove, but I'm assuming removing them is the thing to do rather than using a brass or stainless coupling. What's the recommendations for them?3.

Thanks all!

 

[Twowaxhack]

Brass or stainless 6” or longer. To get the factory nipples out it’s pretty easy.

Get a 14” pipe wrench and lock it onto the nipple. Then hit the wrench with a hammer. Breaks them all free. It might damage the factory nipples which are garbage to begin with.

The only reason they use them is to have a cheap way to include heat traps which help them meet federal energy conservation mandates

 

[Twowaxhack]

I also hear good things about powered anodes.

Home Depot sells an electric stainless water heater for about $1200 for a 50 gal. I’ve installed a total of one of those.

 

[TomFOhio]

Some of the water heaters have the dip tube as part of the nipple. If you ruin that nipple then your going to have to make your own dip tube.
Also over the years I've seen the annode attached to the nipple

 

[Twowaxhack]

Some of the water heaters have the dip tube as part of the nipple. If you ruin that nipple then your going to have to make your own dip tube.
Also over the years I've seen the annode attached to the nipple

It’s a Rheem, they never and I’ve never seen the dip tube as part of the inlet nipple.

Bradford White heaters I’ve seen the anode as part of the outlet nipple, and Rheem offers an extended warranty option that uses the outlet nipple with anode built on to supplement the factory anode.

 

[Ludington]

Brass or stainless 6” or longer. To get the factory nipples out it’s pretty easy.

Get a 14” pipe wrench and lock it onto the nipple. Then hit the wrench with a hammer. Breaks them all free. It might damage the factory nipples which are garbage to begin with.

The only reason they use them is to have a cheap way to include heat traps which help them meet federal energy conservation mandates

Do you have to have a heat trap these days ? So your saying, if the heater comes with nipples, unscrew them and replace with stainless. And the heck with the heat trap ? I'm sure my current heater doesn't have them...
. I'm still waiting for it to fail.. was going to replace it just because of the age, but it still works fine. Put in in 2000)

 

[MicEd69]

Like Twowaxhack said, "The only reason ..(for).. heat traps ..(is to).. help them meet federal energy conservation mandates."

This water heater was installed in 2007, so it had a good life.

 

[TomFOhio]

It’s a Rheem, they never and I’ve never seen the dip tube as part of the inlet nipple.

Bradford White heaters I’ve seen the anode as part of the outlet nipple, and Rheem offers an extended warranty option that uses the outlet nipple with anode built on to supplement the factory anode.

Take the cold nipple out of a Bradford White and tell me what you find.

 

[Twowaxhack]

Take the cold nipple out of a Bradford White and tell me what you find.

I just looked one up and you’re correct.

Bradford White isn’t stocked in my area and luckily were not dealing with a Bradford White, the OP specified it’s a Rheem.

 

[MicEd69]

The factory installed nipples came out easily with just a pipe wrench and a bar across the two nipples to get them loose. They were simply a plastic lined nipple with the flap type heat trap inside. No problem and no dip pipe associated with the nipple.

I installed 6" stainless-steel nipples, and the old dielectric unions were basically plugged with rust and the rubber gaskets were in pieces after unscrewing them.

I will never use a dielectric union again.

 

[TomFOhio]

I just looked up the Rheem water heater and they have both types. The one like MicEd has and one that the dip tube is attached
to the nipple. Luckly a different model. MicEd you asked for recomendations and I just wanted you to be aware of
things that are attached to certain nipples on certain models and didn't want you to get into trouble with them. Glad everything worked
out for you.

 

[Twowaxhack]

I just looked up the Rheem water heater and they have both types. The one like MicEd has and one that the dip tube is attached
to the nipple. Luckly a different model. MicEd you asked for recomendations and I just wanted you to be aware of
things that are attached to certain nipples on certain models and didn't want you to get into trouble with them. Glad everything worked
out for you.

Can you post a link to the Rheem ?

I’ve seen it as a replacement but never actually in a Rheem
Heater from the factory.

 

[Ludington]

I just looked up the Rheem water heater and they have both types. The one like MicEd has and one that the dip tube is attached
to the nipple. Luckly a different model. MicEd you asked for recomendations and I just wanted you to be aware of
things that are attached to certain nipples on certain models and didn't want you to get into trouble with them. Glad everything worked
out for you.

Any easy way to tell if the dip tube is attached ? Say your going into home depot to buy one. Can you tell ? Where do you look this up ?

 

[Twowaxhack]

https://cdn.globalimageserver.com/FetchDocument.aspx?ID=80B1D50E-695F-49AC-9AAE-3E9489EF1E5A

 

[Twowaxhack]

Any easy way to tell if the dip tube is attached ? Say your going into home depot to buy one. Can you tell ? Where do you look this up ?

Get the model number of the heater and look up the replacement parts for it or call Rheem.

Or simply remove the nipple and see if it’s attached. That works 100% of the time.

 

[TomFOhio]

I looked up Rheem dip tubes and it shows one without the nipple like your picture above and one with the dip tube
attached to the nipple made by Rheem.

 

[Twowaxhack]

I looked up Rheem dip tubes and it shows one without the nipple like your picture above and one with the dip tube
attached to the nipple made by Rheem.

Yeah, those might be replacements. I’m not sure any of there heaters come stock with those. They might, but I’ve never seen one and I’ve been removing the nipples since they first started using them.


Your point is taken, it’s something to watch for, the next one I remove might have the dip tube built on.

 

[TomFOhio]

If you ever run into a bradford white water heater the anode is on the hot side nipple and the dip tube is on the cold nipple.