[K.M.G]

Hi everyone:smile:

I'm going from a Gas water heater to electric and need to cap the cast line (Brown metal) pipe. It's feeding from the furnace to the tank and I'm not sure what type of plug & tape/gop I use.

The gas is completely turned off from the meter, I'm just not sure if any gas would still be the line.

Also the furnace always turns on when the central air unit does. Can this effect anything.

Thank you for advice.

 

[Bitters]

Some pics would help.

 

[K.M.G]

Yeah, I will tomorrow as I know it's hard explaining everything.

 

[rjniles]

After all the negatives you have been shown in your other thread you are stilling going ahead with it. Why do you bother to ask?

 

[user_12345a]

yes, why on earth are u going from gas to electric.

hope it's not for toronto ontario, otherwise you'll be fleeced big time. if you shower in the morning, u'll be using on-peak eletricity. why?

----------
if the furnace burners start when the central air comes on u've got a serious low voltage wiring problem - a short between y and w or miswired.

 

[roughneck]

What do you mean, the furnace turns on with the AC? That's not normal, unless you mean the blower is coming on which is how it's suppose to work.
Use a cap and pipe dope approved for use with fuel gas.
What's your rates per kW for electric, and per therm of gas?

 

[supers05]

Pipe dope approved for gas, schedule 40 black Iron cap.

Elec tanks generally can't keep up like gas tanks and are generally more expensive in utility bills. (unless you have a heat pump model, then it's possible to be cheaper if your gas rates are through the roof)

Cheers!

 

[K.M.G]

Hi everyone,

Things are a mess as the tank is still leaking and trying to empty everything won't work using the valve or horse hookup. My only solutions are drilling a hole and letting everything drain or taking the top off and looking inside and use a pump.

I'm just not sure where I cap the pipe, even if I go the Normal tank unit we need the gas line done.

 

[K.M.G]

Pipe dope approved for gas, schedule 40 black Iron cap.

Elec tanks generally can't keep up like gas tanks and are generally more expensive in utility bills. (unless you have a heat pump model, then it's possible to be cheaper if your gas rates are through the roof)

Cheers!

We haven't decided yet, the natural gas rates have raised. It's $2400 for a 200amp panel installed just for a tankless unit. We just didn't want the gas running all summer. I'm thinking a Normal tank unit will be installed now..I want to remove this old unit and cap the water lines too.

 

[K.M.G]

What do you mean, the furnace turns on with the AC? That's not normal, unless you mean the blower is coming on which is how it's suppose to work.
Use a cap and pipe dope approved for use with fuel gas.
What's your rates per kW for electric, and per therm of gas?

I'm guessing it's just the blower when the AC unit turns on.

 

[roughneck]

To cap the gas line, take the 90 off up by the duct, put a gas cock, close nipple and cap.

 

[roughneck]

Why is their vice grips on the safety relief valve?

 

[jimn]

Visegrips on a safety valve turn the water heater into a decent rocket ship. Google it . Myth busters did a pretty good imitation and you will find other real life incidents with water heaters being forcibly propelled through a couple of floors out the roof and landing possible a couple of hundred yards away. All because the safety valve was rendered in operable or capped. If it was leaking, get a new one before your house has a serious structural damage or worse you need to schedule a funeral for one or more members of your family.

 

[user_12345a]

Based on the pics i take it you're in toronto, ontario, not the other location in your profile.

Those water heaters were very common here, rented out by consumers gas in the 80s and early 90s.

To empty the tank you must open hot water taps upstairs to allow the air in.

In in all honesty, going electric here is a terrible, terrible idea. Electricity per unit of energy delivered is extremely expensive compared to gas even when comparing a 60% efficient gas tank to 100% efficient electric tankless.

Heating water is the second highest energy use in the home and you could see your electric bill go by up 30 to 50%+.

Also, tankless in general isn't worth it unless you're a very heavy hot water user, like 6 to 8 people showering.

The money saved by putting in a regular tank could be put towards getting rid of the less than 70% efficient furnace I see in the pics.

Or upgrading to full height R12+ basement insulation.

 

[user_12345a]

All you need to do to stop the gas from running all summer is shut the pilot when you leave for an extended time.

You could also get a power-vent tank with electronic ignition.

Why not leave the tank for now? is it leaking water?

 

[K.M.G]

Visegrips on a safety valve turn the water heater into a decent rocket ship. Google it . Myth busters did a pretty good imitation and you will find other real life incidents with water heaters being forcibly propelled through a couple of floors out the roof and landing possible a couple of hundred yards away. All because the safety valve was rendered in operable or capped. If it was leaking, get a new one before your house has a serious structural damage or worse you need to schedule a funeral for one or more members of your family.

The tank is dead, that safety value does nothing. When the tank started leaking last week I quickly looked up how to empty a hot water tank. I used the visegrips so I didn't stand there holding the value well putting the garden hose in the sink.

I didn't have any water gushing into a bucket vai the pvc pipe or even through the garden hose. The bottom of the tank rotted out and it's been almost 1 week leaking.

The vice grips are just attached to the valve right now. I will unhook them tonight.

thank you for the advice.

 

[user_12345a]

what did u end up doing?