Storage Water Heater

Step 1: Drain The Hot Water Tank.

As you can imagine, you are not going to put an electric water heater with its tank filled with hot water. Before removal, you must drain it.

The installation guide suggests spontaneous emptying, emptying during a breakdown and when it was not possible to anticipate the replacement. As part of a planned replacement, leave the hot water from the balloon by any means. Do the dishes, take a bath, shower the dog, or wash your car with a bucket and sponge: the idea is not to lose 150 liters of hot water.

Of course, and before any business, you cut off the water supply of the water heater from the stop valve, and you break the modular circuit breaker on the board. You do this preferably the day before. Otherwise, about spontaneous emptying, you:

  • turn off the power and the water supply;
  • open a hot water faucet in the house to break the pressure  ;
  • open the purge valve located on the safety group ;
  • wait about 1.5 hours for the water heater to drain, water flowing from the unit and through the siphon to the sewage system.

Step 2: Unplug And Remove The Water Heater.

An electric water heater is powered by electricity at the thermostat  – the thermostat controls the resistance that heats the water – accessible under the plastic hood located below the hot water tank. To access it, have an electrician’s screwdriver, check that the power is off and dismantle the hood and disconnect the thermostat (ground wire, a neutral wire, and phase).

When the drain is finished, you can remove the safety group (mains supply side) and the siphon, unscrew the hot water outlet and possibly the accessories of your tank – pressure reducer, expansion tank, dielectric connections, thermostatic mixing valve.

Then, the water heater is held by a bracket at the back, and a simple vertical translational motion is required to leave it from its accommodation – in other words, you lift the water heater!

Step 3: Install The New Water Heater.

As part of a replacement, nothing to report! Install the new hot water tank in the same manner as you removed the old hot water tank. Get help with the installation of the balloon, even if it is not very heavy, the water heater is cumbersome and coincide fixing the container to the studs is not always obvious.

In the case of a new installation, you must ensure several points:

  • have a power supply via a cable outlet;
  • have access to the wastewater outlet to connect the siphon of the safety group;
  • have a cold water supply with a shut-off valve ;
  • have the start of the hot water system that will serve sink, sink, and shower ;
  • have enough space with a 20 cm margin around the water heater tank and install the water heater with a meter, a spirit level and the template provided – use a percussion drill to drill the water heater hard materials;
  • Have a support wall that can support the charge of the water-filled balloon and if necessary, provide your water heater with a tripod for vertical installation. The fixing pins are necessarily adapted to the support.

Step 4: Connect The Electric Water Heater.

Connecting a storage water heater to the hydraulic and electrical systems is easy provided you follow a minimum of instructions. When your balloon is fixed (let play before locking the nuts permanently), first connect the hydraulic network and then the electrical and connect according to your installation:

  • the pressure reducer – necessary if the pressure exceeds 3 bar (B);
  • the expansion tank – allows to recover the 3% dilated hot water;
  • the dielectric fittings – for better protection against corrosion;
  • the thermostatic mixing valve – used to regulate the output temperature of the hot water;
  • the safety group chose according to the needs of the installation and the quality of the water;
  • the siphon of the group to the evacuation network;
  • the arrival of cold water to the balloon – blue collar;
  • the ground wire/ground wire on the carcass of the balloon – green and yellow wire;
  • the power wire – the phase is brown or red;
  • the neutral blue colored thread.

When everything is plugged in, set the set temperature from the thermostat by turning the control wheel. It is imperative that all water connections are made with bead and sealant – except for the siphon compression fitting of the safety group. The female screw connections receive an essential fiber seal for a good seal.

Step 5: Commissioning The Storage Water Heater.

The commissioning of the water heater can be carried out when:

  • the electrical connection is compliant ;
  • the set temperature is entered on the thermostat;
  • you have put the plastic hood on the bottom of the balloon;
  • all hydraulic connections are made with a thread seal and locked;
  • you have blocked the fixing nuts of the water heater;
  • the thermostatic mixing valve is set to the correct temperature ;
  • the siphon of the security group is connected to the evacuation.

If everything is correctly assembled and according to the manufacturer’s recommendations, you can open the water supply and the tap of the safety group and switch on the power again. Allow about 5 hours for hot water if you have a water heater with a volume of 100 l.