> I have never heard of an earthquake in NJ...
According to a geologist friend of mine, there has been at least one major
earthquake in every state in the union. NJ is pretty quiet though, the last
one listed was only a 3.8 back in 1973.
http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/states/new_jersey/history.php
The instructions that came with my new "high efficiency" water heater
specified using flex lines, so that's what I did. I like them anyway,
because both pipes & tank expand and contract with temperature. Using a
flex line ensures no force applied to the tank fittings. Plus, I was taught
that you should have electrical isolation between the pipes & water heater,
to cut down on galvanic corrosion within the heater. The proper flex
couplings have the electrical isolation as well.
Yeah, it costs a bit extra. But water heaters aren't exactly cheap, and if
the proper installation ekes out a few more years without having to change
it again, it's worth it to me. Seems like I spent another $50 on all the
installation upgrades (earthquake straps, catch pan, drain for catch pan,
etc.), but that's still only 20% more than the cost of the heater.
BTW, the instructions also suggested looping the cold water line down below
the top of the heater and back up. Supposedly this helps keep the hot water
from convecting back into the cold water lines, and saves a bit of energy.
It does seem like the shutoff valve in the cold water line stays cooler now,
but perhaps that is just due to the extra pipe length.
-- Randall
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