Hot water tank
- Thread starter Bangon61
- Start date
Gunfixr
Well-known member
Two things: they like to really tighten things on water heaters at the factory, so, you'll need more thathan just a ratchet to break it loose. Two, are you sure that isn't the anode rod? There's usually a fitting ****** for the cold intake, not a plug.
ez-duzit
Well-known member
First, you should know better than to "break loose" with a ratchet. Use a breaker bar.
Second, your photo does not show enough of the water heater to identify that fitting. "Bringing cold water in" (to where? Why?) should be a simple matter of tee-ing off the cold water inlet, which is most certainly not the fitting in the photo.
is this tank meant to have side & /or top inlets? if that plug is meant for a cold fitting, you'll have to be sure it has a dip tube installed ( available) to get the water to the bottom of the tank or it will dilute the hot water when drawing it .
So upon further examination, this plug looks like it may indeed be the anode rod. But why would they put it in the cold water hole? Also, as you can see from the pics, they were bringing cold water in from th bottom of the tank. I'm hoping to use this tank for a small infloor hydronic heating system. Would it be OK to pump the return line in through the bottom of tank?
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fitter30
Well-known member
Impact would make it easier. Two men one to hold the tank. Cold water coming in from the top need to check if the dip tube is installed. Plastic tube forces the water to the bottom of the tank.
Yes can put the system return water in the bottom.
Yes can put the system return water in the bottom.
Firebrick43
Well-known member
If you own any decent brand of fine tooth ratchet that has paws similar to the snap on dual 80, breaker bars are not needed any more. I don't know anyone in a professional mechanic position that still uses breaker bars. My 250lbs **** has bounced on 24" handled 1/2 dual 80 with no issues
ez-duzit
Well-known member
You have no idea whatsoever. It is generally the sign of an amateur, not a professional, to use the wrong tool for the job.
A 3-foot long 3/4" breaker bar with a large pipe extender was needed to remove the nuts which held this exhaust together on a large yacht I worked on. And that was only possible after repeated blows with a sledgehammer and striking wrench broke the nuts loose.
Firebrick43
Well-known member
First we were talking about a 3/8 drive or 1/2 pipe plug, not massive equipment.
But if you want to talk about big stuff, Yes, we are just a bunch of amateurs. Just 700 ish people building 3500, 3600, and c175 engines (and the CNC machines that make them) in the Caterpillar large engine plant. Not a breaker bar to be found in the plant as they would pop the anvils before the dual 80's would. A torque lab that could repeat it. Pure amateurs we are/were.
Even a 3/8" dual 80 long handle will withstand 250 ftlbs of torque.
And then hilariously you talk about putting a cheater on a 3' 3/4" breaker bar????? That is amateurish. Why don't you have a 42" snap on or wright 3/4"? Or a 65" long 1" drive snap on? Or torque amplifiers if you need more?
But if you want to talk about big stuff, Yes, we are just a bunch of amateurs. Just 700 ish people building 3500, 3600, and c175 engines (and the CNC machines that make them) in the Caterpillar large engine plant. Not a breaker bar to be found in the plant as they would pop the anvils before the dual 80's would. A torque lab that could repeat it. Pure amateurs we are/were.
Even a 3/8" dual 80 long handle will withstand 250 ftlbs of torque.
And then hilariously you talk about putting a cheater on a 3' 3/4" breaker bar????? That is amateurish. Why don't you have a 42" snap on or wright 3/4"? Or a 65" long 1" drive snap on? Or torque amplifiers if you need more?
Firebrick43
Well-known member
Well the large machine tools, some were as old as 1982. The ones I typically worked on were made in 1991-93, water based coolant, and for example, some of the fixtures alone weighed in the 40,000 lbs range and the pallet it sat on was about the same. The bolts that attached them together were large and high toque. M19 and M24 allen head cap screws. The worst was the 2" Cam rollers on the bottom of the pallets.
Engines were remanufactured there for a long time, tearing down 3500hp mining truck engines is fun after 20,000 hours of run time, although most of it is done in Corinth Mississippi now. Failures are often brought back in plant and torn down. It wan't uncommon to purchase used competitor engines and tear them down in the plant.
And there is still very large bolts to attach and torque. Some large generator attachment is still done with manual 1" ratchet torque wrenches on 1.5" and 2" bolts. Most of the higher volume stuff on the line/gen attached is done with DC torque tools with reaction bars
There were plenty of manual toque wrenches as well with dual 80 heads on the line as well for lower volume specialized models. Also **** happens, some times you had to remove flywheels due to say a wrong bell housing installed or some one screwed up a thread on the bellhousing.
Smacking anything but a pin punch was highly discouraged. But it was no issue as our tools were not short little things.
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BD1
Well-known member
Returning in bottom and supply out top is typical for a hot water boiler. Are you using a pump ?