Connecting a copper tee directly to a water heater inlet
It is often unclear whether short brass nipples and unions are redundant when putting a copper tee right on top of the inlet. This uncertainty stalls installations for people relying on family help to avoid $3,000 plumbing fees, especially when they cannot afford to replace their existing galvanized pipes.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
- 1Using brass nipples and unions as a precautionary safe route
- 2Installing dielectric unions for easier future servicing
- 3Using a brass or dielectric buffer to prevent reactions when connecting copper to galvanized pipes.
- 4Using flexible connectors with rubber seals instead of soldering.
- 5Testing gas connections with soapy water or leak detection spray.
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
“The pipes unfortunately are galvanized and don’t think I can afford to replace all the pipes rn as well.”source ↗
“My uncles coming to help save me the 3 grand the plumbers were tryna charge.”source ↗
“What I’m asking is if the short brass nipples I have on the tee are redundant.”source ↗
“Also, could I have just put the copper tee right on top of the inlet and not used the brass nipple & union?”source ↗
Where this came up
People with this problem also raised
- 13How to connect a sink drain to existing glued PVC pipes
- 3Do water heater expansion tanks need extra support besides the pipes?
- 5Where to cut a cramped water heater cold line?
- 5Kitchen tap internal pipe disconnected with no slack
- 2Why does soldering copper pipes take so long for beginners?
- 7Can I replace a hot water heater with a direct swap if ports match?