Something Greg said....Brass Ball Valves...

[oldfart]

Folks, reading another post I got to thinking. (Scary..huh!) Greg mentioned replacing the plastic shut-off valves with brass ones. Good tip Greg. The plastic ones are usually junk. Or a bit of corrosion, sediment, etc. renders them useless. Or the handles snap off. Grrrr...! Now here's some more thoughts on the matter. If you're replacing a hot water tank..before you ever install it... jettison the drain valve. On most models it just unscrews from the bottom of the tank. Mebbe not ALL models so look close and be sure before you grab that big pipe-wrench and gronk on it!! Most are just cheap plastic shut-off valves that thread into an iron female fitting. Unscrew it and go back to the plumbing supply and buy a brass ball-valve that'll fit the female fitting. Take the old (new) one along to get the right size. You may need to add in a pipe-nipple to make it fit proper. Sooner or later you're gonn'a have to drain that tank! And the standard drain-valve ain't gonn'a work. Trust me! And if the drain hole is clogged with gunk the brass ball valve gives you a bit more room to shove a length of wire up yonder to clear the clog and drain the tank. Been there..done that. Now....gitter done. Audie..the Oldfart..