Shipping nipple on electric water heater

[jodil]

Is it necessary to remove the shipping nipple and replace with the plastic cap per manufactures instructions? What if you dont? Then what?

Thanks

[jodil]

In case you dont know what it looks like here it is:

Image Insert:

51.33 KB

[Jim Katen]

Originally posted by jodil

Is it necessary to remove the shipping nipple and replace with the plastic cap per manufactures instructions? What if you dont? Then what?

Thanks

I don't know. None of the water heaters I've installed ever came with shipping nipples.

The thing in your photo doesn't look like galvanized steel. Is it bare steel? Does the top have female threads? Looks strange.

- Jim Katen, Oregon

[randynavarro]

I've never seen nor heard of a shipping nipple either.

[Brandon Whitmore]

Me neither, must be a North Dakota thing.

[fqp25]

That looks very strange. Never seen a female nipple before, or what ever that is. It could be some kind of dielectric nipple, but you should see a little bit of plastic on top, so I doubt it.

The only time I've seen nipple shipped, were for big 100 gallon commercial WH. Those usually came with 1-1/2" Dielectric Nipples, but male ends on both sides. Also they just came with the WH, never installed. Could damage the inner threads. That WH might have been returned, then resold.

As Jim said it doesn't look like regular galv, but it could be chromed.

Almost makes you want to read the manual. (Oh no not that!!!)

Frank

[fqp25]

I think I misread your first post. Is that thing inside an outlet or inlet? Plastic cap? Is that where the anode rod is suppose to go?

Frank

[jodil]

Women always read the manuals frank Well kinda... No, it has no threads, and the plastic cap is still taped to the top. I read the instruction label on the side of the 14 year old 80 gallon unit:

Image Insert:

48.97 KB

[Richard Moore]

Looks like something with no more purpose than to keep it centered in the shipping box. As it's just a "snap-in" plastic cap and, obviously, it doesn't actually penetrate the tank, I can't believe there would be any harm in leaving it there.

Besides, it will make a nice handle to drag it out when they replace the 14 year old unit.

[Tom Raymond]

This might sound like a stupid question but...

if that snaps onto the tank, and possibly penetrates the shipping carton, could it be a breather vent for shipping at high altitude? Foam insulation could expand at lower pressure and possibly damage the shell.

Tom

[Richard Moore]

Tom, just off the top of my head, I'm fairly sure that any foam insulation is a closed cell type, similar to that used in insulation panels. I don't see how a breather vent would affect or decrease the amount of any expansion. But...I could be wrong. It happens a lot!

[kurt]

You know, Tom might be onto something, although I have no real idea if it's true or not.

All my surfboards have a breather vent to allow the interior foam to expand and contract w/altitude. I know some folks that have had their boards "explode" when flying them to Maui.

I also know Pozzi had problems shipping their windows over the Continental Divide due to pressure problems causing the thermopanes to fail.

After that, I've never seen or heard of a shipping nipple either. Sounds kinda cool though.

What we should really question is why fqp25 has never seen a female nipple.

(can't.....resist......deviant.......dumbshit......joke.........)

[fqp25]

.[:-boggled

Good one Kurt[]

Frank

[Richard Stanley]

Simple answer to question, Jodi. If manufacturer says it, so it shall/should be.

If you don't? A thousand curses!