So you've got to replace that natural gas water heater. Shouldn't be a big deal, let's just follow some standard safety precautions when working with any type of gas. No smoking or flames in the area. Make sure the area is ventilated, if there is a window, open it. We'll need to shut the gas off first, before disconnecting.



Most of the time you'll find a shut-off valve near the water heater. I will say at this point, make sure everyone in the house knows what you're doing and that they don't plan on doing laundry or dishes or taking a shower (or in the middle of a shower). If all is well, turn the gas off.

Disconnecting The Gas Line

Now that the gas is turned off, you should be able to disconnect the coupler. In the picture here I used a pair of channel locks and a crescent wrench. A pipe wrench is nice for a job like this, but I didn't have mine with me. Once the coupler is unscrewed, you'll have a stub piece that goes into the water heater, like so.


You'll probably smell a little gas for a bit, don't be alarmed. But the smell should go away after a minute or two. Still, don't light a match. Now we're gonna get ready to turn the hot water off.

Turning The Hot Water Off

Hopefully you have a hot water shut-off valve right there near the water heater. You have to turn the source off so that you can disconnect the pipes going into the water heater, otherwise you'll get real wet. Turn the valve all the way off. Here's where you need the cooperation of everybody in the house. As long as nobody turns a hot water valve on, the suction should be sufficient to keep most of the water in the pipes, but if somebody turns the hot water on accidentally, you could end up getting real wet anyhow, so be prepared.

Since the replacement in these pictures involved a natural gas water heater located in a basement, I'm going to assume that for the topics in this article. If you're dealing with a one story home, it will be only slightly different (as far as where the pipes go etc...)

Disconnecting The Pipes

Now all that's left is to get your channel locks or pipe wrench out and disconnect the fittings on the top of the water heater. There is one that is the source water (the cold water) and one that is the hot water. The hot water pipe is probably still quite warm. Disconnect both pipes. Now is a good time to drain the water heater (you don't want to try to move it around with 40 gallons of water in it, for sure). Use the faucet on the side of the heater. You have to have a place to drain but remember that most water hoses can't handle the heat that is likely inside, so you can either let it cool a bit, or in this case here, I simply drained it on the floor since there was a sump pump a few yards away.

Once the tank is empty, remove it and get the new water heater ready to be installed.