How to Add a Heat Pump to a Water Heater | Ask This Old House

Plumbing and heating expert Richard Trethewey makes heating water more efficient by installing a heat pump. (See below for steps.)
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Steps for How to Add a Heat Pump to a Water Heater:
1. Shut off the cold-water line and electrical circuit to the water heater.
2. Pump all the water out of the water heater's tank.
3. Open a hot-water faucet in the kitchen to release pressure and break the vacuum in the tank.
4. Use a pipe wrench to remove the drain valve from the water heater.
5. Replace the old drain valve with a single-entry valve. Wrap plumber's tape around the female threads and tighten the new valve into the drain-valve hole.
6. Attach two lengths of PEX flexible tubing to connect the heat pump to the single-entry valve on the water heater.
7. Slip foam-rubber pipe insulation over each length of PEX tubing.
8. Drill a 1/2-inch-diameter hole through the thermostat cover on the water heater, then attach a rubber strain-release fitting.
9. Feed an electrical cable from the heat pump through the strain-release fitting and attach it to the thermostat on the water heater.
10. Screw the thermostat cover back onto the water heater.
11. Install a condensate pump to collect and discharge condensation from the heat pump to the washing machine drainpipe.
12. Turn on the cold-water line and the electrical circuit.
13. Fill the water heater's tank with water.
14. Turn on the heat pump.
About Ask This Old House TV:
Homeowners have a virtual truckload of questions for us on smaller projects, and we're ready to answer. Ask This Old House solves the steady stream of home improvement problems faced by our viewers—and we make house calls! Ask This Old House features some familiar faces from This Old House, including Kevin O'Connor, general contractor Tom Silva, plumbing and heating expert Richard Trethewey, and landscape contractor Roger Cook.
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How to Add a Heat Pump to a Water Heater | Ask This Old House
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