Our water heater is 10 years old, and our building was built i 2013. I'm told by a contractor that the following things are now required when replacing a new water heater in NJ:

1) An expansion tank. I was always led to believe this was only necessary for a "closed system" but I'm being told that it's now a requirement for any water heater replacement. Ours is a 50 gallon water heater.

2) Even though the gas connection is the yellow flexible kind, and the flexible connection was approved 10 years ago when the building was built, I'm told it must now be a rigid gas connection.

3) Even though our existing water heater has PVC for the water line connections, I'm told they must now be copper, even though the rest of the pipes in the house are PEX. And in order to put copper lines for the water heater, the contractor is talking about cutting into the main PEX lines that come into the house and add whatever is necessary to add copper lines going to/from the water heater.

Just want to make sure these are really all mandatory. Are all of these required?

Thanks. J.



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1. When the warranty company" replaced my water heater, they tried to add $700.00 in "required extras" to the bill, unsuccessfully.
2. When a warranty company replaced my daughter's water heater they added $800.00 to the bill and some of the items duplicated yours.
3. I would check to see if the plumber has a truck payment, or two, coming up that he is trying to get you to pay for.



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i'm under a different code.

in MA the hot and cold connections to a water heater must be metal for the first 18 inches. after that plastic is fine.

flexible connectors for gas are acceptable here.

if you have had no expansion tank for 10 years then unless someone adds a backflow preventer to your water main, you don't need a tank.

I am not a pro but this is something you can verify with your city's permit office. My city has a checklist sheet for water heater and says "don't call for inspection until everything on this list has been addressed".

I do know many water heater manufacturers and codes want to see a certain length of metal piping going to and from a water heater, typically would be a length of copper or stainless flex (not braided hoses) and I have seen requiring as long as 48" and as short as 18". Same with the T&P valve discharge line being not plastic and no reduction.

ditto

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"Measure Twice & Cut Once" - Retired U.A. Local 1 & 638

Expansion tank is required by code and more so the condo association assuming the building you live in is a condo

You must have 18” of copper off the hot and cold ports of a gas water heater… this was code 10 yrs ago as well, the inspector back then must have been very green

I still see yellow gas flex lines to appliances including water heaters in commercial buildings they pass



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