After you have combed through the many types of water heaters in Singapore to choose the one that fits your needs and requirements, the next most important thing to consider is the installation.
You may have bought the best water heater in Singapore, but if you engage a dangerous installer, your water heater might still land you in hot water, and not the kind you’ve been dreaming about when you were buying it.
How do you ensure your water heater installation was done right?
Here is a checklist for you to confirm that your heater was installed correctly.
5 Point Checklist For Water Heater Installations in Singapore
Use a Reputable Installer
An incorrect installation may be dangerous or result in irregular water pressure or temperature.
After receiving some scary images of heater installations from homeowners, we decided to put together a quick checklist of the important things you must look out for to ensure your water heaters are installed right.
1. Heater Mounting
The A. O. Smith (AOS) water heater is mounted on 2 mounting brackets. These brackets are drilled into the wall.
The heater is hooked onto these brackets. The brackets may look small but they are designed to hold up to THREE times the weight of the water heater when completely filled with water!!
Ensure your heater tanks don’t look like they are free-falling off the wall like King Kong on the Empire State Building.
The heater on the left what an incorrect installation looks like. Make sure yours doesn't look like that! It's dangerous..
2. 30cm Space for Service Panel
The right side of the heater is our access to the service panel. Don't shift your heater all the way to the right.
If you fix the heater so close to the wall, there is no way to remove the right panel cover. This blocks access to the heating element, thermostat and thermal cut out. All are crucial for us to check if anything happens to the heater.
Homeowners had to reinstall the heater in the photo. 😢
Always ensure there is at least a 30 cm gap between the right side of the heater and the wall.
3. Water Pipes
The most common choice of water pipes for homes are copper and stainless steel pipes. Both are equally durable.
Copper is used for above ceiling installations. It is easier to tighten and bend copper as it is softer than stainless steel.
There are fewer kinks in copper pipe bends. For stainless steel, kinks are common.
Stainless steel is preferred for exposed installations, like in HDB. Owners prefer its silver colour and find it easier to match their bathrooms.
Most people do not have a preference but if you do, you must let the installer know this before the installation. They need time to get the right pipes!
PPR is a type of plastic pipe. It is used in larger buildings or landed homes.
Any of these pipes are fine, but do not use flexible hoses for the pipe connection!
They are not strong enough and may burst, causing leaks.
4. Relief Valve Connection
The relief valve connection is often overlooked, but is very important.
Water heaters drip water while working, similar to an air con. This water drips from this relief valve.
The relief valve may drip water even when the heater is OFF, because it also releases pressure from the pipes.
A tube must be connected to the relief valve so that the droplets of water will drain off into a proper drain point. This is usually done with a rubber tube. The tube is provided in the heater box, with the relief valve.
Without a proper drainage, the water will drip on the floor or worse.. on your ceiling boards. Make sure your contractor installs a proper drainage pipe beforehand!
If the rubber tube falls out over time, it may also wet your ceiling. Luckily, this tube is easy to reconnect. Plug it back into the valve.
Caution: do not block the relief valve, or the drain tube. It will cause permanent damage to the heater.
5. Mini Stopcock Valve
The stopcock valve is an optional item. Some installers fix it, others don't. We do, because we feel it is good practice. The valve is installed at the inlet (blue side).
The stopcock valve is useful if your heater is leaking. It gives you an option to cut off the supply of water to the heater, effectively stopping the leak.
Installation Checklist FAQ
Is it wrong to install water heaters in a vertical position?
Check your heater manual.
Every heater is different. They all have a specific orientation.
Is it possible to mount my water heater on the ceiling?
Yes. Make sure to use proper ceiling Omega Brackets and rods.
Using wall mounted brackets on a ceiling installation is wrong. It will cause your heater's safety devices to malfunction.
The wrong installation will damage the heater and void its warranty.
Why does a relief valve leak?
The relief valve is a safety device which relieves pressure build up in the tank.
It does this by leaking tiny droplets of water over time.
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