My old water heater (actually the fittings entering the tank) have given up the ghost. Due to the age of the tank (16 years old and it is aluminum), I am going to replace the unit and the external fittings. The old tank, and it's replacement (for ease of Hopefully plug and play) are Kuuma 11 gal. rectangular shaped tanks. These tanks have internal 1/2 inch NPT threads for the hot and cold water lines. On my old tank, there were metal "double male" fittings used at the tank (silver coloured) , followed by brass? one way valves, elbows, etc. The double males have rotted away (surprise) where they contacted the other (brass?) fittings. What material should I use for these "double male" fittings on the new install (aluminum, SS, or plastic) remembering that the internal tank is aluminum? The fresh water lines on this boat are Pex.
Also, the heat exchanger lines are attached to the new tank with a hose barb type fitting using hose clamps (appears to be room for only one clamp). Do I need to install any other fittings in the lines (such as one way valves, shutoff valves, etc.)? There is some kind of fitting in the old set up, but the attachment method is different (threaded and it could just be an adapter).
Thanks for the advise,
Tom
Also, the heat exchanger lines are attached to the new tank with a hose barb type fitting using hose clamps (appears to be room for only one clamp). Do I need to install any other fittings in the lines (such as one way valves, shutoff valves, etc.)? There is some kind of fitting in the old set up, but the attachment method is different (threaded and it could just be an adapter).
Thanks for the advise,
Tom