# Obtruction in W.H. hot nipple



## voltatab (Jan 2, 2010)

*Obstruction in W.H. hot nipple*

I just went on a call for low hot water pressure in a home. I pulled the 3/4 hot nipple from WH and found some black disfigured plastic obstructing the passage, as well as a red looking surface in the way also. It was an American brand WH. 
Are there WHs that require knocking out a plug(like you would a garbage disposal) or something like this at intallation? 
The H/o said they never had good pressure on hot since installation 5 years ago. Me pulling and clearing that fixed it. I just want to make sure I didn't pull something that needs to be replaced. 


Thanks guys


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## Lifer (Nov 23, 2010)

it may be a check valve .. they have been sneakin them in there as of late .. 5 yrs maybe not .. but either way if it fixed and has flow ... yea done good ..


Lifer...


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## U666A (Dec 11, 2010)

Lifer said:


> it may be a check valve .. they have been sneakin them in there as of late .. 5 yrs maybe not .. but either way if it fixed and has flow ... yea done good ..
> 
> Lifer...


Integral check hidden inside the outlet nipple? Really lifer, ya think?


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## bartnc37 (Feb 24, 2009)

My former boss had a nasty habit of soldering the female adapters on water heaters after they were already screwed on. Didn't always melt the plastic liner in the nipple but it happened enough. How do you nicely explain to a h.o. that the problem was caused by your 25 yr experienced M.P. not knowing what he was doing. He refused to accept that he was doing it, just kept saying it was a defective nipple from the factory,:furious: one of the many reasons I left that operation.


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## Plumberman (Jul 7, 2008)

bartnc37 said:


> My former boss had a nasty habit of soldering the female adapters on water heaters after they were already screwed on. Didn't always melt the plastic liner in the nipple but it happened enough. How do you nicely explain to a h.o. that the problem was caused by your 25 yr experienced M.P. not knowing what he was doing. He refused to accept that he was doing it, just kept saying it was a defective nipple from the factory,:furious: one of the many reasons I left that operation.


Wow, that sounds like a rookie mistake. If he would have read the manual on one of them he could have seen it in writing.


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## voltatab (Jan 2, 2010)

Well it sounds like no one thinks I pulled anything out that could have been integral.


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## rocksteady (Oct 8, 2008)

Heat trap nipples?














Paul


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## Lifer (Nov 23, 2010)

rocksteady said:


> Heat trap nipples?
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 

yeah thats what I ment....just a thought.

lifer...


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## voltatab (Jan 2, 2010)

Thats the nipple I pulled....the blue was intact, the black at the end I think was causing the flow issue and is part of what I pulled out


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## voltatab (Jan 2, 2010)

Is that black part supposed to stay in place?


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## rocksteady (Oct 8, 2008)

Yes but I usually pull them out with a pair of needle nose pliers when I install a water heater with those nipples. They're not check valves in the traditional sense. More like "thermal check valves". They're supposed to keep the heat of the water from exiting the tank but I don't think they do much so I just remove them.






Paul


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## mialle30 (May 10, 2010)

I have pulled many of them out for the same reason and have never had a complaint. Sometime the nipple will have a round plastic ball that does the same thing as the rubber.


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## mialle30 (May 10, 2010)

bartnc37 said:


> My former boss had a nasty habit of soldering the female adapters on water heaters after they were already screwed on. Didn't always melt the plastic liner in the nipple but it happened enough. How do you nicely explain to a h.o. that the problem was caused by your 25 yr experienced M.P. not knowing what he was doing. He refused to accept that he was doing it, just kept saying it was a defective nipple from the factory,:furious: one of the many reasons I left that operation.


If you install a copper FIP straight to the galvanized nipple wouldn't that cause electrolysis? Sounds like the guy wasn't a very good plumber.


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