Introduction

Tankless water heater valve kits simplify installation, fitting, maintenance, and operation. They substitute a huge arrangement of tankless installation. Up to 18 fittings and 16 connections are used in usual tankless installations. Tankless water heater valve kits combine two valve sets or a single valve. There are female threaded, union, or quick-connect end options also. Sometimes, we can find few models with or without a relief valve.

Tankless Water Heater Valve Kits Benefits

Water heaters have come a long way, from bulky tanks taking up valuable real estate in basements to sleek tankless units that deliver hot water on demand. And with innovation in heaters comes an evolution in their complementary components: the valve kits. This guide will dive into tankless water heater valve kits, elucidating their importance, components, and benefits to your water heating system.

Understanding the Tankless Water Heater

First and foremost, let’s understand the marvel of the tankless water heater. Unlike traditional water heaters that store and heat water in a tank, tankless (or on-demand) heaters heat water directly as it passes through the unit. This means no waiting for a tank to fill up and, more importantly, no wastage of energy to keep stored water hot.

The Significance of a Valve Kit

A valve kit for tankless water heaters serves multiple purposes:

• Safety: It offers an essential safety mechanism, allowing users to shut off water to the unit for maintenance or emergencies.
• Maintenance: Enables easy system flushing, which is crucial for removing scale build-up and ensuring the longevity and efficiency of the heater.
• Efficiency: Dedicated hot and cold water lines ensure optimal water flow, maintaining the heater’s efficiency.

Components of a Tankless Water Heater Valve Kit

1. Isolation Valves: These are fundamental components that allow you to isolate (shut off) the water heater from the home’s water circuit, facilitating easy servicing or replacement without shutting off water to the whole house.
2. Pressure Relief Valve (PRV): This critical safety device releases excess pressure from the heater, protecting your system from potential damage due to over-pressurization.
3. Service Valves: Used for maintenance purposes, these valves enable easy system draining and flushing, helping in the removal of scale deposits and preventing corrosion.
4. Check Valves: These ensure the unidirectional flow of water, preventing potential backflow, which could damage the unit.

Benefits of Using a Valve Kit with Your Tankless Heater

• Simplified Maintenance: The inclusion of service and isolation valves means technicians can service, flush, or replace your unit without any major disruptions.
• Safety: With a PRV in place, you have peace of mind knowing that the unit is protected from any unexpected surges in pressure.
• Longevity: Regular flushing and maintenance, made easier with a comprehensive valve kit, ensure that your tankless water heater lasts longer and runs more efficiently.
• Cost-Efficient: In the long run, using a valve kit reduces potential damages and the associated costs, thanks to easy maintenance and built-in safety features.

Tankless water heater valve kits might seem like just another component in your water heating setup, but they play a pivotal role in ensuring that the system runs efficiently safely, and has a long operational life. If you’re investing in a tankless water heater, ensure you have a compatible valve kit installed – it’s a small step that promises substantial returns in efficiency, safety, and peace of mind.

Components of Tankless Water Heater Valve Kits

• Hot Water Service Valve – The red insulator handle identifies it.
• Cold Water Service Valve – The blue insulator handle identifies it.
• Pressure Relief Valve – A silver test lever identifies it.

Installation of Tankless Water Heater Valve Kits

We should fix the pressure relief valve to the hot water isolation valve before attaching any components to the tankless water heater. There is a caution & we should follow it strictly. We shouldn’t over-tighten the relief valve. We can tighten a maximum of 2 turns past hand tight.

• Use thread sealant on the exposed threads of the pressure relief valve.
• Put the thread to the pressure relief valve into the 3⁄4″ port for the hot water valve.
• Tighten the pressure relief valve using a wrench. This should be applied until the discharge on the pressure relief valve is located down on the isolation valve.

Cold Water Service Valve installation onto cold water inlet of tankless water heater:

• First, locate the cold water threaded inlet on the tankless water heater. After getting the inlet, apply thread sealant to the threads.
• Untie the Union nut on the top of the cold water valve slightly. It helps the union tailpiece to rotate freely.
• Put the thread to the union tailpiece onto the inlet and tighten it by hand. At this time, the cold water valve should be under the cold water inlet. Tighten the union tailpiece with a wrench.
• Set the position of the cold water valve towards the front of the water heater. Tighten the union nut by hand and also by a wrench. It will make sure that the valve does not revolve out of position.

Hot Water Service Valve installation onto hot water outlet of tankless water heater:

• You must detect the hot water threaded outlet on the tankless water heater. After getting the outlet, thread sealant should be applied to the threads.
• Loosen the union nut slightly on the top of the hot water valve. It will help the union tailpiece to rotate easily.
• Put the thread to the union tailpiece onto the outlet and tighten it by hand. At this time, the hot water valve should be under the hot water outlet. Tighten the union tailpiece with a wrench.
• Set the position of the hot water valve towards the front of the water heater. Tighten the union nut by hand and also by a wrench. It will make sure that the valve does not revolve out of position.

Link water line and pressure relief drain line:

• Join the hot water supply line to the ¾” threaded joining on the hot water valve. We can do it by properly using thread sealant on the threads of the water fitting.

Set the cold water supply line to the ¾” threaded connection on the cold water valve:

• We can do it by properly using thread sealant on the threads of the water fitting. 
• Fix the drain line to the pressure relief valve.

Start-up & Normal Operation:

• We have to make sure that the main valve handles on both the hot & cold valves are closed Before turning on the supply water to the heater. Both valves should be perpendicular to the main valve bodies.
• Tighten down the purge port valve caps. Valves should be in a closed position. You can’t depend on the Purge Cap to stop the water flow.
• The main water valves are open during normal operation. The normal condition is that the main valve handle is parallel to the main valve body. The main water valves are closed when the main valve handle is vertical to the main valve body.
• The purge port valve is open if the slot is parallel with the purge port valve body. It is closed when the slot is vertical to the purge port valve.

Tankless water heater valve kits Weight

Maintenance of Tankless Water Heater Valve Kits

At the time of servicing the tankless water heater, hot water may cause injury or property damage. We should be more cautious about this. 

Diagnostic & Testing of Tankless Water Heater Valve

We can use the purge port to diagnose and testing of the water heater. Diagnostic & testing include flow rate, firing rate, and temperature testing. We should keep in mind that all testing must be done in accordance with manufacturers’ recommendations.

• Shut off the main water valve handle on the hot water valve by rotating it until it is perpendicular to the valve body. It is necessary to ensure that the hot valve purge port is sealed before removing the purge port cap. The hot valve purge port is closed, which means it is perpendicular to the purge port valve body.
• Open the hot valve purge port cap gradually. Make sure that the rubber washer stays in the cap. Make a connection to the drain line. The line should run to a safe and suitable area for the release of hot water.
• After completion of the testing & diagonalization, the drain line should be removed. Before removing, make sure that the hot valve purge port is closed. Then, remove the drain line and reinstall the purge port valve cap.

Parts & Materials of the Kits

Advantages of Tankless water heater valve kit

• It’s Easy to install and maintain. Its design is compact. So that easily accessible and suitable for installation in tight spaces.
• The tankless water heater valve kit includes a pressure relief valve (150 PSI / 200k BTU)
• It has heavy-duty forged clean brass with a full port main flow channel. We can identify hot & cold valves by color-coded handles easily.
• It has large drain port outlets.

Features of Ideal Tankless Water Heater Valve Kit

• Copper silicon alloy body (Lead-Free)
• Temperature is 40°F to 180°F
• Quick-Connect end connections to water lines 
• An Optional ¾” pressure relief valve 150psi (10.3 bar)
• The optional integral spring check valve in cold water valves
• Stunned connection points for ease of installation and access
• Valves are appropriate for most tankless installations.
• No extra adapters are required.
• O-rings with Teflon packing and
• Packing nut guarantees no stem leaks.
• The Pressure relief valve included
• 100% leak tested
• Leakproof stem – Lifetime Warranty
• Wetted surfaces have less than .25% lead content.