Can You Hook Up A LP Tank To A Natural Gas Water Heater?

For the uninitiated, knowing the difference between propane and natural gas may be confusing. There are different units that can use different types of gas and mixing the two needs to be understood before implementation.

With liquid petroleum (LP) tanks, they can be hooked up to water heaters that are meant for propane. They cannot be hooked up to natural gas water heaters, however. Providing this hookup can be quite dangerous and can even potentially lead to a fire in your home.

While you can hook up an LP gas tank to a water heater that uses propane, it is definitely not recommended that you hook one up to a water heater that uses natural gas. Doing this is a major fire hazard and fire is nothing to play with.

It is also important that you never have used fittings when you are performing a new installation. The used fittings may have holes in them, and the propane can escape. This can wind up costing you a lot of money in the long run if the problem isn’t addressed sooner rather than later.

Again, it cannot be emphasized enough that you should not be hooking up an LP tank to a water heater that uses natural gas. It is very, very dangerous and will create a very real fire hazard in your home.

You can connect your LP tank to just about any household water heater so long as you meet the three major safety conditions. You will need to ensure that you install a regulator between the water heater and the tank, maintain the proper distance between your tank and water heater, and be 100% certain that the water heater is equipped for propane instead of natural gas.

Another thing to keep in mind is that some of the fittings might vary depending on your water heater’s control box. Some appliances will come with kits that have the right fittings included. Make sure that you make things easier by having the hardware store not only cut but thread your pipes as well.

Begin by setting up your propane tank. It will need to sit on a flat, low platform that is made of something like cinder blocks or bricks; it just has to be level and stable. The tank has to be at least 10 feet away from your water heater as well. There are some municipalities that will require a larger distance; check with your local ordinances before you proceed any further.

Lastly, your propane tank should not be under any kind of shelter, including awnings, that could potentially retain the gas that is vented from your propane tank. Remember, safety is the most important thing here.

Again use the plumber’s paste on the threading, this time on the 20-inch piece of ½-inch piping, and then screw it into one of the aforementioned elbows. Hand tighten once again and then use the pipe wrench to provide the additional turn. Repeat this step at the other end of your 10-foot pipe.

Next, place your assembly into the trench. Make sure that the pipes at either end of your assembly are pointed upwards and then place a piece of tape over the openings to make sure that no debris or dirt gets into the pipes while you complete the installation.

Apply your plumber’s paste to the ½-inch nipple and screw it into the side of the control box. Make sure that you smear the other end on the female pipe-to-flare adaptor, tightening by hand, and finishing it off with your pipe wrench to ensure that everything is properly tightened.

Then, screw an end of the flare-to-flare gas piping into your adaptor with the other end going into the top portion of your shutoff valve. Put paste on both of the fittings before screwing them into place and ultimately securing them with your pipe wrench.

With the connections into your control box in place, you can now put the open pipe on your propane tank assembly and screw it into your last elbow as you have with all of the other connections above (plumber’s paste, tighten).

Repeat this step for the male pipe-to-flare adaptor, screwing that into your open elbow. Then apply paste onto the pipe side for the pressure regulator, attaching it to the open side of your pipe-to-flare adapter. When this is properly installed, the regulator’s vent side should be pointed down; this keeps rainwater from seeping into the device.

Open up the tank valve as well as the shutoff valve on your water heater; this is meant to pressurize the line. Add in 2 teaspoons of dish soap with a full cup of water and mix it together gently, careful to not overdo it. Swap that mixture onto all of the unions to check for any potential leaks. Should you see any bubbles that push through your solution, take the joints apart, reapply the paste, and then put the joint back together.

With all of the joints now airtight and secure, you can then follow the specific manufacturer’s directions in order to get the pilot light started. With everything set up properly, all you need to do is start up the water heater.

For homeowners, the biggest difference between natural gas and liquid propane is that the latter is compressed down into liquid. It is generally sold in canisters that are portable or get delivered through a truck service into a permanent tank that is located somewhere on the property.

Natural gas remains a gas at all times. It is delivered into the home through underground pipelines; these need to be installed by your local municipality so check to see what needs to be done to have natural gas pipelines installed on your property. Be prepared, though: the costs can be quite high (in the thousands) depending on where your property is located.