How To Install an Electric Water Heater - Plumbing, How To Wire, & Materials Needed - Rheem Marathon 

This is one of the best how-to videos I have ever seen! Not only very clear about how to do it but the photography of the steps was great. Slow and very descriptive as to how to do this for the new handyman to follow. Great job! L. C.

Just installed one of these today - your video was a great help.

Thanks for the video Ben. Appreciate you sharing your knowledge. I installed the Rheem Hybrid electric/heat pump 80 gallon purchased for $1758. Love the unit. Next project I plan to install the Hybrid in series with the Marathon. One advantage I experienced with installing electric in a retro fit is not having to run another exhaust/intake. A disadvantage is that my power company did not give me a rebate because I did not replace an electric water heater with electric, I replaced a gas water heater. Should check with utility company first to ensure a rebate will be given otherwise expectations get bruised. Thanks again!!!

Our Bradford-white gas water heater was in service for 26 years and was still working fine when we replaced it last year. Could never understand why it lasted so long (never drained it or changed the sacrificial rod) but read that if you keep the heat to a minimum (we always kept our water heater just warm) it slows down the corrosion process. Heat speeds up chemical reactions. Great video! Loved the cut away look inside!

Thank you so much for how you explained even the smallest details! You are AN GREAT INSTRUCTOR!

Ben, that was a great video. Well explained and informative. Keep up the good work & thanks 👍

Ben that was a superb install! Your work quality is excellence at work.

Amazing job! the cleanest I have ever seen so far!

Thank you so much!!! This video gave us all the info we needed!

Good clear, easy to watch video. Good job Ben

I'll be doing this in a few months, great video!

Thanks for the video, very informative. Just replaced my hot water heater yesterday and I did all the plumbing and electrical myself. My family is starting to think I am some type of home repair magician! Thanks again.

Following you is a bliss. Thanks !

I will be using your video very soon. Thank you, you saved me from paying someone to install it. I do have knowledge in about 90% of install but you helped on the other 10% thank you

Well explained!!!!! Now I can hook up MY hot water heater now!!!!!!

Thanks Ben. I needed this today. Helped as always.

Cool man,cool,very educational,thank you for the excellent education.Beautiful!

Wow. One of the best how to videos I've seen. Great job!

Great video Ben!!

Un très gros merci Benjamin !! Vidéo très bien faite, facile à comprendre et expliqué de façon simple et claire. Michel du Québec (Canada)

This was a very good video. You explain everything you do and it helps a lot. 💪🏻

Excellent video. Helped tons!

Excellent as always!

as an older plumber, good job, young man.

Very informative, thanks Ben.

BEST VIDEO IVE FOUND NO ONE TELLS U ABOUT THE ELECTRICAL BREAKER OR WIRE U NEED GREAT VIDEO THANKS BRO

Great Video, well done and very informative. Thank you!

Informative. Muchas gracias!

thanks ben the videos very informative n by the way i a electrician 10 2 romex goodchoice

Very perfectly made video! Tkx

Great video 👍

Awesome video thank you for the explanation , well done 👍

I enjoyed the video. Thanks for sharing. Quick question. I am about to replace my hot water heater with a tall Marathon 50 Gallon water heater. After unpackaging, I noticed the hot water nut on the top of the tank swivels while the cold and T&P nuts are tight and hold the fittings tight on top of the tank. Is this normal or did something come loose on the backside of the fitting?

Thank you so much! Easy to understand...well done :)

Thanks. Very clear and helpful.

Great video! Only thing missing is, inside the panel box connections.

Good job! I liked

Amazing video, thanks brother

Hi great video, question I have is the different amps I have an older select water heater and it's the same size as yours. I did remove the elements to check for calcium deposits. I am lucky as mine are made of brass and theres 2 top n bottom. I see you choose a different wire for for your main electric wires. I'll look back. 10-2 wire. Mine is only used in a lake house then it was shut off n empty on off seasons. It's still new. The wire on it is 12 ga yellow wire. I have a GE panel box and I'm all open as I just gutted my back home. I removed all the ceiling n it's just framing at this time. I want to run the new wire in my rafters and possibly buy a slide tube to keep wires safe. I will say I had a mouse or 5 in my home but never had 1 spot get chewed on by one of the critters.🦝

Thanks for a great video. I was wondering if the wire should be run in a conduit. I am unsure of the code so I always run wires in a conduit for living spaces.

Good job----thank you!!

good video!!!

Ben, two things I noticed. (1) How well manicured your finger nails were. (2) How need and tidy your home run wires were at the top of the walls of your basement. I can appreciate some serious OCD. AS I learned in the military, “ sloppiness breeds inefficiency”!

Is the vacuum valve removable and standard 1 inch threads? Mine open when filling initially and is annoying.

Great video! Informative and very helpful!

A few quick questions. First what is your opinion of the stainless cinch style pex clamps? 2nd how is your water heater controlled for the energy program without wifi/network connectivity, and 3rd is it only a requirement to have metallic inlet and outlet for a set distance before pex on gas units? Great video as always, I enjoy watching them

Great video, wow! You're a natural teacher. So question for you. If I downgrade my hot water heater from a 4500 to a 1500v, can I still use the same gauge wire that was put in for the 4500?

What electrical tester do you have?

When I plug it in will it make a noise to indicate it’s on?

Hey man, thanks for the tips. Question about the pex: is it supposed to look so pretty? I thought you were supposed to run it curvy and use as few fittings as possible. A plumber I worked for once told me that. He said the old school guys would run it like copper, cutting the pieces straight and using lots of elbows, but apparently that reduces flow? I'm curious though to hear the other side. Mahalo!

Hi, I installed one of theses in my home but I used a Galvanized nipple to fit a flex stainless tubbing and rust is starting to show at the junction of the vacuum breaker..

What about code that requires copper pipe and brass fittings, is that relevant with an electric hot water thank?

Do we need a expansion tank for this Marathon water heater?

If there are two green ground screws (one inside the compartment or junction box on the water heater and a second one on the outside cover of the box) does it matter which ground screw you use?

Do you have vacuum relief valve on this electric tank?

I have question. I see places claiming pex can not be connected directly to a water heater and must have at least 18" connection between the pex and the water heater. I see that you connect them directly to the water heater. Have you ever had a problem come of this? I personally don't understand the reasoning if you use metal crimp rings for sure if the pex piping can hold the hot water anyway. I might could see the hot water slightly softening the pipe and softening those pex A stretch style connections making them pull off easier if anything but really don't even see how that could happen. Anyway just wanted to ask your luck so far connecting them directly like that and how long you've been doing it this way because I did mine that way and wandering if I should go through the trouble of changing it. Also interested to know what brand and model that crimp tool is? Mine is much harder to squeeze and hard to work in tight areas but I guess the universal for different pipe sizes is nice though.

Awesome video on installing a Marathon. I’m thinking of doing the same. I was interested in what type of tubing you used for the pressure relief valve. PEX? If not PEX, what did you use? I didn’t see an additional video from you describing how to do this. Thx!!

Pex is used in a lot of new home construction. Google pex use in homes and yiu will see the issues pex has. Pex tends to leak at the joints. The hot water pex line tends to burst. Here in Sacramento CA, we use copper

They don’t require a disconnect where you’re at or is the panel within the line of site?

What were the reasons you decided to go electric? You have those two very large propane tanks. I ask because I am planning on going propane on as much as possible in my new construction. But now I question that because I see you have electric and you seem to really have all your ducks in a row and extremely educated on all this. Thanks!!!!!! Really like your videos!

Where does water inlet hook to (main feed line). Then does it go out to hot/ cold lines ???

Would have been the best video I have seen accept if it matters where you hook wire 2 breaker for those who don't know electrical

You gotta cut the pex to change the water heater then?

You were going to check the wire reading but never did..I'm happy as you have the same 4500 x 2 as I do..sweet..

would have like to explain about ground wire does it go to bottom of tank to where

Code says you need to protect the electrical wire with a flexible metal sheathing when it may be exposed to mechanical injury. Is there a rule to say if it is exposed to mechanical injury?

Please upload a video on how to flushing(scal remove)/the water heater. Thanka

Hi Ben i have a question, if the electricity goes out will you lose cold water pressure or will it stay the same? Someone told me that you will not have any pressure if that happens.

Are you allowed to have NM cable exposed?

How long does it take to fill up a 40 gal tank with water...and when should I turn on power

Do I need an expansion tank for a electric water heater? Presently I don't. I need to replace 2 tanks because I have a geothermal system. Do they need to be put in pans? And lastly. Does the relief pipe have to be copper or some kind of hard pipe? Thanks again. I would appreciate a comment. .

I had heard that PEX should not get hot, it effects the PEX longevity. With that in mind, is the PEX fitting on the HOT side too close to the hot water source?

My understanding is that PEX is not recommended within 18" of the water heater. This is a manufacturer's guidance, not code.

Nice! I have a question: I need to install a 19 gal 120 volt (1500 watt lower element (only one element) water heater. What amperage breaker do I need? I know I need #10 wire and there is an existing double pole 30 amp breaker in the cutler hammer breaker panel; do I need a standard 20amp breaker to replace the existing 30 amp?

Buen trabajo chavalon ya era hora

Hey Ben, I'm going from a natural gas water heater to an electric water heater. My question is, "Can I run my cable from a sub panel or does it have to be run from the main panel?" RR

Beware of Watts braided stainless steel hose! My hose just sprung a leak and inside the hose was crumpled up plastic or rubber or whatever it's made of. 👍

I have a question and really hope you can help me. I just got my marathon water heater and noticed that the hit side connection turns freely. Can you tell me if this is normal. I just want to make sure it is before I install it. I take hope you see this and can write me back. I called the technical support and they said they don't know

Where is the Thermal Expansion Tank? It's code nearly all across America in a closed plumbing systems for all new installations.

Next time be more explicit on your wiring instructions. That's my only issue great video. Thanks Ben.

You forgot to open the lower electric panel to show how to adjust the water temperature. Overall good job thanks!

Supose to for code hastobe disconect where itis?

National Code does not permit PEX piping within 18" of a hot water tank. Not sure about your area, just the requirements where we are. Also we cannot put a shut off valve on the hot side of the water tank, only the cold.

Nice video. But the manual states that the vacuum relief valve should be replaced every six years. How are you going to do that without ripping out all the plumbing to the cold water inlet?

Holy tape man

Why so many 90 deg. In pex pipe ?

And to think that I have paid$100.00 to wire-up the water heater! It's so simple.

I didn't see you hook the wiring to the panel

you forgot install the drain for the air value releaser

Hey Ben, it's now been a few years....how has you Marathon held up?

Ugh thought you couldn't have just straight Romex going into the tank. Thought code was like mc or liquid tite

Good sound and clear video and very explainfull, BUT I was expecting to see you running the electrical wiring from scratch. almost right.and 20 minutes, too much time. Well that's my opinion. As you see one of follower peanutbutter 1925 said: And to think that I have paid$100.00 to wire-up the water heater! It's so simple. But did not show anything regarding the wiring lay out. it will be nice if you added how you runned the electrical winring as you show how to connected the flex hoses.

What happens when you don't have the ground wire hook up.

can't use PEX within 18" of a water heater.

This is a pretty good video for the purposes of wiring an electrically-powered hot water heater, but please be advised that, as always, there are special tools made for special purposes. Considering that the creator/author of this video utilized what he had on hand for wiring his hot water heater, white 10/2 Romex, one also needs to pay particular attention to the fact that this wire contains a black and a white conductor. Having spent most of my life in the electrical field, I can tell you that black is most often thought of as representing circuit HIGH and white is most often thought of as circuit LOW/Neutral. This fellow did a good deed by explaining that the white conductor he used should be identified as a HIGH in this circuit -- by wrapping it with black electrical tape -- but the best way to do this is to use 10/2 Romex that doesn't contain a white conductor. In most cases, the proper Romex for this job contains a black lead and a red lead, but the important thing to note here is that it doesn't contain a white lead. Getting back to special tools, the author mentioned what he called a "cable ripper," which goes along with what I'm about to write. The term I'm used to when it comes to stripping the outer "jacket" (not the internal conductor insulation) is an "electrical dismantling knife." Specifically, I use a Knipex 98 55 insulated dismantling knife that has a guide shoe welded to the end of the knife's hook-type cutter blade. Why do you need something like this? As opposed to using a utility knife -- and praying that your knife cuts down the middle of the Romex (as the author mentioned) -- this specialized tool will cut the outer jacket without affecting the inner conductors at all ... and, believe me, it's very easy to cut the insulation of an inner conductor by employing a utility knife -- a.k.a. a "razor knife" -- for a job like this.

It is better to tighten the rubber gasket connections by turn the ring and holding the male part stationary...less chance of tearing the gasket....

Check .. some water heaters are 20 amp not 30

Next time install a disconnect and an expansion tank. You're will have a better system and protect your hot water heater and other devices with that expansion tank. The disconnects just for convenience but also for safety.

I bought this water heater ru-vid.comUgkx8G49mV71sAzUl9shXyLW-r3XgHH9EVh1 for use in my bus conversion. I installed it under my kitchen sink and it is fed by a high efficiency on-demand LP water heater. It is both a backup hot water source as well as a water saving device since we have hot water on demand rather than having to wait for the gas on demand water heater to finish its ignition cycle. I decided on this water heater due to the fact that it only draws 1300watts when it's ON instead of the 1500 watts that most Water heaters this size draw. In an RV a couple hundred watts can be a big deal. With very low standby losses, I don't have to worry about excessive power consumption. When propane is not available for our gas water heater, in conjunction with our low flow shower head there is enough hot water available to shower, albeit we won't be taking "hotel showers." Also very happy with the recovery rate of this water heater. Granted, it is quite small, but it does exactly what we need it to do.

National plumbing code says that pex isn't allowed any closer than 18 inches to the inlet and outlet of the waterheater. I believe.