Electric water heater installation can take anywhere from two hours to 45 minutes — depending on the skill level of the installer. The first step before beginning the process is to turn off the electricity. After the old water heater is removed, set the new water heater in place.

Next, at the end of the cold water supply pipe shut the valve. A block of wood is sometimes helpful to support the shutoff valve while it is being soldered. It is essential that the valve is in the open position when soldering. In essence, the propane torch melts the metal so that the two pieces become firmly attached.

Then, take the cold and hot water heater heat trap fittings and wrap the threads with Teflon tape or coat the threads with pipe compound. Once this step is completed, it is possible to attach the fitting to the cold and hot water inlets — the blue fitting goes on the cold water inlet and the red fitting goes on the hot water inlet.