Pex to water heater

Is this pex too close to the exhaust flue on this water heater? I thought I just read somewhere whereit needs to be 18" away. Your thoughts. And there isn’t enough vertical rise before the bend.

I’ve always heard the 18" also Dave…all Sharkbite fittings is prolly a handyman or home owner install…Plumber is not going to spend that kind of money for simple fittings…

Yes. Too close to the vent (6 inches minimum), and too close to the water heater (18 inches minimum).

Didn’t we already have this conversation?

Like I said I thought I seen it recently. thanks.

More info here

A plumber told me the other day that the lines in & out of a water heater should be 3/4". This looks like 1/2".

It may depend where you are. In my area they are always 1/2".

This company (Zurn) claims that their product can be connected directly (with adapters) to the water heater. :slight_smile:

My experiance has been that you should not use any sharkbites that close to a water heater. I’ve had them fail a couple of months after installation because of that. just get 2 brass female adapters, put them on the water heat and connect like normal.

Thanks and Regards.
Amalia Markous


Plumbing Services Fort Worth

Isn’t the flue piping suppose to slope upwards?