Water Heaters - Installation questions

We removed a Bradford White gas water heater and are installing a 50 gallon Kenmore Powermiser 12. The house is 8 years old and has a gravity feed recirculating hot water system, no pump. Several questions have come up:

1) There was a copper tube from the wall to the old tank (3/8"?). Is that a heat return? It tied into the old drain valve, but the new tank has a plastic drain valve with no way to tie in. Do we need to hook that tube up? If so, should we replace the drain valve with a tie in capability?

2) The new tank came with 2" and 24" heat traps. Will these defeat the recirculating system? Does the short go in the cold intake and the long in the hot outflow?

Thanks for any replies.

The new tank came with 2" and 24" heat traps. Will these defeat the recirculating system?
Yes for sure if that is the set up you have.

On that 3/8 line. If it is the gravity set up think this way. The hot water goes out of the tank and the hot water line goes at an angle up hill to the end of the hot water run. At the end there is a 3/8 line that drops down and runs back to the bottom of the tank as the water cools off in the line so it has to go in as cold water on the bottom of the tank.
So if you want to keep what you have yes you have to put a T on the bottom of the tank so the 3/8 line can go back in as cold water.

Post back in same post If I have it wrong

ED :thinker:

Thanks Ed. We talked to a neighbor who had the same configuration, and what you say appears consistent. When they replaced their water heater, they changed the drain valve to accomodate the heat return 3/8 line. We are onto the hardware store to do the same.
We are putting a regular nipple on the hot out, but a heat trap nipple on the cold in. Sound right?