The Commish
Footballguy
I am hoping we have some plumbers around here as plumbing is sort of new to me. It doesn't seem difficult, but I do have a couple questions. We moved into this house in June and I know I am going to have to be replacing the water heater in the not too distant future, so I was looking at the piping. I see a pipe coming out of the wall with a knob on it running into the water heater. I assume that's the cold water and the knob is there so I don't have to treck out to the water meter and turn the water off to service/replace the water heater. I see another pipe going out of the water heater back into the same wall. I assume that's the "hot" since the pipe is warm etc.
Back to the pipe coming out of the wall with the knob. Just prior to it going into the tank, it branches off and runs down the side of the tank where it meets what I assume is the overflow protection tube. They join together and then the pipe runs directly out the exterior wall, outside the house. So my first question is, why would it branch off from the cold water supply to run out the side of the house? Is that to combat too much pressure coming in from the water supply to the house?
My second question is, where the heck is my cold water supply to the house? Is it right to guess that it branches off in the wall? If that's the case, does that mean for me to turn the cold water off for the house, I have to go out to the meter and shut it off? I haven't found another valve anywhere in our this house. Am I on the right track here?
Thanks...will answer yours!
Back to the pipe coming out of the wall with the knob. Just prior to it going into the tank, it branches off and runs down the side of the tank where it meets what I assume is the overflow protection tube. They join together and then the pipe runs directly out the exterior wall, outside the house. So my first question is, why would it branch off from the cold water supply to run out the side of the house? Is that to combat too much pressure coming in from the water supply to the house?
My second question is, where the heck is my cold water supply to the house? Is it right to guess that it branches off in the wall? If that's the case, does that mean for me to turn the cold water off for the house, I have to go out to the meter and shut it off? I haven't found another valve anywhere in our this house. Am I on the right track here?
Thanks...will answer yours!

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