Water Heater Heat Trap Nipples

Water heater heat trap nipples help reduce heat loss and save energy on a tank style water heater. Heat trap nipples will be color coded for the inlet and outlet side of the water heater. Point the arrow on the heat trap nipples in the direction of the water flow.

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[OggyBleacher]

bottom line is leave the plug in the nipples. the only plug that gets removed is blocking the gas inlet on the valve.
these things gave me fits on an economy water heater. both inserts were blue, the cold water side was just a plug that popped out and had a tiny foam flap that appeared to be useless but the hot water side had a similar plug looking top that WAS NOT A PLUG and was really the plastic lining that overlapped the top of the nipple and the plug was in the BOTTOM of that nipple and nothing in the literature mentioned leaving them in but I destroyed the lining of the hot water side trying to get the plug out and finally took the whole nipple out to get the lining out so now the copper flex and the galvanized nipple touch. The lining is what is useful. the foam flap looks useless. It appears to restrict water flow and then mates the washer in the flex hose to plastic.

[stephB]

How do I connect a dip tube to one of these? Do all water heaters need dip tubes?

[amrab]

One question i have a rheem tank and the anode rod stripped, can i buy a anode rod with a nipple and install it on the hot water side ? I think i can since bradford white tanks come with anode rod on the hot water sidewhat you think

[tommiemarsh]

FINALLY HELP how do i remove them all together?

[johnwagons]

If it stop the hot water back to the cold water pipe, that means the expansion tank at the cold water pipe has no function?

[tty]

I have warm water in my cold faucet. Could it be a faulty heat trap?