[dhal22]

Here in St. Louis the Expansion tank has to be 18" from the water heater connection. And those homeowner type connections do not shine brightly for a professional Install IMO.

And a home depot water heater.................

 

[dhal22]

I’ve never seen a valve or drain dedicated for an expansion tank. Sounds like a waste of time and fittings, and therefore money. A rag and a bucket are coming in if there’s a drain or not. Why complicate it, to save yourself 45 seconds every 5 years it needs swapped out?

I'm with you, I've never seen an isolation valve (is that code legal?) nor a low point drain. Hell, prep the new tank and swap it out while water is gushing out if we wanted to compare ideas.

 

[dhal22]

Ex employee insists that vents need to be taped. He came back into town for a visit a few years ago and rode with me for a day. He couldn't help himself and stocked my van with a roll of foil tape. I shoot him a photo occasionally of that roll of tape, unused except the day we did a water heater together.