as far as the nipple set-up - are they sacrificing the nipples rather than the tank/tank connector? in an attempt to extend the life of the tank? I was wondering about them on the last install i did - is it just that the unions tend to be female?
Male dielectric unions are horrible and I don't recommend their use unless you sleeve them with a partial dip tube.
The use of dielectrics are designed to break the continuity of electricity flow by providing a separation between dissimilar metals. This path of electricity is low grade and can cause premature failure of the tank by its presence. I'm discussing a gray area where my knowledge starts to fade when dealing with electric, I might be relaying the information incorrectly but I'm close I'm sure.
A discussion usually spawns off the topic of whether dielectrics work or not because the water itself serves a conductor of sorts.
Bottom line,
I don't connect copper to galvanized, ever. I use unions because it makes for ease of install and removal.....along with the fact that it compliments the adaptability to the nipples quite easily.
Rarely do I have a leak on these types of connections using a rubber washer and if I do, it's brought to my attention and it's repaired. 1 in the past 5 years is a pretty good track record so far.
If my future allows it and I can get myself enough capital to do it....I'm going to try and see if I can have a hand in producing brass dielectrics that are a bit thinner in design but not on the thread side of the equation.
A brass dielectric even though expensive is a lifetime product that could be reused from heater to heater. Acid dip the fitting and new rubber/plastic clip sleeve and it's back in use for another 10-30 years.
A nice compliment to plumbing products in the field of plumbing in my opinion. Too many things in plumbing are designed to fail within a short period of time. It sucks whether it indirectly lines my pockets or not. Shouldn't have these timeline issues on every damn thing out there.
We're talking 100's of thousands to get it rolling including dealing with china to mass produce the product. *Yes, hate me now for outsourcing but in business, cheapest labor is king* Everyone in the states wants 13-25 dollars an hour to do what people in china do for quarters.
Nice pictures BTW.