New GE 40 gallon. Low pressure over the entire house.

[Rickcusaf]

I've been reading through and I think the culprit may be my water inlet line. The copper flex tube is kinked in two places, but I wanted to ask if anyone else had some ideas. I'm enclosing some pictures to show how it's currently setup.

Also, is it safe to turn on the heating element? I've left it off until I get an answer from someone that knows more than I do

[johnjh2o1]

The kinked water line is the reason for the low water pressure. It also looks like the gas line is also kinked. Also the vent looks like you have used the wrong fittings on it. At this point I would advise you to call a qualified plumber. What you have done can be very dangerous.
John

[Rickcusaf]

Right now cost is an issue and the cheapest plumber around wants $220 an hour plus materials. I'll replace the gas line with a new one and the fittings used are the ones that were the ones I had from the previous w/h and mated up. What would you recommend I change with the vent? There is an ace hardware right next to my house.

There are no gas leaks however.

[Gary Swart]

Get rid of the galvanized fitting while you are at it. Sooner or later they will rust and you'll have brown hot water. Use brass fittings. New flex tubes should be used on every replacement. You can turn on the heat if the tank is completely full. To do this, open a hot water faucet and turn the water on to fill the tank. Once the air has been expelled by the incoming water, the tank is full.

[Rickcusaf]

I appreciated the help. I'm going to relocated my water valve off to the side so I have more room to work with since it's all kind of jammed in there and I'm going to run a flex line after that to the water heater itself. How does that sound?

[Rickcusaf]

I replaced the flex line and still have low water pressure. Any ideas?