WH Bypass Valve leaking

[PoconoFun]

The hot water heater bypass valve was spraying water when I turned on the water for the season.

The first photo shows the bottom of the valve with a rubber O-Ring sticking through. The bottom rotates when the handle is turned. That is where it was shooting out.

I’d like to replace all 3 plastic valves with brass, but it’s a very tight space to reach.

In the third photo I noticed a white threaded plastic connector at the end of the white inlet and the red outlet. Can these be unscrewed and easily disconnected?

Then in the fourth photo they go into the heater. Can that be disconnected?

If so, I’m thinking I could remove all 3 valves and rebuild the Pex with better valves and reconnect.

I bought a pex ring cutter and fastener, along with a pex cutter, new rings, new valves, and pex piping.

Anyone with experience fixing these?
I feel like removing the whole heater is scary.
It’s a 6-gallon Surburban has/electric.

[Bama Rambler]

In the third picture what you have is a pex to FIP 90 and a pex to MIP 90 screwed together. You can easily unscrew them.

In the fourth picture I wouldn't recommend unscrewing that fitting. You can unscrew it, but I'm thinking that it's going to be a pain to screw back in correctly if you do. And I don't see it gaining you anything. You're still going to have to unhook the pex from it in order to screw it out.

I would pick the best place to disconnect the pex from a fitting where you can get the crimper into and clip the band clamp there and pull the whole valve section out and rebuild it and put it back and crimp a band clamp around it. Some heat on the pex when pulling it off a fitting helps it come loose.

[PoconoFun]

Thanks so much Bama for your response. I will unscrew the FIP or MIP, then disconnect one of the rings close to the heater connections.

I will get that done on Saturday when we head up to our camper. I did empty the tank, and will turn off the water and have plenty of towels ready, as I'm sure there will still be a lot of water in the lines.

It's nice to know the names of those connectors.