Posted on 06/23/2018 11:27:20 AM PDT by Catmom
Apparently this is standard price for the install, sales taxes, labor, disposal fee, "code upgrades," etc. My next door neighbor paid the same amount last year.
Sucks to be a homeowner w/o construction skills in a blue state.
I half think people in the trades push for code upgrades to make everything cost more. And they seemed shocked that I would question their prices. Got a 10% discount FWIW.
I bought a new Electric 50 Gsllon Rheem at Home Depot for $404. including tax. They put in the back seat of my 2017 Ford Fusion.
Prior to the P/U. 2 Plumbing connections-1 Electrical myself. 83 YO. 3 hours total. Grow up little man!
Hi! If you replace the anode rod every five years, you will never need to replace the hot water heater
I made a clear plastic hose with a lever ball valve to water my interior plants. The hose fits to the heater drain
When I drain, I discharge the sediments at the same time
the hose is long enough to reach all the rooms with house plants. The discharge end includes a 2’ long copper tube for watering inside the bromeliad cups
The older stuff was definitely made more solid so we see some water heaters lasting 40 years. You and I live in mega blue territory so due to all the excessive tree hugging and regulation, our cost of living is much, much higher than say, Kentucky.
Indeed they do. Just ask our neighbors. They installed tankless, went on vacation, and the flexible hot water connecting hose to the hot water faucet failed in the upstairs bathroom. Hot water poured into the house...and happily stayed HOT and pouring in for a day or more before one of us neighbors noticed water pouring out from under the front door. The entire house heated up to about 120F and was a soggy mess. Almost a total loss. They lived in a rental for about 14 months while it was rebuilt.
Moral of the story. Check your flexible connections and replace as necessary. Better yet, install hard tubes and get rid of flex connections. And it is smart to install a leak detection system that will report to you on your smart phone that the house is leaking.
A leak detection system is still on my to-do list. ;>)
I am a landlord. By law, I can’t even change a leaking faucet. I have to use a plumber. That makes it very expensive, plus, I have to be there or I have to have a tenant there as they can come any time they feel like it.
A neighbor, who owns his house, bought a new dishwasher and put the old one on the front porch. A code enforcer stopped by and asked about it. Nope, not a plumber. The owner got a $250 fine.
Now, you can buy stuff at Lowe’s. However, the reason they won’t hook it in is two fold. One, they aren’t plumbers, electricians, contractors and there are all kinds of local and state laws to comply with and two, liability if something happens.
However, having said all that, all you have to do is shut off the water and power. Drain the system. Unhook everything, install the new device and test it for leaks. It’s not rocket science and it only costs about $800.
If you want to know why everything costs so much, look no farther than the planning and permitting code enforcers. They want their piece of the action. It has nothing to do with protecting the public and everything to do with paying for their salaries and benefits packages.
If you're paying a plumber then yeah, go with sweat fittings, but Shark Bite fittings work great in accessible areas for the do-it-yourself-er. I have Shark Bite fittings that are going on 40 years now with no problem.
Better yet, cut everything off including the water when you go on vacay.
Used to live in NJ.
Moved to WA in 1989 when I was still a lib.
I’m done with blue states. Was in Seattle yesterday and it looks almost like Calcutta.
What “quality of life?” People who run blue states only know how to destroy it and send you a big bill for the privilege.
I have a propane heated conventional WH with forced air ventilation fan. I have gotten two quotes from two plumbers for two options -
(1) current system replaced - $2700
(2) tankless WH w/ propane - $3000.
After reading a number of comments here, yours included, I think I have to do some more work on this. $1500 for a tankless compared to my quotes seems like a bargain at the moment.
Being a woman doesn’t help much, either.
I’ve had to grow a pair in these situations and I’m not sure I like that.
But when you can’t take a shower or flush the johns you’re at their mercy.
My gas water heater in the attic is getting old. I’m thinking about buying a new one and setting it beside the old one. When the old one gives out I’ll be ready to install the new one in a few minutes. Extremely easy with Sharkbite fittings.
Nothing wrong with being assertive. Where in Jersey are you from? I was born in Kearny. I am currently living in Bricktown.
They are just as prone to failure as a conventional water heater, more so if you do not have proper filtration ahead of them. By the way Tankless heaters despite the hype are not instant hot water at the fixture unless you have a recirculating system piped in. And a recirculating system on a conventional water heater will give you instant hot water also.
It's been a few years since I was in the trade but it used to be that when you added up the price tag of the Tankless, material, filter, having to add a receptacle if one isn't there and labor, the payoff of a Tankless was kind of far down the road. Oh and if it's a gas fired unit add the cost of piping a larger gas line to suppl it. These are some of the things that sales people neglect to mention while they try to hook you. Of course one of the other major benefits to a Tankless is the reclaimed space taken up by a conventional water heater.
Still the price the poster quoted seems high even it the heater had to be relocated or installed on a raised platform and new double walled vent, etc. There is always someone out there whose main business is to shear sheep.
Sorry to hear this. I installed a new 50 gallon propane heater myself. Cost $900 for the heater. Took me about four hours.
“The owner got a $250 fine.”
Just where in commie USA do you live ??!
I am just LOVING all the practical advice and knowhow I’m seeing on this thread.
Freepers are smart. Libs...I swear I don’t know how they function.
Born in Summit in 1954. Raised in Springfield and moved to f’ing Plainfield in 1974. Lived there til 1984. Moved to Kentucky for five years. Been in WA since 1989. Ready to move back south.
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