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 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.
Sorry to hear this. I installed a new 50 gallon propane heater myself. Cost $900 for the heater. Took me about four hours.
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.
Who did it?
I called Ben Franklin the Plumber and a few others around here and was quoted obscene rates like you paid.
I went to Home Chepo and bought the same one I had in there for 250 and got a handy man to swap it out for 100 bucks.
Realtor recommended him to me as he does odd jobs for the realty firm. Retired plumber.
I had it drained and ready to go for him when he arrived.
Some stuff ya got to shop and the local handy man types are good to know.
Find one and keep him on your Roledex
Insanity... Electric is usually cheaper than gas to buy it initially and I replaced my gas water heater for under $400 less than 2 years ago including new gas line, flex supply lines and a quarter turn valve to replace the one that would not shut off the flow.
Do you have to pull a permit to do it where you live? I was told after the fact I was supposed to here now because it was gas... Electric does not need to here yet.
does your homeowner insurance offer any reimbursement for code upgrades?
we tried to do it ourselves, to the latest codes, and went round and round with permit inspections. They wanted this, then they wanted that. The overflow/drain pipe goes thru the foundation (50’s tract homes) and they complained they couldn’t physically see where it drained. The concrete overflow pan had to have a metal insert. It felt like they were intentionally driving us to go pay a contractor or face repeated inspections. In hindsight, we probably would have been just as unhappy paying $2400, but it would have been a lot less stress!
And. Icing on the cake, we just sold the second home out there and will be soooo done with the socialist republik of washington state.
Good luck.
I get mine for free. Plumber may charge about 100$ install though. City provides free water heaters for folks who have gas instead of electric. Love gas....tornadoes take utilities out, I can still cook and take a hot shower.
It all depends on how many miles you get per gallon ...
Should called me.... I’d install and rewire if need be for cost plus food....
I have to believe you could find a fellow congregation member or fellow golfer /whatever who could use some private work that has the skills to replace a HW heater.
Self help on the internet can be of great value in saving $, if you have a modicum of talent and willing to follow instructions.
Or is there a law against self-improvement of real property?
Rust appeared in bath tub water. Wife found. Not happy. I flushed until clear. Hot water appears to wane far earlier than before when showering or drawing a bath. But here is my question/remark. So it seems that the sediment remaining in the tank is mitigating the heating of the water from the NG heater. I was thinking of getting a long handled pipe brush, running it down the anode hole, and scrubbing around until the sediment has been removed. Then replace the anode with a new one, fire it up, and see if that helps. Seems like it should work. Comments?
Do NOT come crying to us if you decide to stay in your blue state.
The unit they installed, a 50 gal AO Smith NG unit, retails for about $525.
I replaced my own a year or so ago for under $500 for the water heater and two hours labor.
It doesn’t require a lot of skill. Just remember : Righty Tighty, Lefty Loosey, and use teflon tape on the pipe joints (yellow tape on the fuel line joints if you are doing a gas heater.)
Last one I installed......
Cost of water heater and a case of beer
Total cost..$224
Plumbers can get away with extortion because a home owner is often facing a “water” service emergency. That and in certain areas of the country with strong construction activity, one is lucky to even find a plumber willing to do existing home repairs.