Water Heaters

Started by MiniDave, November 29, 2020, 12:10:55 PM

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MiniDave

House type, not block heaters in this case.

Anyone price one lately?

I'm having one installed today, the quote was $1225 for a 40 gallon and $1250 for a 50 gallon - I went with the larger one cause - why not? Of course that includes the permit, the expansion chamber (required now for code compliance) a new gas valve and flex line and removal of the old one, flex line connections, new pipes and shut off valves and who knows what else. I know the guy doing the work - he's my neighbor up the street - and he does quality work....but still!

Holy crap that's a lot of money for a damn water heater!

Of course, at my age I seriously doubt I'll ever have to buy another one....

I also found out today that our 2 year old washing machine is leaking water from someplace - it never ends! The old saying is true, a Man's home is his hassle!
Complete failure at retirement

1989 Cooper Racing Green
2009 Clubman S
2014 Audi Allroad

94touring

I had the washing machine that came with our house start leaking shortly after we moved in.  Took it apart and needed to replace a hose and all was good. Not exactly the most fun project though.  Our water heater is a 40 or 50 and I'd like to go up to a 60-80 or whatever the biggest one is. If we both take showers on a cold morning, with it traveling 3 stories from the outside carport closet, someone is getting warm water after a short period of time.  Usually me cause Jen likes to boil her skin off.

Willie_B

I replaced a neighbors 40 gal gas WH last week. Just the WH and two flex hoses and a new gas line was close $500. Did not install an expansion tank. The fun part was it was in a dug out dirt area under the house. Crawl in to reach the stand up part. So I think $1225 is about right. She got a quote for 1800 but they would have had to do it up to code.

jeff10049

A permit to replace a water heater WTF?

MiniDave

Yep. I replaced it myself about 22 years ago and did not pull a permit, and if I were doing it this time I probably wouldn't pull one this time either.

City has to get their cut I guess, as I seriously doubt they send someone out to inspect it later.

Plumber just called and said he hurt his back loading the new heater and he won't be by for a couple of days till he recovers. The old one is still working so we're not without hot water, but it's supposed to snow three inches on Wed......and get really cold too. He'll have to shut off the gas at the main as he's going to change the gas valve on the heater line too.
Complete failure at retirement

1989 Cooper Racing Green
2009 Clubman S
2014 Audi Allroad

BruceK

When I lived in a suburb of Dallas about five years ago I needed a permit for a new water heater.  The heater could not be turned on until a post-install city inspection was completed.
1988 Austin Mini
2002 MINI Cooper S
1992 Toyota LiteAce (JDM)
1997 Jeep Wrangler Sahara

MiniDave

If that's the case then maybe it's good that it didn't go in today, I'd hate to not have any hot water overnight,,,the bride would NOT be happy.
Complete failure at retirement

1989 Cooper Racing Green
2009 Clubman S
2014 Audi Allroad

jeff10049

Quote from: BruceK on November 29, 2020, 04:52:42 PM
When I lived in a suburb of Dallas about five years ago I needed a permit for a new water heater.  The heater could not be turned on until a post-install city inspection was completed.

I thought texas didn't have permits for much of anything I heard until a few years ago you could build a house with no permits.

I'm with you Dave if doing it myself they don't need to know.





jedduh01

Yep = I know about ~1000$ - $1200 is the cost for the whole assembly by a licensed plumber and up to code.  I have been in  the home store when a shopper says ' Oh i need a new HW heater" and the sales agent comes thru and offers advise and their jaw drops and hits the floor with that same type of " quote" of price + Code requirements from a plumber.

6 ish yrs ago = my original tank died = I needed HW in the house =  Bought one . / installed it same night = chugging still.   
  Same for helping a neighbor friend.. His leaked out = + was blown away by the ' Liscened " requirement..    I also helped him do a direct replacement.

Learning about the expansion tank assembly requirement = I'm  half prepared if it ever comes up to install it ( myself) if we were to sell the house ( it should come up on an home inspection report = and thats what a buyer wants to pick apart)  prepared to do it before it became an issue.  Its safety for sure = but agreed = my house = my rules :)

BruceK

Quote from: jeff10049 on November 29, 2020, 11:28:26 PM
Quote from: BruceK on November 29, 2020, 04:52:42 PM
When I lived in a suburb of Dallas about five years ago I needed a permit for a new water heater.  The heater could not be turned on until a post-install city inspection was completed.

I thought texas didn't have permits for much of anything I heard until a few years ago you could build a house with no permits.

I'm with you Dave if doing it myself they don't need to know.

Metropolitan areas, such as the DFW metroplex, seem to have more rules and regulations. I live in a rural, unincorporated area and I did not need any permits to build my detached garage recently   But that exclusion was because it was not built for human habitation.  Had it been, some permits and county inspections would have been involved. But I'm sure they would be much less than in an urban area. 
1988 Austin Mini
2002 MINI Cooper S
1992 Toyota LiteAce (JDM)
1997 Jeep Wrangler Sahara

MiniDave

like I said, I did it myself 20+ years ago, but there's no way I can lug one of those things down stairs into the basement now between my heart, head and knee.....it's hell getting older when you find you can't do stuff that used to be so easy.

Plus too and also, I've got no way to get rid of the old one.

I hope he gets to feeling better soon, for both his and our sake.

Ours is still working and it's not leaking so we're not dire......but I need to tear into the washing machine and find out why it's leaking - but only sometimes - and get it fixed. I swear she does a load of something damn near everyday!  ::)

I'm not upset about the price he's charging - I don't expect him to work for free - but it's about 3 times as much as when I did the last one, so it did catch me out a bit....

Need to go build a bunch of motors to pay for it..... ;D
Complete failure at retirement

1989 Cooper Racing Green
2009 Clubman S
2014 Audi Allroad

cstudep

#11
My brother-in-law is a plumber so I just call him. I get stuff at his cost and he doesn't usually charge me labor but I pay him something anyway.

We do not have permits for anything where I am, but I do not live within a town or city limits.

I do know the price of the water heaters themselves have basically doubled in the last 10 years or so, so that it a lot of the increase.

I think when ours gives up the ghost this time we are going to install one of the on demand water heaters. According to my BIL they have come quite a long way of late and are not much more than a traditional water heater. He says you have to have gas and soft water though, the electric ones are not efficient and hard water will destroy them in pretty short order.

MiniDave

One of the many advantages of rural living!  77.gif
Complete failure at retirement

1989 Cooper Racing Green
2009 Clubman S
2014 Audi Allroad

cstudep

Indeed it is, the disadvantage being I have to drive 45min one way to get to anything resembling a lowes/home depot type store and 20min one way to get to a wal-mart.  4.gif

MiniDave

Worth it in my opinion.....
Complete failure at retirement

1989 Cooper Racing Green
2009 Clubman S
2014 Audi Allroad

Jims5543

I was quoted $1200 from a local plumber 2 winters ago and told it would take 5 days for them to get to me.

I took one cold shower, went promptly to Home Depot, purchased a 50 gallon for $400 and saw these cool new shark bite conversions where you cut off the pipes and slide these suckers on totally eliminating the need to sweat pipes.

https://www.homedepot.com/p/SharkBite-3-4-in-Push-to-Connect-x-3-4-in-FIP-x-18-in-Braided-Stainless-Steel-Water-Heater-Connector-with-Integrated-Ball-Valve-u3088flex18bvlf/202685676

The entire removal and install took me about 30 minutes.  Whole deal cost me about $500 all in.

Then there was a problem of what to do with the old unit since putting it to the curb would invite a visit from the county looking for a permit......

The house across the street was vacant and foreclosed on.

It somehow ended up in that driveway at 11:30 at night the night before trash pickup.

It was gone by 0600 when I left for work, pretty sure a trash picker grabbed it for the scrap value.
Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside in a cloud of smoke, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming "Wow! What a Ride! -Hunter S. Thompson

cstudep

Yeah those shark bites are the real deal. Expensive but a piece of cake to use and they work quite well I am told.

Around here if you want something gone you sit it out by the curb, if it's got any scrap value at all it will be gone before the morning.

94touring

Luckily I have some people by the shop that scrap metal.

MiniDave

I wouldn't be surprised if the same thing happens here - I know I've gotten rid of some stuff that way - put it on the curb and put a sign on it that says "Free to a good home"    ;D

I don't know if that would work on a water heater, neighbors might get unhappy, especially if it stayed out there a few days.

No matter, I'm not up to dragging it up the basement stairs and out to the curb anyway.
Complete failure at retirement

1989 Cooper Racing Green
2009 Clubman S
2014 Audi Allroad

BruceK

Speaking of non-official curbside pickup, we're currently under a burn ban so we have been raking leaves and putting them in big 45 gallon heavy duty yard bags.  Each time we bring them to the curb for the trash to pick up, somebody nabs them first before the trash man comes.  No idea why somebody wants big bags full of leaves but I would like to encourage them to come and rake up all the leaves they want off my property - no charge!
1988 Austin Mini
2002 MINI Cooper S
1992 Toyota LiteAce (JDM)
1997 Jeep Wrangler Sahara

94touring

Quote from: BruceK on November 30, 2020, 03:44:42 PM
Speaking of non-official curbside pickup, we're currently under a burn ban so we have been raking leaves and putting them in big 45 gallon heavy duty yard bags.  Each time we bring them to the curb for the trash to pick up, somebody nabs them first before the trash man comes.  No idea why somebody wants big bags full of leaves but I would like to encourage them to come and rake up all the leaves they want off my property - no charge!

The toilet paper shortage has gotten that bad?

Jims5543

Quote from: MiniDave on November 30, 2020, 03:04:16 PM
I wouldn't be surprised if the same thing happens here - I know I've gotten rid of some stuff that way - put it on the curb and put a sign on it that says "Free to a good home"    ;D

I don't know if that would work on a water heater, neighbors might get unhappy, especially if it stayed out there a few days.

No matter, I'm not up to dragging it up the basement stairs and out to the curb anyway.

If Ed could build a castle out of 1,100 tons of coral stone, with no machines all by hand, Dave can figure out a low impact way to drop a HW Heater into the basement and pull the old one out.

https://coralcastle.com/
Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside in a cloud of smoke, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming "Wow! What a Ride! -Hunter S. Thompson

MiniDave

Whadya talking about, I found a NO impact way to get it down there!   :D
Complete failure at retirement

1989 Cooper Racing Green
2009 Clubman S
2014 Audi Allroad

cstudep

Quote from: BruceK on November 30, 2020, 03:44:42 PM
Speaking of non-official curbside pickup, we're currently under a burn ban so we have been raking leaves and putting them in big 45 gallon heavy duty yard bags.  Each time we bring them to the curb for the trash to pick up, somebody nabs them first before the trash man comes.  No idea why somebody wants big bags full of leaves but I would like to encourage them to come and rake up all the leaves they want off my property - no charge!

I'd guess people with compost piles are picking them up. It's one of the highly desired carbon inputs that you can only really get in the fall. What's easier than driving around looking for bags full someone else has already raked up for you.

jeff10049

Quote from: BruceK on November 30, 2020, 03:44:42 PM
Speaking of non-official curbside pickup, we're currently under a burn ban so we have been raking leaves and putting them in big 45 gallon heavy duty yard bags.  Each time we bring them to the curb for the trash to pick up, somebody nabs them first before the trash man comes.  No idea why somebody wants big bags full of leaves but I would like to encourage them to come and rake up all the leaves they want off my property - no charge!

Burn ban? and I have snow in the yard. Time to get on with our move plans. I'm sick of the cold winter started in Oct and won't end till late June.