Replacing a water heater

[momz]

What does it cost? Should I hire a plumber or will a handyman do? Hubby thinks he can replace the elements and it will be fine. The thing is already 13 years old. I don't think it's worth the hassle and should be replaced.

 

[low-key]

Depends on HWT, but lets say you get one from sears and have them install it, your looking at 700-800 dollars, I would let hubby give it a try

 

[Art 1]

What does it cost? Should I hire a plumber or will a handyman do? Hubby thinks he can replace the elements and it will be fine. The thing is already 13 years old. I don't think it's worth the hassle and should be replaced.

If it's 13 years old and he can chance the elements that would be the way to go. Elements are very inexpensive.

 

[Kellydelly]

My husband says that changing the elements isn't difficult. I would look for a youtube video, they have them for everything . Just make sure he's safe with shutting off the power, gas, etc.

 

[aprilchem]

At 13 years old I would replace it - we just replaced ours and our electric bill went down a ton because we were able to get one that was much more energy efficient. We did ours ourselves in about 2 hours and it was very easy.

 

[ChristmasElf]

In some states you are not allowed to install your own water heater as it has t be done by a licensed professional.

We just recently had one installed and it cost just over $900 (Lowes)
Lowes told me the typical life span of a water heater nowadays is 8-9 years give or take.

 

[barkley]

In some states you are not allowed to install your own water heater as it has t be done by a licensed professional.

We just recently had one installed and it cost just over $900 (Lowes)
Lowes told me the typical life span of a water heater nowadays is 8-9 years give or take.

the other issue can be permits and grandfathering.

our first home had an existing water heater I PRAYED would not go out during our ownership b/c county code had changed since it's installation. had it gone out we would have had to do structural changes we had been exempt from due to grandfathering under the old codes. if we had replaced it w/o permit, w/o changes (1) in violation of law-major fines if discovered, (2) if we sold we would have had to rip the whole thing out to get w/in code, (3) MAJOR-our homeowners insurance would have cancelled us and denied any claims once they found out about it.

for us-better to pay out a bit more to get it done legal/right.

 

[jdb in AZ]

With a water heater that old, I'd be concerned about corrosion and it rusting through and leaking.

 

[John VN]

Turn water, electric, gas off then drain water heater. Good chance scale will drain out. Take element(s) out and inspect. If bad replace and good to go, maybe.

Our water heater lasted 26 years with 4 element replacements before leakage started.

 

[sam_gordon]

Why do you want to replace it? If it's not making hot water, hook up a hose and drain the tank (turn it off first). Then you can check the elements (I'm sure there's youtube videos on how to do that).

If it's leaking, then it will need replaced. I don't think the process is hard, but it will require cutting & soldering pipe.

I've changed our elements but when it was time to change the unit, I hired plumbers to come in. I think it was <$500.

 

[Art 1]

You don't have to remove the elements or water to check them. Just turn the power off, remove one wire from the elements and check them with an ohm meter. Really you don't need to remove the water to replace them either, if you've done it before and are fast enough.

 

[John VN]

You don't have to remove the elements or water to check them. Just turn the power off, remove one wire from the elements and check them with an ohm meter. Really you don't need to remove the water to replace them either, if you've done it before and are fast enough.

Not everybody has a meter to check. Can't there still be continuity with an element that is worn but not yet worn through? Draining the heater yearly is good preventative maintenance and since most people never do the draining I would imagine that after 13 years there could be scale, unless the feed line has a filter.

 

[DopeyDame]

I don't have any technical advice, but my husband changed our hot water heater and it didn't seem like it was a huge undertaking. We actually got rid of the old water tank and now have an inline heater. It was cheaper and is more efficient. He did have to redo some electrical wiring, though.
Depending on how big your house is and your water usage that may or may not be an option.

I say let hubbie try. Worst case scenario, you end up calling the plumber half way through the project.

 

[Gumbo4x4]

Elements are a piece of cake.


Side note: do you have hard water? This tends to gunk them up.

 

[tvguy]

If it's electric, I'd just change the elements, they cost $6 to $15 for the parts, and you need 2 of them.
So replacing the elements, especially if you can do it yourself, is very little monetary risk.

I also live in an area where a building permit is required if you replace the entire water heater, that costs about $100. I think the low bid my neighbor got was $1,200 for replacement, not including the permit.

My el cheapo water heater came with a 15 year warranty, so 13 years is still relatively new.

 

[mrodgers]

Not everybody has a meter to check. Can't there still be continuity with an element that is worn but not yet worn through? Draining the heater yearly is good preventative maintenance and since most people never do the draining I would imagine that after 13 years there could be scale, unless the feed line has a filter.

Then it's time to buy a meter just for this sort of thing. Something every homeowner should have. It's a lot cheaper to buy a $15 meter to check and then replace the element than to say, "Ah well, I don't have a meter so I'll pay someone to install a brand new water heater for $700."

And you folks buy expensive water heaters. My water heater was $200 and since it's electric, I put it in myself. I've found that they follow pretty closely to the warranty rating and it seems you just pay the same amount more if you go with more warranty (6 year for $200ish, 9 year for $300ish, 12 year for $400ish, etc...)

 

[tvguy]

Just back from Lowes. New electric elements run $28 for a pair.

Lowes charge $750 to put in a water heater. That does not include the permit which is about $100, or the water heater, which run about $450 for electric and about $550 for gas. So about $1,300 should be ball park for a new water heater installed.
Also noticed the various model water heaters come with 6, 9 or 12 year warranties. No more 15 year warranty like the one I have now, at least not at Lowes.

 

[mrodgers]

Just back from Lowes. New electric elements run $28 for a pair.

Lowes charge $750 to put in a water heater. That does not include the permit which is about $100, or the water heater, which run about $450 for electric and about $550 for gas. So about $1,300 should be ball park for a new water heater installed.
Also noticed the various model water heaters come with 6, 9 or 12 year warranties. No more 15 year warranty like the one I have now, at least not at Lowes.

That's outrageous! It takes less than an hour to install. I just replaced ours. And the $450 for the tank depends on how rich you are. That has to be the top of the line. I bought mine at Lowe's for $229 minus 10% employee discount since my wife works there. What the heck do you need a permit for also? It's just a water tank.

 

[tvguy]

That's outrageous! It takes less than an hour to install. I just replaced ours. And the $450 for the tank depends on how rich you are. That has to be the top of the line. I bought mine at Lowe's for $229 minus 10% employee discount since my wife works there. What the heck do you need a permit for also? It's just a water tank.

The permit is required by law, but I suspect it is just a way to get $100 for the county. Although this is earthquake country and there are seismic requirements here requiring even electric water heaters to be double strapped to the wall, to mounts that are secured to the studs.

Lowest priced 50 gallon electric on the Lowe's website is $278, and it only has a 6 year warranty. $400-$500 seems to be mid-level. I did almost faint at the $1,300 Whirlpool water heater they had.

 

[DebbieB]

Wow! I lucked out, I renewed the home warranty I got when I bought my townhouse (seller paid the first year). It's around $40 a month for the warranty. My gas water heater started leaking and I got it replaced with a nice Rheem for the $75 deductible. I also used it when my air conditioner went out, that was just a part replacement.