Poll of the Day > $2,700 for a new water heater

(+) Yeah! (+)

I know I woke up this morning wanting to make a huge new appliance purchase. I'm really glad my water heater rusted out so I can live my dreams lmaooo

Home maintenance sucks

My mom just had to replace her's last week. Her total bill was $6k but that had other work involved so not sure how much of that was specific to the hot water heater.

You got a deal, mine was $3500.

Well, mine was $3500 twice, then eventually one of those was refunded. Because my town requires permits for new water heaters and this was during covid when no one was manning town halls, I had to buy it again from a company who didn't give a crap about waiting for a permit before installing it.

Speaking of, that was 4 years ago and I still haven't gotten the permit for it...LOL!

RC recommended going for a heat pump but the guy said they'd have to re-fit the pipes and it'd cost me like $6k I'm not trying to do all that

Yea, if they want home owners to move to newer technology for that stuff, it really should be done as some sort of tax credit or energy efficiency program. Not when we are going "FUCK, I HAVE NO HOT WATER!!!"

Right? If it wasn't an emergency and I was planning something new I could have saved up. But I didn't really expect a water heater to completely rust out after 4 years.

My water heater is acting strange. I guess I need to start saving. $2700, Jesus...

Lynyrd_Skynyrd posted...

My water heater is acting strange. I guess I need to start saving. $2700, Jesus...

Yeah save money. I just spent a lot of my savings on some stuff for my pool so I didn't have liquid cash this time and have to use my credit card. Bad timing.

The one installed in the house we bought lasted 13 years. Something was up when we noticed the floor and carpet around the area constantly being wet.

It was only a small 30 gallon and the only option we had was a $800 29 gallon to replace it with since it was in a closet.

Works like a charm and it's silent.
I'll try to keep up on its annual maintenance.

This brand I guess is cheap and lines their heaters with plastic instead of porcelain so it rusted really quickly. Do not recommend AO Smith.

I'm actually surprised our's hasn't failed yet, it was here when we bought the house back in 2009. Fortunately it is in the basement so if it does fail it will just drain right to the sump pit.

Whoever installed this one did not care at all. The drain pan caught no water and was leaking everywhere.

Register the heater with the manufacturer to make sure they actually did give you a new heater.
https://www.reddit.com/r/legaladvice/comments/1bmzwx4/new_hot_water_tank_installed_but_the_installer/

HelIWithoutSin posted...

Register the heater with the manufacturer to make sure they actually did give you a new heater.
https://www.reddit.com/r/legaladvice/comments/1bmzwx4/new_hot_water_tank_installed_but_the_installer/

Thank you for the heads up but this installer went straight to an appliance store to buy a new one so I think I'm okay? I'll make sure tho.

Well she's installed.

I discovered last week that my hot water pressure valve was not installed correctly so after my replacement hot water was installed last year, water has been leaking back into my home and creating mold ever since September !

How exciting !

Wonderful! This is the only thing I don't like about owning a house over renting lmao I don't want to be my own landlord

Luckily my ac broke fight after i moved in and we have a home warranty so it only cost like 100 to fix a flux capacitor. Of course he tried to upsell me on a hard start for it but nope I'm good see ya buddy

Just a regular water heater, or one of those fancy heat pump models? We bought one of those and it cost a fortune, but our electric bill literally went down by like 25% so it paid for itself.

captpackrat posted...

Just a regular water heater, or one of those fancy heat pump models? We bought one of those and it cost a fortune, but our electric bill literally went down by like 25% so it paid for itself.

Just a regular one. I asked about a heat pump but it would cost me $6k for the pump and re-fitting my plumbing for it. I didn't have that cash right now but I'm defintiely thinking of it for the future.

Jen0125 posted...

Home maintenance sucks

Still far superior to renting

Cupcake2006 posted...

Still far superior to renting

Absolutely

Ooh that sucks.

Jen0125 posted...

Yeah save money.

they taught us in those situations to have money on hand in an emergency and guess what happened...

i survived because i had enough to save myself for one month. did have to give up my christmas fund (better than being out in the street).

it did suck. one moment doing fine and the next it completely goes to shit.

Cupcake2006 posted...

Still far superior to renting

Idk, this topic just made me think how much I like renting.

WTF is going on in this thread? Water heaters cost $500-$800.

ultra_magnus13 posted...

WTF is going on in this thread? Water heaters cost $500-$800.

Well yeah, as with most other things you're paying for the labor

ultra_magnus13 posted...

WTF is going on in this thread? Water heaters cost $500-$800.

I'm not installing it myself lmao

Jen0125 posted...

I'm not installing it myself lmao

A water heater swap is pretty straight forward. Unless there was a bunch of other work needed, If you paid $2000 for labor you got scammed.

ultra_magnus13 posted...

A water heater swap is pretty straight forward. Unless there was a bunch of other work needed, If you paid $2000 for labor you got scammed.

https://www.angi.com/articles/how-much-does-water-heater-installation-cost.htm

Not sure where you buy your water heaters. The average cost for a water heater is $1300.

The one I installed is a Ruud Professional model and runs around $1,400 just for the water heater. Maybe you just buy very cheap water heaters.

Jen out here flexin her water heater on people.

ultra_magnus13 posted...

WTF is going on in this thread? Water heaters cost $500-$800.

ultra_magnus13 posted...

A water heater swap is pretty straight forward. Unless there was a bunch of other work needed, If you paid $2000 for labor you got scammed.

These, my family had to replace ours, there's a place somewhat close by that sells appliances that have been "damaged" in the way that they have very minor cosmetic dents, so it cost about $300, after that installation is pretty much just 4 screws, a PvP pipe and the same connector a normal Hose is and it's done. The "professional" guys wanted several hundred for it.

Idk what kind of basic ass stuff you guys have but mine has several connection points. Either way I'm not installing a huge 40 gallon water heater. That's why people have these jobs so I'll keep them in business.

Literally anywhere that sells water heaters, that isn't also installing them.

Homedepot, Lowes, etc.

$500-550 gets you a 40 gallon with a 6 year warranty. Another $150-$200 gets you a 9 year warranty.

Loll actually just checked Depot has a Reem 40 gal with 12 year warranty for $639

Cost of Water Heater Installation
The national average for tank water heater installation is between $906 and $1,583 for the unit and labor

ultra_magnus13 posted...

Literally anywhere that sells water heaters, that isn't also installing them.

Homedepot, Lowes, etc.

$500-550 gets you a 40 gallon with a 6 year warranty. Another $150-$200 gets you a 9 year warranty.

Loll actually just checked Depot has a Reem 40 gal with 12 year warranty for $639

Cost of Water Heater Installation
The national average for tank water heater installation is between $906 and $1,583 for the unit and labor

https://www.amazon.com/Gallon-Professional-Achiever-Atmospheric-Heater/dp/B09PBXYGNN

https://www.mclendons.com/2773281/product/ruud-prog40-36p-ru62

https://www.ebay.com/itm/276399038436

this water heater isn't $500 anywhere

can you locate this one new for $500-550?

Cupcake2006 posted...

Still far superior to renting

It's more effort and personal responsibility, but potentially more rewarding with less hassle (from not dealing with a landlord).

It also means being tied down (bad), but also comes with greater security (good).

Pros and cons.



Jen0125 posted...

can you locate this one new for $500-550?

There's low-end 40 gal tank gas models on HomeDepot.com starting for about $549. They go up from there to around $1500.

Electric seems to cost less, propane seems to cost more. Tankless seems more expensive as well.

ParanoidObsessive posted...

It's more effort and personal responsibility, but potentially more rewarding with less hassle (from not dealing with a landlord).

It also means being tied down (bad), but also comes with greater security (good).

Pros and cons.

yeah one of the main things i don't like about home ownership is that i can't really just pick up and move somewhere else. i have to make serious plans around my house and what to do with it if i want to move to a new city or state.

Jen0125 posted...

https://www.amazon.com/Gallon-Professional-Achiever-Atmospheric-Heater/dp/B09PBXYGNN

https://www.mclendons.com/2773281/product/ruud-prog40-36p-ru62

https://www.ebay.com/itm/276399038436

this water heater isn't $500 anywhere

can you locate this one new for $500-550?

probably not, but those are also 3 different water heaters. One is NG, one in LP, and one is Electric. Those all appear to have a 6 year warranty. I posted a unit from the same manufacturer with a 12 for half the price.

The unit you purchased IS defenitly nicer than the Home Depot model, but also makes less financial sense. From Depot you will have a 12 year warranty, unless things have changed if it has issues and is deemed needing replaced you get credit to purchase a new one, that will have a another 12 year warranty. If it craps out after the 12 and you buy another that still leaves you with a guaranteed 24 years for the same price as you have spent here. The odds of your current unit needing service or parts after 6 years but before 24 is very high. I would be surprised if it made it more than 16 without needing replaced fully.

I have an additional 2 year warranty with the installer. You can maintain your home the way you want and I will maintain mine the way I want :)

ParanoidObsessive posted...

Pros and cons.

Yep.

My AC had to be replaced near the beginning of the year and my apartment complex's maintenance team took care of everything.

ultra_magnus13 posted...

WTF is going on in this thread? Water heaters cost $500-$800.

I was wondering this too lmao but I'm in a whole other country.

I got a new water heater + install for AUD$300 with a 10 yr warranty (only 40L though).

Hey Jen, I really wanted to criticize you for how you spend your own money on your own purchases, because apparently were all maintenance men. But instead, I thought youd like to see John Olivers latest take on the the treatment of librarians on Last Week Tonight because I think youd be interested.

Cacciato posted...

Hey Jen, I really wanted to criticize you for how you spend your own money on your own purchases, because apparently were all maintenance men. But instead, I thought youd like to see John Olivers latest take on the the treatment of librarians on Last Week Tonight because I think youd be interested.

Aw I hope he was kind to them. Librarians are trying so hard lmao

Wait til the HVAC breaks.

Jen0125 posted...

Aw I hope he was kind to them. Librarians are trying so hard lmao

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mZHoHaAYHq8