Help! Buying/Using Water Heaters?

Question

What do you look for in a new water heater- I'm checking out some info but would like ANY advice on the subject. Does anyone do it themselves? how much should i expect to spend?

Thank u thank u

Answer 1

Lets face the facts here that the average lifespan of a hot water heater is about 8 years before it rusts out. You can get the ones with a 10 year guarantee, but in 10 years are you actually going to remember the thing was under warranty or live in the same house?

There should be an energy saver label on the side of each one, you can get the cheap one and pay more in energy to heat it, or get a more expensive one and pay less every month. Do the math, but plan on replacing it in about 8 years!

As far as doing it yourself, if you got lets say a 40 gallon now and replace it with a 40 gallon, all the connections should be exactly the same which is about an hour Job.

The only issues are if you go from a 40-50 gallon, it will be a little more work to get rhe plumbing in place.

I think I have seen water heaters as low as $130, to about $400 on the high end to around $1200 to the tankless models.

Answer 2

I've replaced a few and the removal and installation is pretty straight forward. Turn the gas or electricity off. Turn off the water. Disconnect the water lines disconnect the gas or electricity. Remove the overflow pipe (you will need it for the new tank.)Drain the tank to make it lighter. Move the old tank, connect the water lines, connect the gas line or the electricity, leak check the gas connections. Install the overflow pipe (it must end within 6 inches of the floor (if its too long cut it off, if its too short exend it). Turn on the water and light the gas. Set the thermostat (120F - 140F colder and you will run out of hot water quickly, hotter and you chance scalding). Haul off the old tank.


If you are in a mobile home or a home that has the heater in a closet you will need to purchase and install a heater made for that situation. The difference is that the enclosed model needs a positive draft (fan driven) and uses outside air. This is to prevent CO from entering the home. They are more expensive at about $450 for a 40 gallon.

If you don't need one of those, a quality heater will run around $300 to $400. Be sure it meets Energy Star requirements. This will be on the side of the tank. Use teflon tape (white) on the water connection threads. Wrap four turns on the male threads in the tightening direction. The same for gas connections except use yellow teflon tape. A good bet would be to purchase an installation kit. They are made specifically for installing either a gas or electric water heater and come with all the parts necessary including flexible supply lines which will make up for differences in tank sizes and locations of inlets/outlets.

That's about it. Good Luck. Plumbing is fun!!!! (also frustrating.

Answer 3

MT C's answer about installation is quite good, however, the first fellow who said that the useful lifespan of a wate heater is about 8 years, is a little off. I've been installing and repairing water heaters for over 30 years, and can tell you I've replaced probably a hundred of them that were over 20 years old. How long they will last depends on the type of water or water treatment you have in your home. If you have really hard water, (lots of iron, rust, lime, calcium, etc., etc, ) and don't have a softener or water treatment system of some sort, then your unit won't last nearly as long as some that are in homes that do have treatment systems. The most ususal reason for replacing a water heater is a leaking tank. That's about the only part of them that really can't be repaired. A 50 gal. elec., 6 - 9 yrs. warranty will cost you between $250/$350 in SW lower Mich. , a 50 gal. nat. gas unit, same warranty will go for about $50/$75 less. It can be done by someone who's handy with pipe wrenches and doesn't mind getting dirty, but it's not fun at all and you can sprain your back getting rid of the old unit.

Answer 4

A few more tips:
- make sure you install dielectric unions on both the cold inlet and hot water outet lines from the water tank to your house plumbing. These unions will isolate the plumbing and prevent the formation of galvanic corrosion between the tank's steel pipes and typical copper pipes in many houses.
- tanks with longer warranties typically have larger or secondary anodes installed in the tank. The anodes (typ. magnesium) dissolve over time in the presence of hard water. If your incoming cold water has a high water hardness, you might consider one of those tanks.

For gas-fired water heaters:
- if you can afford it, look for a water tank with a cold water inlet that causes a turbulent swirling water flow into the tank. The typical inlet pipe is straight down to the bottom of the tank which can cause a large heat difference when the gas burner is on high.
- to increase the life of your tank, turn it off and drain it on an annual basis, to flush out any sediment which forms on the bottom of the tank. Like a tea kettle, sediment forms and builds up an insulating layer on the bottom of the tank, and over the years, it reduces the heat transfer efficiency of the tank. Hot spots can form and that's where pinhole leaks can start.

Answer 5

the long answer from M TC is by far the best one ive seen it rounds everthing up the only thing i saw missing was be absolutely sure that if you have a gas connection that you use a flex connector and never use anything called pipe dope or any form of liquid like thread sealant on gas threads, no plumbing codes allow it because of the tendency's to clog gas orifices. and most all water heaters do eventually wear out and they all offer manufacturer gaurantee's that need no receipt so if something fails 90% of the time its covered!

Answer 6

If you are very handy and can work with either electric or gas and know how to vent properly, you can buy one at a big box store and install it yourself. It is not easy, bugt doable. Plan on spending $300+

If you need to hire it done, find a plumber or HVAC company and have them do it professionally for around $600. that includes warranties and they haul away the old unit.

Answer 7

around $200 - $300, 40 gal will serve 2 to 3 baths one after the other. 50 gal will give you 3-4 showers