Any plumbers here ?

TyBounce · Jan 5, 2011

What's the gimmick with gas hot water heaters ?

I need a new 40 gallon gas hot water heater. I can buy the thing from Lowe's for 350$ , but so far ive gotten 3 plumber estimates... 2 said they would NOT install the tank unless i buy it from them and both want about 1200$ , the other guy said he would install it for 400 but he could not warranty the installation unless i buy it from him.

... So what's the deal here ? Is this ridiculous mark-ups from the plumbers , or are these tanks prone to come defective from the manufacturer ... i dont understand why they can't warranty instalation. ##)

harrington · Jan 5, 2011

Go tankless bro.

ProPokerPlayer · Jan 5, 2011

The 3 estimates you got are from lazy rip off bastards. If they wont do the job unless they get to markup the Heater then they are punks pure and simple....

BUT why do u need a new heater? Unless the tank itself is leaking there is no reason to replace it. The heater itself only has about 6 easily replaceable parts..

Changing the heater is something u may be able to do yourself.....its only 4 pipes. A roll of thread tape and pipe wrenches will do it provided yours isnt like 60 years old and even then it may still be a 2 hour job.....and 1 hour of that is going to the hardware store......

Stylez · Jan 5, 2011

^ Adding that it is somewhat easy to do it yourself , Shut your gas off to the old heater, you should have an inline valve. Make sure your vent line is open and your tank will bleed itself of gases. (If you already haven't) The pilot light will go out when its completely bled

There is DIY's on the net im sure for the rest.

As for the warranty , If the tanks are the same brand ( Store and plumber ) then thats bullshit . If you dont feel comfortable doing it yourself try looking on classified sites for journeymen looking for extra work, Ive done this for electrical around my house and at a fraction of the cost of hiring a licensed electrician.

TyBounce · Jan 5, 2011

harrington said:
Go tankless bro.

might check in to that , but i really want to stay with gas vs going electric.

TyBounce · Jan 5, 2011

ProPokerPlayer said:
The 3 estimates you got are from lazy rip off bastards. If they wont do the job unless they get to markup the Heater then they are punks pure and simple....

BUT why do u need a new heater? Unless the tank itself is leaking there is no reason to replace it. The heater itself only has about 6 easily replaceable parts..

Changing the heater is something u may be able to do yourself.....its only 4 pipes. A roll of thread tape and pipe wrenches will do it provided yours isnt like 60 years old and even then it may still be a 2 hour job.....and 1 hour of that is going to the hardware store......

its 25 years old and is leaking. Unfortunately it's not something i can do myself. thanks

mplastered · Jan 5, 2011

Contact Lowes. They usually have reliable subs.

JakeT. · Jan 5, 2011

Ty Bounce said:
What's the gimmick with gas hot water heaters ?

I need a new 40 gallon gas hot water heater. I can buy the thing from Lowe's for 350$ , but so far ive gotten 3 plumber estimates... 2 said they would NOT install the tank unless i buy it from them and both want about 1200$ , the other guy said he would install it for 400 but he could not warranty the installation unless i buy it from him.

... So what's the deal here ? Is this ridiculous mark-ups from the plumbers , or are these tanks prone to come defective from the manufacturer ... i dont understand why they can't warranty instalation. ##)

My roommate is a journeyman plumber. I asked him. He says he usually charges about $800 to do it. Says there is no way he would warranty a tank he didn't buy personally. He says the reason it costs so much is two-fold. #1, they have to haul your old tank out. It's usually full of water and sediment and is an absolute pain in the ass since it is usually in a basement. Second, he has to hook up the thing to gas lines and doing so requires a ton of training. IE something he'd never advise someone to do by themselves. Basically, you pay a lot because it is not something he'd ever recommend doing yourself. Too dangerous. You pay for his training and expertise pretty much.

ProPokerPlayer · Jan 5, 2011

Still its very rare for a tank to leak......if the same guys who bid the replacement told u u need to replace it id want to be sure. A big % of the time the lines leak where they screw onto the tank on top, that connection leaks but the water trickles down thru the heater making it very easy to think its the tank leaking . You need an honest professionals opinion which the the 3 bids u got did not come from. I cant change them anymore myself cus im a 1 man show but i send my customers to the best plumbing company in town and they are also the highest charging company i know of and i dont recall anybody ever paying more than $300 in labor for the changeout and that was an attic job when it was 95 degrees outside.

mplastered · Jan 5, 2011

Jake T. said:
My roommate is a journeyman plumber. I asked him. He says he usually charges about $800 to do it. Says there is no way he would warranty a tank he didn't buy personally. He says the reason it costs so much is two-fold. #1, they have to haul your old tank out. It's usually full of water and sediment and is an absolute pain in the ass since it is usually in a basement. Second, he has to hook up the thing to gas lines and doing so requires a ton of training. IE something he'd never advise someone to do by themselves. Basically, you pay a lot because it is not something he'd ever recommend doing yourself. Too dangerous. You pay for his training and expertise pretty much.

If his old tank is gas, it's just a threaded fitting that unscrews with a wrench. There's nothing to hooking up the gas lines. I've gone threw 2 so far in my life, both due to leaks, and installed them both myself. Nothing to it.

TyBounce · Jan 5, 2011

Jake T. said:
My roommate is a journeyman plumber. I asked him. He says he usually charges about $800 to do it. Says there is no way he would warranty a tank he didn't buy personally. He says the reason it costs so much is two-fold. #1, they have to haul your old tank out. It's usually full of water and sediment and is an absolute pain in the ass since it is usually in a basement. Second, he has to hook up the thing to gas lines and doing so requires a ton of training. IE something he'd never advise someone to do by themselves. Basically, you pay a lot because it is not something he'd ever recommend doing yourself. Too dangerous. You pay for his training and expertise pretty much.

Thanks for your time Jake T , I appreciate it. Found out my gas provider will give me a 290$ rebate , regardless of where i buy the tank just to stay on gas. So i'll just pay the 1150 job with full warranties and then get 290 back from alagasco and be in about the 850 range.

Legend-I-Aint · Jan 5, 2011

Install it yourself. It's a snap and I'm a dork. Done it twice now in my life.

erv · Jan 5, 2011

I sell plumbing supplies and have a tankless gas water heater in my house. I think they are the way to go. You just missed out on some tax credits that ended in 2010.

charliepeete · Jan 5, 2011

talk to lowes?????/

1cheater · Jan 5, 2011

Jake T. said:
My roommate is a journeyman plumber. I asked him. He says he usually charges about $800 to do it. Says there is no way he would warranty a tank he didn't buy personally. He says the reason it costs so much is two-fold. #1, they have to haul your old tank out. It's usually full of water and sediment and is an absolute pain in the ass since it is usually in a basement. Second, he has to hook up the thing to gas lines and doing so requires a ton of training. IE something he'd never advise someone to do by themselves. Basically, you pay a lot because it is not something he'd ever recommend doing yourself. Too dangerous. You pay for his training and expertise pretty much.

He charges $80 to install a water tank? Holy fuck,,

They have drain pipes on them, you just hook up a hose and drain?

1cheater · Jan 5, 2011

How much do tankless systems start at?

JakeT. · Jan 5, 2011

1cheater said:
He charges $80 to install a water tank? Holy fuck,,

They have drain pipes on them, you just hook up a hose and drain?

He gets paid good money. He's also not even close to the most expensive in town.

ALSportsJunkie · Jan 5, 2011

I am a master plumber. You are grossly overpaying if you are considering giving someone $1,200 to swap out a 40 gallon water heater. You should expect to pay around $750-800. I allow approximately $400.00 for the heater and new materials and get to pocket anywhere from 350-400$ for about an hour and a half of work. If it is gas I would recommend professional installation - gas lines are not to be toyed with and it needs to be vented properly to insure the carbon monoxide exits your home safely. I have seen some unscrupulous characters charge less than 100$ for a change-out...but these guys carry no insurance or license. You should definately be able to do better.

ALSportsJunkie · Jan 5, 2011

For those who are wondering, my charge for installing a tankless heater begins at $2,000 - this includes the water heater. This is obviously a much bigger job than the standard heater and usually requires running all new gas piping, new venting, a solid wall-mount, etc. In my opinion, you will not save enough money to justify the cost - especially if you are not on a sewer system - water is just too cheap currently.

TyBounce · Jan 6, 2011

ALSportsJunkie said:
I am a master plumber. You are grossly overpaying if you are considering giving someone $1,200 to swap out a 40 gallon water heater. You should expect to pay around $750-800. I allow approximately $400.00 for the heater and new materials and get to pocket anywhere from 350-400$ for about an hour and a half of work. If it is gas I would recommend professional installation - gas lines are not to be toyed with and it needs to be vented properly to insure the carbon monoxide exits your home safely. I have seen some unscrupulous characters charge less than 100$ for a change-out...but these guys carry no insurance or license. You should definately be able to do better.

thanks for the reply. If you're near hoover and would like the job give me a pm.

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