Water Heater Replacement:

Hopefully you aren't looking at this page with an emergency on your hands. Replacing a water heater is something that most home owners go through once or twice during their years in a house. I was fortunate enough to have a few hours to find a plumber that could do the work without a real water emergency. I had a slow leak from the valve that led from the water heater into the house and it wasn't life threatening. As I started to research what water heaters cost and how often they need to be replaced, I soon realized it would be cheaper to get a new one installed rather than try to fix the old one. Firstly, most water heaters should last between 10 and 15 years. While you may get more life out of yours, you are running on borrowed time say most experts. IF your water heater goes out it can be an awful mess - we have heard cases where entire garages had floor damage and some that are inside of homes can cause extensive damage if they suddenly go. In my case, the water heater was 13 years old and the leak was minimal, but trying to fix it instead of replacing it was ultimately only going to save me a few years of having to buy a new one anyways.

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You are looking at $500 to $1500 to get a new water heater and sometimes the installation can be an additional $200 to $400 depending on the size, placement, and if anything needs to be redone in terms of the initial install having building code issues. There are lots of brands of water heaters to choose from including AO Smith, Rheem, Whirlpool, GE, Kenmore, Ruud, Richmond, and Bradford White. There are a variety of ways to determine the size you need. If you are happy with the current size of the one that is being replaced, just get the same size. I was told that my 40 gallon tank should be more like a 50 gallon tank in my house which has 2.5 bathrooms, 4 bedrooms, and 4 people living in it. You can also take into account the # of hot showers needed each day and peak usage. The first-hour ratings (FHR), you find this on the Energy Guide label, is very important. The FHR tells you how much hot water the tank will deliver during a busy hour of usage. The New AO Smith 50 gallon natural gas water heater has a 91 gallon FHR. You also want a water heater that has a high energy factor which would mean that it has good "recovery efficiency". Gas water heaters usually range between an EF of .5 and .6. You can find water heaters for sale at stores like Home Depot, Lowes or even Sears. I had my plumber pick one up from his wholesale supplier and the price seemed reasonable - total cost was $750 for water heater and installation.

What's Involved to replace an old water heater?:

It's not like you can't replace a water heater without hiring a professional. I don't know enough about plumbing so I decided to hire someone. As I watched them take out the old one and replace the new one I felt like I could have almost done the job. Firstly, you need to turn off the water to the old water heater and disconnect it from the natural gas hookup. Remove the water supply lines and then start draining your old water heater. There should be a spigot (like on an outdoor water faucet) on the side of the water heater that you can hook up a regular garden hose to. Put the other end of the hose outside somewhere to drain and turn on the drain valve to let it go. My 40 gallon tank took about 20 minutes to drain thoroughly and it may take longer if you have more built up sediment or blockage inside. Once the tank has drained, then you can disconnect any remaining lines and remove it from your garage, house, basement, etc. Don't try lifting a water heater that hasn't been drained since they are quite heavy. There are some instances where the sediment buildup is so bad that draining will never be totally complete and you will be forced to carry it (somehow) outside to drain properly. Get the new water heater and place it on the pedestal so you can hook up the water lines and natural gas fixture to heat up the water. You will need to secure the water heater to the wall so it won't move around in an earthquake or other disaster. Hooking up the water lines was easy and relighting the pilot light to get the gas flowing only took a minute or so. Once the water heater was filled up again, the plumber told me it should take about 30 minutes for hot water to be coming out of the pipes again inside the house. You will need 2 people to do the take down and install as the tanks are over 100 pounds.

Water Heater Websites:

In our search for water heater pricing and costs we found several websites that are good for consumers. The first one is HERE, they carry a full line of AO Smith ProMax and Conservationist series and the more expensive Rinnai Tankless models which run $1000 or more. Hotwater.com is the AO Smith official site with all their latest water heaters and specs with PDF files you can view. Lowes is my favorite home improvement store and their website offers buying guides to many appliances and everyday items you may need to buy for your house including the water heater buying guide located HERE. Get details water heater types, size charts, energy labels, and accessories like water heater stands, pans, water alarms, tank expanders, pressure regulators, timers, and insulating blankets. If you are going to tackle the job of installing a new water heater or replacing an old one, we suggest looking online first at the HomeTips.com website for a detailed writeup and pictures to show you what things look like. You can find it HERE. Perfect for the DIY homeowner.

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