I bought my current home new in 2000. My hot water heater went out around 2013 and I had it replaced with a Rheem with a company I trust for about $1,000. Now 8 years later, it has started leaking from the tank and needs to be replaced. I had the same company come out and they quoted me $2,300 installed with a 10 year warranty. It would be a 50 gallon Rheem professional version and they only sell the professional version. I can get a 50 gallon 6 year commercial tank for $700 from Home Depot but it is a commercial version.

I haven’t looked into how much it would cost to have someone install the Home Depot commercial version. It seems the main difference between the two versions is the professional has a thicker glass lining to the tank and can accommodate a second anode rod to last longer.

I am curious if anyone has experience with these and what you recommend. We hope to only be in this house for the next 4-6 years, but who knows with things today.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: StorminNormin,

I recently replaced my daughter's electric water heater with an AO Smith. Simple plug and play. I just made sure to use updated hoses.

Years ago I did our own gas water heater replacement ... it too was a plug and play.

The $2300 quote to me is way too much ... even half of that is on the high side.

Just put in a plain Jane AO Smith and be done with it. Especially if you are wanting to be out in 5 years.
Check with your power company or water company and see if you have a rebate.

Unless you have some strange added situation no way you should be around $2300.
Granted prices have gone way up but I paid $800 installed after a rebate 5 years ago.

You had a Rheem die on you in 8 years not a chance I would buy another regardless of warranty.

I am pretty good at DIY projects but they always intimate me at first. When I had the last one installed they replaced and upgraded a lot of things that this quote will do yet again but they look fine to me such as all new connections. Two things they didn’t do last time that they say they will do this time, which I don’t know if they were supposed to, are a gas water thermal expansion tank and a gas sediment trap.

Stay away from Rheem water heaters. Go with Bradford White. Not only are they higher quality, they’re still made in the US.

Where in TX are you Stormin, I’d be happy to assist. It really is not any harder than changing you oil. You need a tank, a hose, two guys (maybe) and some knowledge of plumbing, with maybe a special tool for PEX.

Bradford White is the best brand to get.

I'm handy, too, and I did my own with Bradford White about four years ago. I think they need to be gotten through a contractor, but my neighbor is one and got it for me. It's gas, and you need to know how to do basic pipe fitting, but I've done some and I managed. Even passed the gas company test afterward.

Buy it yourself, and do the install with sharkbite fittings. I've done 2 of them in the last two years, and it's a piece of cake.

quote:

Bradford White is the best brand to get.

^^^^^^^^^^^^
Yep. Forget Home Depot. 2300 is outrageous. I had two installed for less than that. Both 40 gallon.

quote:

Originally posted by PASig:
Bradford White is the best brand to get.

Truth!

quote:

Originally posted by PASig:
Bradford White is the best brand to get.

Yes!
All my past contractors like BW.

Please study the physical dimensions of the installation space and compare them to the proposed new cold water heater.

New insulation rules require larger diameter units.

Pipes are fitted to a certain height, now. Changes could require plumbing. If gas, the exhaust vent may need to be trimmed or extended.

The stand on which the heater is mounted may need to be shortened or heightened, to work with the new unit.

Just replaced our water heater ran around 2k. Would have done it myself but circumstances prevented me from doing so. Was a 50 gal Bradford White.

Why does every one get the expensive hot water heater when the plain water heater will do?

The water heaters are simple to install now. I haven't done one in a while but I believe the have flexible hose fittings that can be installed.

I would put sharkbite valves on the existing pipes and use the hoses.

The gas part or electric is easy to install also.

One of our kids had their water heater go out and I had a full schedule. We were quoted $1200 but the bill was $1478. $1200 was right on the cusp of "i'll have them do it" but $1478 was in the "screw that, I'll call off and do it". That was the last time I'll call a plumber for anything.

They aren't hard to put in. $2300 better come with some lube.

I like to crimp PEX directly to the heater. A multi sized tool runs $70 at Home Depot. It amuses me when people say they don’t have the correct tools, but then they’ll pay a plumber $2000. You can buy all the tools you need and still save $1000.

quote:

Originally posted by MikeinNC:
Where in TX are you Stormin, I’d be happy to assist. It really is not any harder than changing you oil. You need a tank, a hose, two guys (maybe) and some knowledge of plumbing, with maybe a special tool for PEX.

I am in Pflugerville. That is a generous offer. I will let you know.

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Originally posted by old dino:
The $2300 quote to me is way too much ... even half of that is on the high side.

This.

I had an upper tier 50 gallon gas Rheem installed in my old house in 2019 for like $1100, which included the cost of the heater itself, removal and hauling off of the old one, install of the new one, plus removing and reinstalling some of the existing copper plumbing for a recirculating pump because it blocked heater access.

I'd expect it to be a bit more now, due to the supply/inflation issues, but more than double seems way too high.

To get an estimate of the cost: Find the price of the heater you want from a plumbing supply store. Then figure in an hour or two of travel time and plumber labor ($100-$150ish per hour around here; YMMV). Then add a bit more for miscellaneous supplies, plus dump fees for the old one.

That should be an approximation of a reasonable cost, unless there's something that greatly complicates yours, like it being up in an attic.

quote:

Originally posted by sigcrazy7:
I like to crimp PEX directly to the heater. A multi sized tool runs $70 at Home Depot. It amuses me when people say they don’t have the correct tools, but then they’ll pay a plumber $2000. You can buy all the tools you need and still save $1000.

This statement is applicable UNLESS you have Uphonor Wirsbo PEX in your house. The ProPEX tools required for Wirsbo are SIGNIFICANTLY more expensive than the tools used for other PEX systems.

I have Wirsbo in my house and I wasn't able to justify the cost of the ProPEX tools when I replaced my Water Heater, but that was in part due to the fact that I had Copper AT the Water Heater anyway. It was easier to cut the copper back a bit and use SharkBite braided stainless supply/return lines for the connection. That said, I will get the ProPEX tools when I finally get around to re-plumbing my boiler to add another (3rd) zone that should have been done when it was originally installed a the time the house was built.