1) Have any of you heard of renting your water heater (from AWHR, specifically)?

I bought this house 7 (I think) years ago and was told that my water heater was rented. It was only $22 a month, and supposedly if anything went wrong, they'd replace the heater, repair damage from leaks, etc. Never had to do that so I never thought twice about it.

Now I'm putting the house on the market in a few months and I'm thinking a rented water heater might not be the best thing.

2) Should I replace the rented unit?

The rented unit IS 80 gallons, which I think is a plus, though I'm sure I'm not getting 80 gallons out of it. I gather 50-55 is the norm for a two bathroom house.

3) The current unit has 2 3800W elements. A couple of the heaters I'm looking at has 4500W elements. I've got a 30amp breaker on the water heater currently, which I believe is okay. Not sure of what gauge wire is on there though.

I've never done this, though the more I watch YouTube and read up on it, seems like a fairly simple process. Just gotta make sure to follow the steps.

After 7 years if you call them and tell them to come and pick it up, they may just say to keep it. They have made their money and it is probably written off by now.

Unless it becomes an impediment to selling the house I wouldn't worry about it. If it is an issue I'd replace it with the same unit or something equivalent so you don't have to worry about running new wire. If the buyer wants a larger capacity water heater let them pay for it after the house is sold.

Math: 7 years x 12 months / year x $22 = $1848.

Reference example $1700
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Rh...50T10H45U0/312742081

Inexpensive example $650
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Rh...0M09EL45U1/205810452

Replacing is "easy" but...
1. Dimensions of tank are important. Newer with larger diameter may not fit in a corner.
2. Specific pipe attachment points are important. Newer may not have same inlet outlet "sides." Height difference of tank means piping must be modified.
3. Code must be followed. For example, a tank should not sit on a floor in the garage, but on a raised platform.

Anyway, I concur that the original water heater may be written off, by the renting company. But, for a resale of a home, a new heater would be a plus, particularly in a home inspection (likely to come back in the depressed market).

I would, knowing I was selling, hire the job out by a licensed plumber. The cost might be $400, but being absolved of liability would be super.

Jesus Christ , thought I’ve heard of everything. Rented water heaters?

Tell them to come pick up their water heater. They will just tell you to keep it at this point.

Yeah, it's a thing. When I bought the place the realtor talked about the 'insurance' aspect of it. Going to the AWHR website, it smacks of Rent-A-Center. It IS an 80 gallon tank, so that's nice, but I'm curious what a home buyer would think.

Add me to the list of folks who have never heard of renting a water heater...

You said you bought the house 7 years ago, but what is the actual age of the water heater? It should have a date somewhere on its label(s). 7 years is getting towards - but not at the end of - its expected service life, especially if you don't have hard water.

I agree that I'd start by getting with the rental company to either retrieve or write off the rented heater. A rented water heater is going to be viewed as a negative by most potential buyers.

If they write it off and it's truly only 7 years old, I wouldn't necessarily bother replacing it.

If they come get it, go with an inexpensive replacement that's professionally installed for ~$1k total ($600-$700 heater + a few hundred for the install). That would add a positive selling point for the listing (new water heater), and by having it professionally installed you head off issues that may arise with your DIY job during the inevitable home inspection.

Never heard of such a racket.

Most units are covered by a six year parts warranty.
6 yrs x 12 months x $22 = $1584

30 amp breaker and 10 gauge wiring is the requirements for a standard water heater (4500 watts).
Only one element works at a given time.

The 3800 watt elements could be run off of 12 gauge wiring, but 10 gauge should be in place, since it has a 30 amp breaker.
12 gauge would require a smaller 20 amp breaker.

Just so it's clear, I'd not be buying a house with such a rental in place.
You can have them remove it first, then I'd buy the house WITHOUT one in place.

The electric Co-op in our are has a rental or rent to own arrangement. You can do either or. The rental option comes with repairs included.

Another guy ignorant of renting water heaters here.

I replaced mine which was 20 years old a while back. The guy replacing it asked how often I'd drained it.

I told him never as I didn't believe it was necessary in my area.

So he hooked up a hose to drain it and when it was done, we both went over and looked. Around 1 cup of sediment was on the ground and that's it. He said it looked like I was right about it being a waste of time in my area.

Oh my....mfg date is "0511". I did call yesterday....no write off, they just have someone come and get it.

So it's ~11.5 years old, which means it's on borrowed time. I'd have them come get it, and replace it with an inexpensive unit with professional install.

Then be sure to tout the brand new water heater when you list your house for sale in a few months. You'll have added a positive selling point (new water heater), and removed a negative (rented water heater).

On my last house I sold in 2020, I had just recently remodeled the master shower (cheap fiberglass insert cracked, upgraded to custom tile), replaced the water heater (finally failed after 14+ years), and replaced the roof (insurance claim after hail storm) within the year prior to the sale of the house. Those three became key selling points.



And it looks like that company has raked in about 3x-4x its value in rental fees over the course of its life. A pretty good racket!

quote:

Originally posted by AllenInWV:
Now I'm putting the house on the market in a few months and I'm thinking a rented water heater might not be the best thing.

My advice would be to

a) figure on your probably needing to put money into this, but,
b) not putting dollars and time into it ahead of it becoming an issue.

Reasons being

1) that the buyer may just accept it, and
2) it won't make a dollar-for-dollar return on your selling price.

You will probably have to disclose the rental status when you list, and if a buyer has concerns they will note them with the offer, or at least raise them with your agent. You might indicate to your agent that this is a known issue you're willing to work with the buyer on, so that it won't by itself scotch a potential deal.

If/when you get an acceptable offer that wants this dealt with, my advice would then change to, 'put a monetary value on the issue and let the buyers either get it done (or pocket the money) after the close, on their own time.'

That way, it doesn't get in the way of the deal, you don't care about who does it, or what it costs, and the buyers get to pick a model and size that fits exactly what they want.

OTOH, if you do it on your own, ahead of time,

a) takes your time and money, no matter what else happens, (what if the house doesn't sell, e.g.)
b) you are at risk if the installation goes south, and
c) you don't risk choosing a size or brand that won't make potential buyers happy.

As crappy as that deal is, from a cash/finance perspective, given you're leaving in a few months, $66-$88 (three or four month's rent) is not worth losing much sleep over.

I've owned 6 houses over the years and sold 5 and not once has the age of the water heater been mentioned in negotiations. Considering that the last house I sold had a 25 year old water heater, that was interesting, but there really was no way to tell the age of the heater unless maybe you were in the business.

What does come up on a consistent basis is the age of the roof.

I’ve bought a few houses, and the water heater has never been brought up. Although because my dad is a plumber, I always looked myself or inquired about plumbing issues.

I know a water heater has a 10 year lifespan, and I plan accordingly.

I flush mine annually.

I check the anode at the same s a 1 1/16” socket & don’t use Teflon or dope.

I write in it with a sharpie to remind me.

My new Homeowners Insurance Co asked me about the age of my two water heaters .

quote:

Originally posted by AllenInWV:
Oh my....mfg date is "0511". I did call yesterday....no write off, they just have someone come and get it.

That's probably a plus. No disposal fees.

Shit... my water heater (gas) is 20 years old now.

Flush it and use a bore scope to look inside it once a year.

Still trucking along nicely.

I did have to change an igniter once, but that was $30 if I remember correctly and it only took me 10 minutes.

quote:

What does come up on a consistent basis is the age of the roof.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Considering replacement runs about 20k. Everyone got a new roof after Katrina, and I learned a lot about roofing. Materials are secondary to the skill and diligence of the roofers.

quote:

My new Homeowners Insurance Co asked me about the age of my two water heaters .

^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Water damage is expensive. Just be sure you have a drain pan underneath and a way for the water to drain.