primitive wants a damned water heater installed

[BattleHymn]

http://www.democraticunderground.com/1018704213

Where is Skippy when you need him, to answer life's tough questions for the other primitives?

Tue Dec 23, 2014, 07:00 PM
Star Member Liberal_in_LA (34,430 posts)

how.much should a damn water heater cost. installed?

50 gallon

Tue Dec 23, 2014, 07:05 PM
PoliticAverse (10,040 posts)
1. There can be a big range depending on the specific situation.

Are you just replacing an existing heater that is old with the same type of unit or is it completely new installation.
Gas or electric?

Tue Dec 23, 2014, 07:07 PM
Star Member Liberal_in_LA (34,430 posts)
2. gas. the smell good plumbers quoted Almost 3000

With warranty and other stuff. Replacement

Good.  Good.  Make sure they're union plumbers, too.  I hope for a final bill of around $6000 for you.

Tue Dec 23, 2014, 07:17 PM
Star Member Arugula Latte (45,608 posts)
3. Oh, crap. We need a new one but haven't started dealing with this yet.

There are lots of primitives with broken water heaters.  What gives? 

Tue Dec 23, 2014, 07:24 PM
Star Member Liberal_in_LA (34,430 posts)
5. read their reviews online . they leave people feeling ripped off

I cancelled the appt and called.local plumbing company. They will give overestimate tomorrow

Again, I cannot stress how important it is that you hire a local UNION plumber.  Stop trying to cheat the working man. 

Wed Dec 24, 2014, 06:31 AM
jmowreader (28,973 posts)
16. The unit they plan to install is made from pure gold, right?

Home Depot shows a Rheem 50-gallon Energy Star gas water heater for $629. It's got a 12-year tank warranty and a 3-year labor warranty - IOW if it needs service within three years of installation they'll pay a guy to come out and fix it. The same unit with California emissions is $697. Rheem makes a respectable water heater. A water heater is easy as hell to replace, but since yours is gas I wouldn't recommend doing it yourself. (Natural gas is the one thing I will not work on myself.)

I can only think of three reasons you'd need to pay that much for a water heater: the plumber is quoting an A.O. Smith Vertex unit - extremely efficient with a price tag to match; the asshole who built the house encapsulated the water heater (don't laugh: one of my sisters bought an ancient house and the water heater decided to die while I was home on leave. The genius who built the house built the footings and the wall for the crawlspace, put the water heater and furnace in the crawlspace then built the house over it - without leaving any way to get a new water heater in or out. It gets better: he also dug a pit to put the water heater in, and the only way to get the ****ing thing out of the house would have been to remove the wall, the kitchen cabinets and the bathtub he installed directly above the water heater before cutting a big hole in the floor. We built a shed on the back of the house and re-routed the plumbing to it.), or Smell Good Plumbers pays its employees extremely well even for plumbers.

Tue Dec 23, 2014, 07:53 PM
Star Member Sherman A1 (14,268 posts)
8. Just had one done

this past September. It was about $1100.00 installed with permits and all for a 40 gallon. I was thinking of the tankless but, the guy at the Heating & Cooling Company told me that were having a great deal of trouble with them and payoff time for my situation would probably not justify the initial costs. I did get 6 months 0% which always helps.

Financing a water heater.   

Tue Dec 23, 2014, 07:54 PM
Star Member Liberal_in_LA (34,430 posts)
9. thank gawd i canceled the smell good plumbers. lol. almost got ripped off

Nuts!  Foiled! 

Tue Dec 23, 2014, 08:31 PM
fizzgig (21,695 posts)
12. ours just went kaput

one of the times i'm glad we rent. good luck.

Fizzgig the sot checks in with a broken water heater. 

Tue Dec 23, 2014, 10:52 PM
Star Member Sweet Freedom (3,762 posts)
14. I just went through this last year

Received multiple bids to try and find a lower price, to no avail. To remove old (from attic) replace w/ 40 gal gas, bring up to code, pull permits and inspect was almost $1600. Two-day project: Day 1, three guys to haul out old and place in new. Day 2 for inspection.

Hope you find a better bid.

Ah, let us count the joys of living in blue state heaven.

Tue Dec 23, 2014, 11:16 PM
Kaleva (13,801 posts)
15. Depends on where you live and if you can do the work yourself.

I replaced my 40 gallon natural gas water heater earlier this year and as I did the work my self and community action paid for half the cost of the water heater, my expense was about $225.00 plus tax.

[obumazombie]

They only support the union when it comes time to vote.

[Big Dog]

It brings me great joy to see the DUmmies get so wrapped around the axle over something so simple.

[zeitgeist]

I'll take "do it yourself gas water heater installation and home demolition for $ 100.00  Bob ". 

Keep an eye out for a headline similar to "block leveled when gas water heater explodes"  then look for the memorial thread.

[Texacon]

I see 2 interesting things. First, they aren't telling the DUmmie to jump on the super efficient, climate saving, expensive, water heater. Second, fizzdrunk is glad to be a renter when shit breaks but you can bet your last dollar she hates paying the 'exorbitant' rent.

KC

[marv]

Can't the DUmmies do anything for themselves? Hot water heaters are so simple.

[BattleHymn]

Can't the DUmmies do anything for themselves? Hot water heaters are so simple.

Another thing struck me on that thread as well.  With so many primitives being up in their years, you'd think they'd have children to take care of those things in life that crop up, like a water heater, door that needs adjusting, etc. 

So many of the primitives either aborted their future caretakers, or estranged them, that they now have to come online to try to figure things out for themselves. 

[Big Dog]

Hey, Dummies. Be sure to duct-tape the so-called 'relief valve' good and tight. You don't want any BTUs to get out and run loose in your house.

Use lots of duct tape. Make it good and tight.

[freedumb2003b]

Can't the DUmmies do anything for themselves? Hot water heaters are so simple.

I think there are 2 pre-threaded water connections, 1 gas connection (or plug) and that is it.  I remember replacing one single-handed when I was in HS.

[obumazombie]

Hey, Dummies. Be sure to duct-tape the so-called 'relief valve' good and tight. You don't want any BTUs to get out and run loose in your house.

Use lots of duct tape. Make it good and tight.

Met a German girl with that name.

[thundley4]

I think there are 2 pre-threaded water connections, 1 gas connection (or plug) and that is it.  I remember replacing one single-handed when I was in HS.

I replaced our electric one with a gas one some years ago. Our water heater is next to the gas furnace, so I just put a T and a valve in the line going to the furnace, and ran a new line to the water heater.

I found out later that the city requires permits and for that type of work to be done by licensed workers. Oh well.

[freedumb2003b]

Hey, Dummies. Be sure to duct-tape the so-called 'relief valve' good and tight. You don't want any BTUs to get out and run loose in your house.

Use lots of duct tape. Make it good and tight.

One of my favorite Mythbusters episodes

[ChuckJ]

Tue Dec 23, 2014, 07:00 PM
Star Member Liberal_in_LA (34,430 posts)

how.much should a damn water heater cost. installed?

50 gallon

I've found in life that there are several versions of an item that you can buy. In this case, for instance, you can buy a 'damn' water heater or just a water heater. It could be that if the DUmmie would have called and asked about the regular item (water heater) instead of the "special" item (damn water heater) the price may have been less. I know if I ran a business dealing with water heater sales I'd always sell the damn water heaters for much more than the water heaters.

[BattleHymn]

I've found in life that there are several versions of an item that you can buy. In this case, for instance, you can buy a 'damn' water heater or just a water heater. It could be that if the DUmmie would have called and asked about the regular item (water heater) instead of the "special" item (damn water heater) the price may have been less. I know if I ran a business dealing with water heater sales I'd always sell the damn water heaters for much more than the water heaters.

This is very true.

I'm also not afraid to demand more money when I sell something to a known lib.  I can imagine many small businesses alike may do the same thing, or ask more to make it worth their while to deal with an idiot like a primitive.

[obumazombie]

This is very true.

I'm also not afraid to demand more money when I sell something to a known lib.  I can imagine many small businesses alike may do the same thing, or ask more to make it worth their while to deal with an idiot like a primitive.

They should factor it in to their CODB (cost of doing business).

[98ZJUSMC]

Three Grand?  To install a water heater?

 

There are numerous reasons why you (D)Ullards are hopeless wastes of flesh.

This is but one.

I found out later that the city requires permits and for that type of work to be done by licensed workers. Oh well.

Chicago area?  That's just one reason why I left there loooooong ago.

[98ZJUSMC]

It brings me great joy to see the DUmmies get so wrapped around the axle over something so simple.

It really is.  Disconnect.  Reconnect.  Done.

[Carl]

Mine is electric and have installed it myself,it is far from rocket science.

[I_B_Perky]

I think there are 2 pre-threaded water connections, 1 gas connection (or plug) and that is it.  I remember replacing one single-handed when I was in HS.

This is a dummy now. Dummies can screw up a wet dream.

[obumazombie]

This is a dummy now. Dummies can screw up a wet dream.

Or a 1 car funeral.

[thundley4]

Chicago area?  That's just one reason why I left there loooooong ago.

No, downstate, but liberals and unions still run the cities.

I've looked at the city codes and they are restrictive.  Installing new electrical outlets require permits, fees and licensed workers, Same goes for any plumbing work that needs new drain lines installed.

[diesel driver]

No, downstate, but liberals and unions still run the cities.

I've looked at the city codes and they are restrictive.  Installing new electrical outlets require permits, fees and licensed workers, Same goes for any plumbing work that needs new drain lines installed.

The only time I had to deal with something like that was when I installed a new silo unloader for a farmer in another county.  My license wasn't valid there, but all that had to be done was have my work checked by an electrician from that county.

He thought it was bullshit, too.

[zeitgeist]

I live in a place where you have to pull a permit to shit.  Ok, not quite that bad but still very tightly controlled.  Some of it comes from the general public's lack of common sense; a "hold my beer" while I put this penny in the fuse box attitude.  Some of it comes from the union's misguided attempts to freeze independents out of the contracting business. Then too, there are any number of 'fly by night' operations that almost advertise 'Rube Goldberg works here.'  Home inspections can be a great idea as can checking out a contractor's references (the BBB is not always the best place to go BTW).  DIY home repairs like contractors, can be good or bad. 

I have actually been known to install new elements in an electric water heater.  Not a big job and not a real problem if you plan ahead to turn off the juice and drain the tank.   I have never had to deal with an in home gas water heater.  I don't do much more and drain and winterize the one on my motor home, but I would probably have the gas serviced by a qualified technician since I don't have any idea of its requirements and have no desire to learn. 

My home hot water is off my oil fired steam boiler on a separate zone into a 'Super Store' tank.  The boiler is an 85-90 % efficient unit and, while I haven't run a cost benefit analysis against gas or electric lately, but, with my old (less efficient) burner it was slightly cheaper and better for the boiler to run than be idle for months at a time.  Electric is high here in NH and there are no gas lines where I live so it would have to be bottled.

I do have a friend in the business who loved to work here because the basement is clean, warm, well lit, and, cat odor free.  He has great stories about; rats, bats, cat shit, vicious dogs, snakes in crawl spaces, housewives in peek a boo housecoats looking for a 'little off', and other great stories.  Prices go up accordingly because of the extra time and aggravation and he swears he never took up any solicitations for laying a little extra pipe.