Water heater replacement

[HoughMade]

OT, but oh well.

All of us with gas water heaters may find this hard to believe. My parents have an electric water heater. My Dad traded a refrigerator for it and so it was used when he installed it...in 1962. Yes- they have a perfectly functioning 53+ year old water heater.

 

[churchmouse]

I change out the Anode rod in mine every 3 or 4 years these days.

 

[Hop]

The old one might be really heavy & filled with crud making it very hard to drain. I had to shut off the gas and let what little hot water was in it cool down then break off the clogged drain cock. Get ready for water to go everywhere & have a plan. I had to use an engine hoist to move mine off the pedestal.

 

[jagee]

Old one out, new one in. It was gunked up and didn't drain very well...luckily we were in the garage. Just manhandled it off the pedestal and used a 2-wheel cart to move it to the yard dump it out of the top.

It was on the curb at 8:20pm and gone by 9:10pm.

 

[HoughMade]

...It was on the curb at 8:20pm and gone by 9:10pm.

Little slow. The scrappers must have had a busy evening.

 

[bwframe]

If you are going traditional tank, go Rheem and never look back.

In my experience, getting rid of an old tank was as easy as setting it out by the curb. The scrappers got it the same day.

No it's not. I just sat the one I removed out at the street, and the tenant told me it was gone before the next day. A scrapper will pick it up in no time.

Huh? How hard is it to drag it to curb? In 30 minutes it will be gone.


Edit: Dang it - scooped twice.

Or less.

What is the scrap value of a junk water heater?

I change out the Anode rod in mine every 3 or 4 years these days.

Just buy another and put it in? Years ago in Brown County a service guy pulled a rod for us (sulfer smell) and plugged the hole.

 

[Ericpwp]

The rod is there so your tank isn't what's attacked, hence the title sacrificial.

I was told $8 for a water heater as scrap.

 

[jagee]

I was told $8 for a water heater as scrap.

Aww man! I just gave $8 to some random guy driving by!!!

 

[perry]

INGO convinced me to replace my water heater a couple years ago and saved me a few hundred bucks in the process. I ended up paying $10 to Ray's to have the old one hauled away. Guess the scrappers aren't as active in suburbia.

 

[Bill B]

Aww man! I just gave $8 to some random guy driving by!!!

I got $15 at the recyclers for my old one.

 

[david890]

You'll Save a lot of Money if you do it yourself and it's Not that Complicated. I'd Buy a Quality Replacement and utilize your friends knowledge.

This! If it's electric, shut off the breaker, open the top to get the wiring undone, and disconnect the water connections. If it's gas, shut off the gas, disconnect the gas and water connections.

When shopping for a replacement, measure the space of the existing tank. I ran into problems when none of the WHs on the market would fit into the very small spot of my existing WH. I had to remove a piece of drywall and put the thing up on 2x4s (properly supported across the entire bottom, obviously).

You might also check YouTube. I'm sure there's a short video about WH replacement on there somewhere!!!

 

[JettaKnight]

You're a little late with the advise, David. Jagee already did it:

Old one out, new one in. It was gunked up and didn't drain very well...luckily we were in the garage. Just manhandled it off the pedestal and used a 2-wheel cart to move it to the yard dump it out of the top.

It was on the curb at 8:20pm and gone by 9:10pm.

 

[bocefus78]

Old one out, new one in. It was gunked up and didn't drain very well...luckily we were in the garage. Just manhandled it off the pedestal and used a 2-wheel cart to move it to the yard dump it out of the top.

It was on the curb at 8:20pm and gone by 9:10pm.

You just killed the lawn by doing that...so plan on some dirt amendments before replanting. The soil ph will be way off due to the lime buildup from the heater.

 

[jagee]

You just killed the lawn by doing that...so plan on some dirt amendments before replanting. The soil ph will be way off due to the lime buildup from the heater.

I'm ok with that.

 

[bocefus78]

Dirt is cheaper than plumbers! Haha. Just wanted to give ya a heads up so your not wondering why the grass died.

 

[miguel]

Anyone know what the standard install cost (ball park) for a gas water heater from a big box (Lowes, Home Depot, Sears) is?

I think ours is dead, and since it is gas, I don't want to mess with it.

Also, do the electric ones run 220 or "regular" outlets?

 

[Brandon]

220V on elec.

 

[bocefus78]

$300 to $400

 

[miguel]

$300 to $400

TO install or the unit itself?

 

[edporch]

I installed a Bradford-White electric 3 years ago, and it was as easy as falling off a log.