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Water heater needs fixed/replaced, -Completed-


wvu80

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1 hour ago, avguytx said:

But get a new one.  It would be stupid to get an almost 30 year old water heater repaired; it's not a vintage amp. 

 

LOL!  Thanks for talking to me in language I can understand!  🤣

 

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Don't drag this out like some of the other things you've asked opinions on buying. 

 

Hey, I'm overly analytical and obsessive-compulsive, which I compensate for by being cheap.  Don't judge me bro!  :tongue:

 

In my defense, I've actually purchased the things I've asked for help with.  Speaker wire, the office chair, the mattress.  

 

Uh, OK I haven't actually bought a mattress yet, but I have thought about it a lot.    B)  :emotion-21:

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FYI if you go through a plumber you'll need to get a permit, inspection and possibly increase the scope to address other items (such as adding straps in case of earthquake, adding an external drain, flexible connections, replace leaky valves), etc... 

 

Not necessarily a bad thing but it can quickly increase the cost beyond what you initially expected. This recently happened to my mother in law when she was selling her house in WA. A $500 gas hot water heater ended up being closer to $1,800 when it was all said and done.

 

 

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As I understand it, when you buy a new heater....  their warranty is in general, dependent on how many anode rods they have.  Usually a 5-year warranty will have a single rod and a 10-year warranty will have two rods.  (getting the picture?)

 

The anode rod is user replaceable (though can be difficult to remove)

 

If you keep them replaced every handful of years (no idea how many, I try to target 5) then you can increase the life of your tank by a margin.

 

When I bought my 80 gallon tank to replace my 50, I immediately ordered a replacement rod for it so I'd have it ready when the time came.  

 

The rod is sacrificial so you KNOW it's going to get eaten up.  Better the rod gets eaten than the insides of your heater.....  Once the rod is gone, the guts of your heater are next.

 

Food for thought

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On 10/28/2019 at 8:27 PM, CECAA850 said:

I don't think you'd ever recoup the price difference in energy savings by going tankless.   Electric requires a large service run to the tankless unit and gas requires larger pipe.  Tankless should be flushed every year as well.

3/4 water line , 3/4 gas line...

Inline water filter... Flush once a year with white vinegar.... And a water pump....

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Here's where I've progressed:

 

I want to replace the existing 40 gal unit with similar but different brand from my old Whirlpool.  I'm going to install DIY.  The box with the new Rheem unit is 125 pounds.  Heck, that's no different from a single La Scala.  I can move it around.

 

Brand:  I'm staying away from Lowes and O.E Smith.

 

Brand:  I went to Home Depot tonight and did some window shopping.  They have three price levels of 40 gal Rheem in the same "family" but there are better ones out there:

 

Basic:  Rheem Performance  - $400  Same features as the one I have, 36,000 BTU (Best Seller) (six year warranty)

 

Mid Tier - Rheem Performance Plus - $500 Adds some electronic monitoring on the unit for trouble shooting 40,000 BTU (nine  year warranty)

 

Top Tier - Rheem Performance Platinum - $750 40,000 BTU - (12 year warranty) 

I find this one genuinely interesting.  It has a module to monitor and control it via Wifi.  It lights every time it is heating so it is a pilot-less design.

 

I'm leaning towards the $750 model or the basic one, but is it really worth almost double just to control it via my smart phone with an app?

 

 

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14 hours ago, avguytx said:

Yep.  Codes change through the years....especially if you live in the city limits.  If you live outside of them, things are a lot more lenient.  

Indeed. When I had to have a water heater replaced in Co. Springs, I had to have a double wall vent stack installed as well, due to code change.

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6 hours ago, sunburnwilly said:

Got a failing water heater as well so this thread was timely 👻

 

Thing is 20 years old , went super nova and then just barely working to normal to now barely working . 

 

So , replace is the correct answer ?

Let me know what you need sir. I can get one from our plumbing side at cost...

 

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8 hours ago, wvu80 said:

I'm leaning towards the $750 model or the basic one, but is it really worth almost double just to control it via my smart phone with an app?

 

I just read the reviews for the Rheem app at the App Store.  It had a rating of 1.5 and the people who own it HATE it.  The overall recommendation is (paraphrasing) "don't get the $750 model" as the Rheem app has limited functionality and doesn't work most of the time.  That's OK with me, saves me tons of money.

 

The basic Rheem model it is unless you guys have some other brand/model specific recommendations. 

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6 hours ago, sunburnwilly said:

So , replace is the correct answer ?

 

It is in my case.  I have an older unit with multiple problems including leaking from a valve.

 

The basic, no frills Rheem Performance model is a very close replacement for the the current unit and is the one I'm going with.  Four hundred bucks at Home Depot and I will DIY the installation.

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8 hours ago, sunburnwilly said:

Got a failing water heater as well so this thread was timely 👻

 

Thing is 20 years old , went super nova and then just barely working to normal to now barely working . 

 

So , replace is the correct answer ?

 

You might make sure your heating elements aren’t fried first

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Best thing you can do for you water heater and the rest of your plumbing is to put clean water through it.  I never have to flush out scale from my water heater but I pull all of the mineral out, prior to it entering the tank.  Do yourself a favor and get your water properly tested for calcium and iron content and depending on those results, look at the proper water treatment.  it will pay for itself over a few years and a hell of a lot less cleaning.  Buy a good model with a great warranty from a local plumbing supply as others have stated, I would not buy any appliance from any big box store ever due the headaches in obtaining warranty if the need arises.  

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