Home water heater time - Rheem from HD?

[JavaBrewer]

We have been in our home for a bit over 5 years now. It came with a Whirlpool 40/gal water heater (date unknown) with the plastic Honeywell controller. So yesterday the wife complained about no hot water and I found the controller was giving 5 flashes = Temperature Sensor fail and a small puddle under the heater

I called local plumber repair and they want $1600 to replace with a new Rheem unit and take the old one away. Their website (quickwaterheater.com) says their units are professional grade not to be compared with big box store of same Rheem brand - in this case I'm referencing HD. However the HD Rheem 40/gal unit is ~ $600...

I'm pretty handy and the basics here are turn off propane & disconnect the threaded propane line, shut off water supply at top of tank, unscrew the water connections at the top, disconnect the gas flue, drain the tank, remove pressure relief overflow, and out it comes. The hardest part so far is disposing of the old tank. The install appears straight forward as long as I don't destroy any of the flex connectors for water and propane.

What am I 'buying' by trying to save that $1000 the pros will tack on?

[freeform911]

Do the pros warranty the products they sell?
Apparently build quality of box stores is not the same for authorized dealers? Not sure how true that is.

[Hockey fan]

Just for a point of reference our water heater bit the dust last week. We replaced it with a Bradford White which is supposedly one of the "better" brands currently.

50 gallon (gas) tank installed
Old one hauled away
Some redoing of the copper pipes

Out the door was about $975.00.

Water heater has a 7 year warranty on parts, labor is only a year.

[cabmandone]

"Professional grade".... sales line bullsh.t. In mowers you'll see "big box" differences as you will in other products, but in a water heater, just check the model against the manufacturer's website.
If you really want to check it out, go to lowes or hd, look at the control, write down the model of the control (the tank, etc will be the same stuff) then check it against the "professional grade"

FWIW, I have an AO Smith propane unit in my basement. Prior to that was a State electric unit. The AO Smith has worked well. I put one in my dad's building for floor heat and the only issue was installer error. I circulated the water incorrectly and killed the temp sensor.

[Roswell]

Much of the cost of replacing an older water heater by a contractor is bringing the install up to code. It is a simple DIY operation. Good luck.

[Superman]

I recently replaced my gas water heater. Not difficult, but I simplified the process by purchasing a heater with the same or similar dimensions as my last one.

[Bugsinrugs]

I’ve installed Big Box water heaters in my rentals and they have been fine. I had one unit where the water heater was boxed in by the furnace. The only way to remove it was to break out the Sheetrock and take out one non bearing stud. For that replacement I went to a local plumbing supply and bought a A.O. Smith unit. It was pricey but hopefully I won’t have to replace it for a long time.

[Hockey fan]

Originally Posted by Bugsinrugs

I’ve installed Big Box water heaters in my rentals and they have been fine. I had one unit where the water heater was boxed in by the furnace. The only way to remove it was to break out the Sheetrock and take out one non bearing stud. For that replacement I went to a local plumbing supply and bought a A.O. Smith unit. It was pricey but hopefully I won’t have to replace it for a long time.

Hoping you have better luck with the AO Smith than we had. Both us and a neighbor (same builder) had our AO Smith water heaters fail around the 7 year mark. It seems they're all a crapshoot these days.

[flyenby]

I am a contractor...have had great luck with Bradford white...if you can do a brake job...you can do this

[red-beard]

Last time I changed a hot water heater was for a girlfriend.

[Scott R]

Rheem, no way. They moved all of their production to Laredo Mexico recently.

[look 171]

Like other's said, get a Bradford White from your local plumbing supply house and be done with it. Change out the supply lines (soft copper lines). I assume you have two straps on there to satisfy earthquake code. If you can get the heater to your house, you can then take it back to the plumbing supply house and leave it there so it gets recycled. Are there any Hirsch plumbing around you?

[JavaBrewer]

Originally Posted by look 171

Like other's said, get a Bradford White from your local plumbing supply house and be done with it. Change out the supply lines (soft copper lines). I assume you have two straps on there to satisfy earthquake code. If you can get the heater to your house, you can then take it back to the plumbing supply house and leave it there so it gets recycled. Are there any Hirsch plumbing around you?

Yes Hirsch is very close by. PM Sent.

[Bugsinrugs]

Originally Posted by Hockey fan

Hoping you have better luck with the AO Smith than we had. Both us and a neighbor (same builder) had our AO Smith water heaters fail around the 7 year mark. It seems they're all a crapshoot these days.

You just ruined my evening 😜

[look 171]

Originally Posted by JavaBrewer

Yes Hirsch is very close by. PM Sent.

PM returned. You can use my lic to buy it from them or I can get it taken care of up here for you

[Evans, Marv]

I had to replace the water heater (75 gal.) in a building I owned after I bought it many years ago. The replacement I got was a Rheem from a plumbing supply and installed myself. The water heater lasted for 17 years. When it finally died, I replaced it with a H.D. unit before I sold the building. I bet the H.D. unit didn't last 17 years. Maybe now would be the time to consider a tankless water heater. I have them at home and like them. According to Consumer Reports, they supposedly can last for 20 years.

[Superman]

Originally Posted by cabmando

If you really want to check it out, go to lowes or hd, look at the control, write down the model of the control (the tank, etc will be the same stuff) then check it against the "professional grade"

This is consistent with my understanding. Water heaters fail when the tank develops a leak. All tanks are sheet metal (flexible) with GLASS sprayed onto the inner surface to prevent corrosion. Cracks develop, then they leak. Getting an upgraded unit is like buying the same Chevy pickup but with better sound system.

According to my understanding.

[Hockey fan]

Originally Posted by Bugsinrugs

You just ruined my evening 😜

Sorry about that! I'm also in the midst of a horrible luck stretch so hoping that had more to do with it than the brand of water heater.

[Arizona_928]

I just replaced my mothers a few months back. It was a leaker, and only took the first part of a saturday (would have been even quicker if I didn't have to get a new gas line). I went to HD and bought the Rheem. They offered two models with the same specs except one had a longer warrenty... I paid a little extra for the warrenty.

[GH85Carrera]

We replaced our water heater a couple of years ago. The house is only 24 years now, and the code has been upgraded once again. My wife insisted on having a plumber do the work, and I was really busy at work at the time, so I let her call a plumber I knew.

He installed a A O Smith water heater. Our water heater is already in a little closet like room all by itself in the garage. It was on a pedestal that was about a foot tall. He replaced that with a pedestal that is over two feet tall, and he put in a large drain pan under the water heater, and ran plumbing from a drain in the pan down the wall, and through the outside wall to dump the water into the garden area. In the past if it had leaked, it would have run down the garage floor to the garage door and then under the garage door.

The old water heater had a pilot light that was always on. The new one is ignited by an electrical spark, so we will save two or three dollars per year in natural gas. Whoopie.

A few months back I had to replace the plastic fuel lines on my 85 911. That means draining the gas tank, and working with the old lines that still have gas in them. It was a rather gassy stink in the garage for a little while. I knew for sure that the fumes would not build up to get clear across the three car garage, and way up to the burner on the water heater. Of course I was not really worried about it before.