I need a new hot water heater, tell me anything.

[Timefortruth]

Does anyone have any advice or warnings? We use gas (I think), that’s about all I know.

[radwriter0555]

1. Bradford White. Can't go wrong. I got mine installed for $450

total.

I got a 50 gallon since it was only a couple bucks more. http://www.bradfordwhite.com/default.asp

They have a contractor locator on their site, that I used and actually ended up finding myself a good handy man kinda fella that I've used on several other things around the house.

[Robb]

Get a good warrantee...

...And speaking as a plumber's son (and grandson), insulate the heck out of that sucker, and unless you have small children keep it just barely backed off of "hot as can be" for your best efficiency.

What else... keep the room it's in draft-free; I've seen a lot of houses where the hot water heater room has a door to the outside, and when the wind picks up it'll blow out the pilot. Not a big deal in newer self-relighting models, but it's a big surprise on the older ones to just wake up one morning without hot water.

Which leads me to: spend as much as you can afford on the hot water heater. Very little sucks as badly as not having hot water, which, if you're in the market for one, you may already know! :)

[Don_G]

2. Replacing It Yourself?

Fairly simple since the plumbing is already laid out, the connections are in place and it's a three-hour job (counting the two getting it home strapped to the roof of your car and wrestling the sucker into the basement.)

Use the same piping if it's in good shape and connect everything with either pipe dope or teflon tape to prevent leaks on both the gas and water lines. Minor differences in height can be corrected with shims and or bricks under the water heater.

Just remember to put it back together in the same sequence you used to take it apart and you shouldn't have many problems.

One thing though, drain a few quarts off every time you change your furnace filter to shipon off the sediments that collect in the bottom.
Give your hot shower the same consideration you would for the oil change on your car.

[eyeontheprize]

4. Furnace filter?

Hot water tanks have filters?

If one is normally "plumbing challenged" is self-installation still possible?

What, if any special tools would I need?

Thanks a lot for the advice.

[Don_G]

31. Just A Reminder

Both generally in the basement next to each other and both need routine maintanience. Siphon off a quart of two of hot water every time you change the furnace filter to remove the sediments that collect at the bottom.

As far as installation goes, get a Cresent wrench and a pair of Channel-Locks in the way of tools. Teflon pipe dope and maybe a few bricks and/or shims otherwise.

Put it in the same way you take it out and, if it's a gas water heater, mix up a solution of liquid detergent and water to pour over the connections to make certain the gas isn't leaking.

[Timefortruth]

9. Do instructions come with the new tank?

Or is there some other source we should use?

[Lefty48197]

3. Hire an expert

I replaced mine last summer, but I'm comfortable connecting gas lines etc.

[ret5hd]

5. get a tankless model

there are both electric and gas models available.

Because you don't pay to keep the water heated in a tank, they are very efficient.

I bought mine 3 yrs ago (uses 2 220v 50a lines, 4 heater elements) and am very happy w/ it. It is rated at a 70 deg. rise at 2.5 gpm.

There i a slight adjustment in the way you use hot water, such as needing to decrease the flow into your washer so that it stays at or below the 2.5 gpm flow.

PLUS...they are about the size of a large city phone-book and mount on the wall, so you can use that space for something else (i put a stackable washer and dryer in the space my old heater took up)

[eyeontheprize]

8. How many people live with you?

Any teenagers? If multiple people needed hot water at the same time would that be a problem?

[ret5hd]

11. just me and wife...

but yes, multiple people using hot water at the same time can be a prob...

as i said, they are rated at a temp. rise per flow, such as 70 deg. rise at 2.5 gpm. So at 35 deg water, just above freezing, your water would be 105 at 2.5 gpm (the flow of a shower), but only 70 at 5 gpm (the flow of 2 showers). Kinda cool for a shower.

BUT...you never run out of hot water. 10, 20, even 30 people in a row can take showers and you never run out.

[jmowreader]

26. A hundred amps?

That sounds a bit extreme to me...

[ret5hd]

6. sorry...dupe posting

dupe

[ProudGerman]

7. hot water heater

I'm just curious, but why do you need an appliance to heat hot water?



Oh, I kill me. Sorry, but that's always been good for a chuckle around contractors....especially when another contractor says it.

If you're nervous at all about the gas lines, just hire a pro. But it's pretty straight forward type of job other than that.

[Timefortruth]

10. The current tank is leaking, how long can it last with a steady dripn/t?

[Xithras]

21. Where's it leaking from?

The overflow valve? A split in the side? The draincock?

[Timefortruth]

23. Yikes!

Maybe it didn't need replacment. Oh well it's too late now.

[dmr]

32. I had the same problem last week

it was set at the hottest setting, the temperature needed to be turned down. Haven't had a problem with it since.

[NightTrain]

12. You don't need to heat hot water!

:P

[Timefortruth]

13. Ok, I give up.

If you don't heat it, how do you get it warm?

[jmowreader]

27. Yes you do!

It's called maintenance heat. If your water heater doesn't heat the hot water, it will eventually become cold water, no matter how much insulation's wrapped around it.

[alwynsw]

14. Try a tankless model

Bosch make some good one, both gas and electric. Depending upon your house size, you may need 2. They're about $200.00 around here and VERY environment friendly. You only get hot water (almost instantly) when you need it. You're not wasting energy and money to keep a tankfull hot.

[hussar]

18. I had one in the UK bloody great mate

It's about time you Amerkans caught up with Europe, mine heated the house as well as the water, fantasticly efficient and keeps those darn bills down too.

[JanMichael]

19. BINGO! I used a Junker model in Poland.

And yes you can buy full house versions here in America for between $700-1500.

They're a tad more but they save you gobs by not storing Hot water that you may not use.

Very good idea.

[arwalden]

22. Do They Require LP or Natural Gas Only? I can't imagine that...

... there is actually an on-demand tankless model that works on electricity. (Darn the luck.)

-- Allen

[OneBlueSky]

15. so why do they call them hot water heaters?

I mean, they're not heating hot water, they're heating cold water . . . right? . . . (I think this was first pointed out to me by George Carlin) . . . :)

I have to get a new one, too, so I appreciate all of the suggestions in this thread . . .

[Timefortruth]

16. Duh, now I get it!

It went in this morning with only one strange event, when we turned on the hot water there was a great deal of air pressure that came out for a few minutes.

We didn't have any choice as to brand since the old one began to leak so quickly that it was going to flood the garage. The only store open last night carried only one brand, oh well. Thanks to everyone here we have hot water today, if you hadn't told us we could do it ourselves we would have had to wait for a plumber next week, and take cold showers!

[jmowreader]

28. Nothing strange about that at all

Water heaters come to you full of air. When you change the unit, all of your hot water lines fill with air. The air has to go somewhere.

If you haven't done it yet, turn on every hot water faucet in the house and let them run until air stops coming out.

Something you need to do: On the side of your new water heater (and everyone else's old one) is a Temperature and Pressure Relief Valve, also called a T&P. This valve keeps your water heater from exploding if the temp or pressure gets too high; this little malady happened all of the time before the T&P valve was invented, and a lot of people were killed that way. What I'd like you to do is to measure the distance between your T&P valve and the floor, knock off six inches, and buy some pipe to go between the T&P and the closest floor drain. If the T&P opens with no drain pipe screwed into it, it will spray boiling water all over the room until you cut off the heater and let it cool down. With the pipe, you'll have the cleanest floor drain in town and no third-degree burns.

[midnight armadillo]

17. Go solar!

Try www.realgoods.com or www.altenergystore.com for expert advice. If you've got decent southern exposure solar hot water can provide most of your hot water needs for little $, you can add a secondary heater (like an Aquastar, i think that's the name) for those low sun winter months. Very cheap in the long run - it'll pay for itself in 3-5 years and then your hot water will be nearly free.

[RebelOne]

20. Oh gosh, I have been through that

My hot water heater broke a few years ago. And leaked all over the place. Had to do without hot water for 2 weeks until my son could get over to install a new one. Good thing it happened in July, cause I had to take cold showers for that time. Can't give you any advice on gas, because mine is electric.

[blockhead]

24. buy an A.O. Smith brand

my last one lasted 17+ years...

[salmonhorse]

25. What is it not doing that it is supposed to do?

Heating water? I've worked as a journeyman plumber for longer than I'd care to admit. But, if you have gas it may be something as simple as the photo-eye in the distribution unit. Depending on the area in which you live, you may be able to fix it yourself without getting The Gas Company involved. It may need to be cleaned. Wiped off. Be sure to shut the service valve off before any service to say the least. Follow all manufacturer instructions. Put it back together the way you took it apart. Otherwise...

Change-out the water heater yourself (it's really not that difficult just requires heavy lifting (drain the water out w/a garden hose...saves a little heavy lifting), dump fees and such) or find someone who is willing to do it for $50-$75. A plumber with 'a card' will be asking for between $185-$225...or at least that is what he may likely be asking for. It should take no longer than 2hrs...

Good Luck!!

[populistmom]

29. Consider a solar one

We looked into it and because we couldn't find anyone locally for installation, the cost would have been out of this world. However, if we lived in a different area, it wouldn't have been so bad. They run for about $1200 or so for the cost of the water heater itself, a bit more costly, but when you factor in environmental concerns and savings because it's solar, it's not bad at all.

[DemoTex]

30. You don't need a "hot water heater"

You might need a water heater or a cold water heater. One seldom needs to heat hot water. Sorry! Just a pet peave of mine with semantics. Started with a brother who is a general contractor.