Hot water heater installation
We went to price water heaters at Lowes on Saturday and spoke to Toby who referred us to their installation service The original price of the heater we decided to purchase was $419.00 and the installation service quoted us $1,750.00 there must be a better way.
Robert I would simply call a few local plumbers in the area for a quote. Lots of recommendations if you do a forum search. There could be some mitigating factors depending on your current installation. Certain code requirements may need to be addressed resulting in a higher installation cost. With that said, the price you were quoted by Lowes may not include any possible up charges.
As an aside, I would run like hell from any big box store installation sub contractor. Too many horror stories in various trades. A local company is your best bet.
Greg If you have a water heater, and I gather you do, and it's not abnormally installed, yeah, go with Greg. Shulaka has been seen as pricey, but top notch work and seems more competitive all the time.
Issue might be service installer wants to sell the unit too; hard to blame them.
Good luck, but yeah, ouch. Connect intake, outake, plumbing 101 and plug in.
babitt Unfortunately that appears to be the going price. We had to replace ours over the summer. Called all around -a plumber we used, 1-2 others. The prices were all at least $2300.
Ultimately we went with Roto Rooter. I highly recommend them. We’ve used them for plumbing in the past. After having a bad experience with someone local, we’ve decided to use them for everything. They’re very clear about costs, prompt, and the men they send are great. They stand by their work (even though we haven’t had any problems with them). They were competitive with the other quotes.
Grayson I just had to change mine last year. 50-gallon power vent (my house doesn't have a chimney) from Ferguson was over $2k just for the parts. Total with installation (and removal of existing) from a trusted plumber was $3,300 and change.
Hopefully the one I bought from Ferguson lasts longer than the 12 years I got out of the one bought from Home Depot in 2012.
ianimal I would give TGM services a call and see if they can help. I've had them replace two units for me and great service and I felt quite reasonable. Might be worth getting a quote. 908-852-6355
GrascalI highly recommend if you have gas is getting an always on tankless hot water heater…. It heats the water only when you need it. The local Plummer Gallegers installed ours
LibertyThinker I had my hot water heater replaced a little over a year ago. I found out too late that NJ gives a rebate on new heaters. - don't remember the particulars but I think you only have about 90 days to apply. Check with whoever does your installation - they might have some info - or NJ.gov - Not ever sure if they are still offering - but won't hurt to check it out.
Margaret I agree with Greg- do NOT use a store installer- for ANYTHING.
Any worker worth their work- works alone.
Also- given you said the cost was only $419 for the unit- I'm guessing it is an electric heat unit? Not gas?
If so- those are VERY simple to install.. I could show a 10 year old kid who has never touched a tool before how to do it and trust it would work fine *while supervising what I am instructing him*
Even gas- I would shop for a unit that is similar enough to the existing unit that it is 'plug & play' - which would then be super simple.
WAAAAY too many people getting robbed on everything- every day- HVAC, Appliance Repair- Car repair... House repairs....
Makes me sad... go back a generation or 2 and people prided themselves on self-sufficiency.
Josh I looked up my bill for my water heater replacement in 2019. The gas water heater was $669.00 and the entire bill was $1400.00.
I suppose prices have gone up in 5 years. My plumber is Frank's Plumbing Shop.
Lonesome Dove Try H. Anglero General Contracting. Guys name is Hamilton. He will give you a great rate and work with you. They're on Facebook.
Ricky LibertyThinker, did you need to hire an electrician to upgrade your service and panel?
Be careful you have someone knowledgeable do the estimate as well as the work -
I had my gas heater replaced a couple of years ago and the building code has changed since the time the house was built for venting. They had to redo and relocate some exhaust pipe in addition to the simple replacement of the heater. That may be part of the reason for a higher than expected estimate.
GC Thanks to everyone who responded to my dilemma. Looking at the existing electric water heater it is a simple switch of units. Height is 60 1/3" and was installed by Kappers 17years ago; not bad for a Kenmore . Most units today have a 6 year warranty
Robert-
Be aware that often the exact same units can have different warranty simply because of a sacrificial anode.
Also- minor differences in height often can be ignored by modern technology such as-
https://www.amazon.com/SharkBite-Connect-Corrugated-Connection-UR24680/dp/B0CNTM1Q1Y?crid=KZOEDE0FTGRI
Cut the pipes- plug and play
Flip the breaker- unhook wires, drain tank, swap unit- use kit above, rehook wires, fill tank- turn on breaker....save thousands.
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