[New Englander]

Originally Posted by G.R.I.T.S.

Consider a tankless water heater before purchasing the 40-gallon.

My home is all electric. Electric and tankless is not a good match.

[Nancy@Pinellas]

We used Dove Plumbing. There were no issues. They came the next day after we called.

[jrref]

Originally Posted by retiredguy123

I doubt that many people will do this. If a $449 water heater lasts only 8 to 10 years, I feel like I got my money's worth.

You are exactly right. Very few will ever do this. Even worse, very few will do any maintenance on their tank like draining it periodically for example. They just install it, and forget about it until it leaks or fails somehow.

If I had a choice of getting the $449.99 special from the "Chuck in a truck" company vs the $900 tank from Mike Scott, I would get the $900 tank. For the extra money I would have more peace of mind that the tank would last longer and Mike Scott would stand behind the product if anything came up.

I'm not saying this is going to happen with the $449 tank but some guys will literally unhook the old tank and replace it with the new tank using all the existing connections. When you ask why they are not replacing the connections or the expansion tank they will say something like "Oh they are fine, no need to replace". They get your money and at some point in the future you will be paying more to replace the expansion tank or whatever they didn't do.

[Sparky365]

Why is there no space to replace the anode rod in the way they are installed.

Does anyone here replace these instead of replacing the tank itself?

[New Englander]

I am the OP. I'm replacing the water heater today because it's 12.5 years old. Two water heaters in my Villas have failed recently. The one a couple of houses from me did a lot of damage. I'm sure a $910 is not the best, but I'm very happy to have a new one today. I can expect the plumber to arrive between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. Also, Mike Scott Plumbing has a good reputation in The Villages.

[craiglittler]

Originally Posted by New Englander

I'm thinking about replacing my 12-year-old water heater. If anyone has done this recently, what plumbing outfit did you use, and what was the total cost? Thanks

It's simple to hook a water heater. Any decent handy man can do it and it shouldn't cost much. It may be an hours work.

[nn0wheremann]

Originally Posted by New Englander

I'm thinking about replacing my 12-year-old water heater. If anyone has done this recently, what plumbing outfit did you use, and what was the total cost? Thanks

Mike Scott. Cost about $900. No problems, no bullsh@t, no issues, no muss no fuss just good service and a working water heater.

[John Sarubbi]

We replaced ours with a 50 gal about 2-3 years ago for $1025. out the door and Dove Plumbing , Wildwood did an excellent job. They also replace some of the push-pull valves under the toilets another time.

[lawgolfer]

Originally Posted by New Englander

I'm thinking about replacing my 12-year-old water heater. If anyone has done this recently, what plumbing outfit did you use, and what was the total cost? Thanks

Whichever brand or model of water heater you choose, add a Watts pump that recirculates the hot water throughout your house. You will then have hot water at each tap within seconds. You'll save a few dollars on your monthly water bill by not wasting water while waiting for hot water to reach the taps. More important is the pleasure you'll receive by not standing naked and out of the way of the stream of water in your shower, waiting for the hot water.

Drain and flush the tank of the new water heater every year. This removes sediment from settling in the bottom of the tank. This is particularly important with gas water heaters as the sediment can grow to inches thick at the bottom of the tank requiring that it be heated before the water is heated.

Finally, replace the anode rod every 5 years. This rod will be aluminum or magnesium and is "sacrificial" which means that it will corrode instead of the iron tank. After the first replacement, you can adjust the number of years before making future replacements of the anode. If at the first replacement at 5 years, the aluminum or magnesium is completely gone, make the next replacement at 4 years. If the anode still has a fair amount of aluminum or magnesium at 5 years, you can extend the time for the next replacement to 6 years.

It is corrosion in the iron tank that, ultimately, creates a hole in the tank that requires its replacement. With regular draining of the tank and replacement of the sacrificial anode, a water heater can last for many years. Ours is now on its 22nd year. If the tank is not rusting the only parts that can fail are the heating rods in an electric heater, or the burner or the thermocouple in a gas heater.

With the heater's tank protected by a functioning sacrificial anode, the item in the system that is most likely to fail is the expansion tank. The metal wall of the expansion tank is relatively thin, will rust and, eventually, develop a leak.

I know to expect a response to this post by a good ole boy who will say that he's NEVER replaced the sacrificial anode and that doing so is a waste of money. Should you read that, remember that there are people who never change the oil in their cars.

[jrref]

Originally Posted by Sparky365

Why is there no space to replace the anode rod in the way they are installed.

Does anyone here replace these instead of replacing the tank itself?

When you replace the anode rod in an existing installation you need to unscrew it, pull it up as much as you can, place a vice grip of something where it enters the tank and saw it in two pieces with a hack saw. The new anode rod will be one with links so you can replace it.

[jrref]

Originally Posted by lawgolfer

Whichever brand or model of water heater you choose, add a Watts pump that recirculates the hot water throughout your house. You will then have hot water at each tap within seconds. You'll save a few dollars on your monthly water bill by not wasting water while waiting for hot water to reach the taps. More important is the pleasure you'll receive by not standing naked and out of the way of the stream of water in your shower, waiting for the hot water.

Drain and flush the tank of the new water heater every year. This removes sediment from settling in the bottom of the tank. This is particularly important with gas water heaters as the sediment can grow to inches thick at the bottom of the tank requiring that it be heated before the water is heated.

Finally, replace the anode rod every 5 years. This rod will be aluminum or magnesium and is "sacrificial" which means that it will corrode instead of the iron tank. After the first replacement, you can adjust the number of years before making future replacements of the anode. If at the first replacement at 5 years, the aluminum or magnesium is completely gone, make the next replacement at 4 years. If the anode still has a fair amount of aluminum or magnesium at 5 years, you can extend the time for the next replacement to 6 years.

It is corrosion in the iron tank that, ultimately, creates a hole in the tank that requires its replacement. With regular draining of the tank and replacement of the sacrificial anode, a water heater can last for many years. Ours is now on its 22nd year. If the tank is not rusting the only parts that can fail are the heating rods in an electric heater, or the burner or the thermocouple in a gas heater.

With the heater's tank protected by a functioning sacrificial anode, the item in the system that is most likely to fail is the expansion tank. The metal wall of the expansion tank is relatively thin, will rust and, eventually, develop a leak.

I know to expect a response to this post by a good ole boy who will say that he's NEVER replaced the sacrificial anode and that doing so is a waste of money. Should you read that, remember that there are people who never change the oil in their cars.

You are doing the right thing. The problem is if you can do it yourself great but if you can't I believe a plumber will chage $200-$300 to drain and replace the rod so most don't do it.

[retiredguy123]

Originally Posted by jrref

The main reason is the anode rod in the 12 year tank will be thicker than the 6 year tank. They list this in their specifications. The performance of the anode rod will determine the longevity of the tank. Remember, the anode rod is a sacrifical rod that protects the tank from corrosion.

The other option if you are handy is to get the 6 year tank and purchase an electronic anode rod. You can get these on Amazon. Then at installation have the tech remove the anode rod and install the electronic rod. You will void the warranty but from what everyone has indicated the warrany is not worth much anyway. With the electronic rod the tank should last a very long time.

Two points:

1. My water heater location has no outlet to plug in the electronic anode.
2. I question if the installer will agree to install a new anode on a new water heater. I tend to doubt that they will, especially since the warranty will be voided.

[collie1228]

I do my own plumbing and have replaced several water heaters, both gas and electric, over the years. I have never had a warranty claim; my heaters have all exceeded their warranty periods. I don’t see a need for a longer warranty, as a good quality water heater is pretty bulletproof.

[jrref]

Originally Posted by retiredguy123

Two points:

1. My water heater location has no outlet to plug in the electronic anode.
2. I question if the installer will agree to install a new anode on a new water heater. I tend to doubt that they will, especially since the warranty will be voided.

Right so to use the electronic anode rod you need electric and you probably need to do it yourself or get a handyman to do it. Several of us in my Village got together and did the work ourselves.

[jrref]

Originally Posted by collie1228

I do my own plumbing and have replaced several water heaters, both gas and electric, over the years. I have never had a warranty claim; my heaters have all exceeded their warranty periods. I don’t see a need for a longer warranty, as a good quality water heater is pretty bulletproof.

I'm assuming you also did your own maintenance on your water heaters?