Water Heater Repair/Replacement

Got back into town last night at 10 PM and after a long tiring 12 hour drive I was treated to a busted water heater.

Apparently while we were gone it sprung a big leak. All of the water drained out into the basement.

Some details. The water heater is approx. 12 years old. It is gas.

Anybody care to tell me how much I'm looking at to have a plumber repair/replace (I'm figuring replace) the heater?

Anybody know of a good honest plumber in the Douglasville/Villa Rica/Carrollton area?
 
Thanks for all the PMs I received. Got a crew coming to replace it today for a pretty decent price.
 

Hooked On Quack

REV`REND DR LUV
Matt you might want to check on the tankless water heaters, there was a thread on here yesterday discussing them.
 

crackerdave

Senior Member
Matt you might want to check on the tankless water heaters, there was a thread on here yesterday discussing them.

Good advice!

If you do get a tank type heater,hook a garden hose to the drain at the bottom and run it out in the yard till it runs clear water.If you do that every two or three months,your heater could last 20 years or more. I think Quack's right,though - you'd be happier going tankless.
 
Hope you get taken care of.

I got shafted on an electric water heater install about 2 years ago. I used a family friend because I thought he'd give me the best deal. He came over and unhooked the pipes and wires from the old one. Then, he told me how to drain it. He had to go to Home Depot (1 mile away) for some pipe dope and a fitting and told me to take the empty one out and unbox the new one and put it in the hole. When he got back (30 minutes later), he hooked up 2 pipes and 2 wires and charged me $150. He said it was his standard fee for a water heater installation. I'm an amateur plumber and electrician. I could have done what he did, but I was worried about it being done "to code" by a licensed contractor. If it ever goes out again, you'd better believe I'm doing it myself.
 

Doyle

Senior Member
Here is one tip for you. PLEASE follow this advise if you do it yourself.

BEFORE you start soldering, make sure the screw-in fittings on the top are properly tightened down. I installed a new GE (that's what I get for buying GE crap) and went to fill it with water and I heard air escaping from the top fittings. The factory had never tightened them down. I had to unsolder my fittings, turn them tight, dry them out, and re-solder them.
 
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