New water heater needed - local plumber or Home Depot, Lowes (2024)

I believe that a direct word of mouth referral to a local plumber is probably your best bet - it may be worthwhile to ask some friends whose opinions you value. It would be great to have researched your options (time permitting) prior to your first conversation so you can compare notes and ask the plumber's opinion on the ideal solution for your application.

I recently replaced my traditional 80 gallon water heater with an AO Smith Vertex 50 gallon unit. For my purposes, this unit represented the best combination of efficiency (similar to tankless) and throughput (better than my traditional, larger tank heater). It was a lot more expensive than a traditional unit, but it was a trade I was willing to make for a variety of reasons. There are a lot of options that may suit your needs these days, so it may make sense to have a conversation with a trusted professional before pulling the trigger.

Good luck!

An 80 gallon water heater replacement is not DIY for an amateur.

Smaller water heaters can be managed by one or two people who are newbies, but the size of heater you have requires someone who knows how to muscle it into place without dropping it. Ask neighbors for recommendations of a local plumber.

Folks,

Thank you all! I had also sent e-mails to local friends, and will check their replies. And Pennstate, will definitely get at least 3 quotes.

I went with a local handyman that I had used before.
I bought the water heater myself and had it delivered and he installed it. I think that it was $50.00 and I would have paid more. It had to be installed in the attic of a 2 story house. He earned his $$$ that day.
Oh yeah, I didn't know it but he told me that I could leave the old one at the curb and someone would haul it away.
One thing that I had not considered was the piping capacity as to size and pressure. It turned out that what we had in place was adequate.

Good luck

Last week I paid $1250 total for a Rheem 75 gallon non-power vent gas water heater installed by a plumber in the midwest. The job took about 2 hours. Considering the size and its location in the basem*nt, the money was well worth it. The tank has a 6 year warranty and 3 years on labor from the plumber. The last one I had installed 5 years ago by Lowes and while the install was okay the tank shouldn't have leaked at 5 years. The burner control unit went out after two years. That soured my view on the quality of water heaters the big boxes stock.

As it is pretty standard work I was able to get quotes over the phone.

Cherokee8215 wrote:I went with Home Depot when mine suddenly sprang a leak. The total price was immediately available in the store, and they were able to come and install it the next day. I called several local plumbers, and they wouldn't give a price without looking at the house, which they couldn't do for at least a couple of days, then it would be a few more days to schedule the installation. Since the Home Depot price seemed fair, but I'm guessing not the cheapest, I didn't feel like going without hot water for a week to save a few dollars.

Not a hot water heater but a gas dryer . Home depot sent an UNLICENSED installer to put in the gas dryer. They had pulled a permit but he "didn't have it with him". I appears the plan was to have someone sign it who never checked the installation. To put it mildly I "objected" . Long story short they got a licensed person to install it . (NB in some states licensed gas pipe fitters can install dryers or the gas connection to a water heater)

The big box stores will contract out the install to a local plumber, so your install quality will vary. Mine failed the building department inspection and I opted to correct the issue myself which then passed the second inspection.

Keep in mind the install cost quoted will be for a normal perfect install. If they have to do anything to fix your venting or gas piping it will be extra. Any modifications to bring you upto code will be extra.

My my building department required a new flexible gas pipe with the install, the plumber informed me of this while draining the existing heater and told me I could either go purchase a new one from the bog box store or he could use his which would cost more then big box store. I opted to run out and purchase one.

I just replaced a water heater in a rental unit and used my regular plumber. The one that failed was likely 40 years old.

I trust my plumber to replace components with those of good quality (and I find that the quality of merchandise in big box stores, in general, is in a constant slow decline). He chose an AO Smith unit made in the USA, and he replaced several gate valves that he thought needed replacing with good ball valves.

Bottom line, a working relationship with a good tradesman is valuable. Hopefully your acquaintances can provide a recommendation.

In the past seven years, I have replaced a dishwasher, a clothes washer and a hot water heater, all purchased through Home Depot. In all cases, there was a 10% off special and free delivery. I was pleased with all of the products and the installation provided by Home Depot.

When I needed a new air conditioner, I got three bids. The one that I went with was a company that sub-contracted with Home Depot. The company itself had a good reputation. The company owner personally came to my home to explain the pricing and the tax credit available that year. I was impressed with the sales promotion by the company, the company reputation and the fact that Home Depot stood behind their product and installation.

Recently I had a breakdown of a pressure washer purchased at Home Depot. After visiting the store, and getting lots of advice on Bogleheads, I called Home Depot customer service. I explained the problem. They agreed they had had a lot of complaints about the unit I had purchased for them. They agreed to give me a $50 gift certificate, which would more than cover the defective part. Because of the complexity of the repair, which I would have to do myself I purchased a new pressure washer (highly rated through my research) through Amazon but will use the $50 gift certificate at Home Depot.

Overall I have been very satisfied with the way in which Home Depot does business. I am in SW Florida. I don't know if others that live elsewhere have had the same experience, but I know that I will continue to shop at the local store.

Having done a lot of home improvement projects, I would definitely go with a local plumber than with Lowes or Home Depot. The big box stores tend to contract out to the lowest bidder. I learned that the hard way when I had Lowes install a door. They did really shoddy work and took absolutely no pride in their work.

If you're in a hurry (which it sounds like you are), I would just pick any of the larger plumbing companies in your area. If it's an emergency, they should be able to get to it in a hurry.

Otherwise, I would call three places and get three estimates. Then pick the one you feel most comfortable with. You might not need to get multiple estimates if someone you trust can provide you with a good recommendation.

I just had our water heater replaced a couple weeks back. Ours was gas, which luckily prevented me from attempting a DIY job.

2 people from the local Plumbing/Heating shop were here for about 5 hours. It was not a small job. I'm sure natural gas and moving water lines factored in. We have a small utility room which did not help.

I am usually inclined to DIY, but I was very happy to pay the $1,500 this time. I'm 100% sure I could have done it cheaper myself (maybe saved 50%), but I might still be working on it weeks later. The 4 other members of the family (all female) would not have been happy to be without hot water during that time period.

The Home Depot GE "Best" version I bought and had installed by Home Depot contractors with lifetime warranty leaked at less than 4 years. It was a Friday morning before a three day weekend. The number I had to call for "lifetime warranty" service was in India and they claimed there was no possible service appointments until Tuesday of next week. I told them that was unacceptable and have a supervisor call me. They assured me they would and they never called back.

So I called the local Home Depot and they said they would exchange it straight across but couldn't help with the service. So I got another "best quality" GE hot water heater at no additional charge and was able to find a large plumbing company to install it same day at my expense. There are dozens of plumbing companies in town (major metro area) that will do same day hot water heater installs so the Home Depot claim of no service availability was just a lie. They probably assume most people will get service elsewhere when told of the long waits and no same day/weekend/night/holiday service under the warranty contract. I tried to work with the Home Depot warranty repair division but it's just an offshore contract to some outfit in India and they just said too bad we offered you an appointment five days out but you didn't use us for the replacement labor so tough luck.

Thank you all for your input. Wound up buying a Sears Kenmore (AO Smith) 80 gallon w/ a 12 year warranty for the tank, and only 1 year labor. Had forgotten a friend was a retired plumber. When his wife heard that ours needed replaced, she asked did I want him to do it? Rhetorical Q - *G*. So nice to be able to shower with hot H2O again!

FWIW - did a LOT of research online, and re: manufacturers, concluded that "you pay your money & take your chances". Inconsistency in premature failure - some reputed excellent failed early, others didn't - eg. Bradford White & Rheem come to mind. So I rolled the dice with the Kenmore.

amoeba wrote:My water heater is getting up there in age. Is preemptive replacement recommended?

I don't see why it would hurt. Mine made it to around 20 years. However, when it failed, it started leaking profusely. If I didn't have a floor drain nearby in the basem*nt, I probably would have come home after a 3-day trip to find my basem*nt completely flooded. If yours could cause damage to your home by leaking for an extended period while you're not home, then I would probably go for preemptive replacement. However, I would probably wait until the warranty period (usually 9 or 12 years I think) has expired.

As others have pointed out, purchase and installation are two separate matters. I have a new wood floor. I picked out and bought the wood from the supplier I chose. The installer had nothing to do with choosing the wood I wanted. What the installer did was go and pick up the wood from the supplier and install it in my house. Several of the responses here reflect the exact same experience with a water heater, although some had the seller deliver so the installer didn't have to do the pick up.

Edit: I just saw that that is what you did. Enjoy your shower!

amoeba wrote:My water heater is getting up there in age. Is preemptive replacement recommended?

You can extend the life of a water heater by replacing the anode. IIRC, this is recommended every 5 years or so. It is much less expensive than a new tank. I had a plumber do this recently, and the total cost was about $100. You could also DIY if you are good at plumbing.
Jeff

amoeba wrote:My water heater is getting up there in age. Is preemptive replacement recommended?

Another option is an inexpensive water leak detector, like this one: http://www.amazon.com/Zircon-Leak-Alert ... B002Q8GRPG . $10 each, and you can place them behind washing machines, under sinks, behind fridges with ice makers, in crawlspaces under pipes, etc.

jsl11 wrote:

amoeba wrote:My water heater is getting up there in age. Is preemptive replacement recommended?

You can extend the life of a water heater by replacing the anode. IIRC, this is recommended every 5 years or so. It is much less expensive than a new tank. I had a plumber do this recently, and the total cost was about $100. You could also DIY if you are good at plumbing.
Jeff

Good tip on the anode. Just put in a new water heater last year. This sounds like an inexpensive way to maintain it.

I use my local plumber for ALL plumbing work - toilets, sinks, water heaters, etc. He has been in business for 40+ years and has done an excellent job for me for 15 years.

When my water heater needs replacing on the holiday weekend, he will be there to do it. No extra charges for the holidays or "emergency calls."

I want nothing to do with the big box hardware stores.

Jonathan wrote:

amoeba wrote:My water heater is getting up there in age. Is preemptive replacement recommended?

Another option is an inexpensive water leak detector, like this one: http://www.amazon.com/Zircon-Leak-Alert ... B002Q8GRPG . $10 each, and you can place them behind washing machines, under sinks, behind fridges with ice makers, in crawlspaces under pipes, etc.

Weird pricing.

1 pack is 9.34
2 pack are 19.79
3 pack are 29.98

saladdin wrote:Weird pricing.

1 pack is 9.34
2 pack are 19.79
3 pack are 29.98

Look at list. Look at discount. One is not weird. Two is weird. One minus Two gives you your weird.

For those for whom clicking is difficult:

You Save:$7.65
You Save:$5.20
You Save:$3.01

What is more important is the type of water heater.
I had Crown water heater installed over 20 years ago and has a warranty for life as long as I own the house.

If you plan on staying there, then you should make the warranty the first consideration.

jsl11 wrote:

amoeba wrote:My water heater is getting up there in age. Is preemptive replacement recommended?

You can extend the life of a water heater by replacing the anode. IIRC, this is recommended every 5 years or so. It is much less expensive than a new tank. I had a plumber do this recently, and the total cost was about $100. You could also DIY if you are good at plumbing.
Jeff

Or do it yourself for $20 (assuming that you don't need a flexible anode).
http://www.waterheaterrescue.com/pages/ ... nodes.html
http://smile.amazon.com/Rheem-SP11526C- ... 009AXFTRW/

Big box store
Pros: If any customer service disputes happen as a result of the transaction they almost invariably end up giving in whether the customer is actually right or wrong. If anything goes wrong they aren't likely to argue over giving you some money back for your inconvenience. It's not coming out of the pocket of the customer service rep who will resolve it so they don'tcare.
Cons: Usually more expensive.

Private plumber:
Pros: Same or better quality work for cheaper if you pick a good one.
Cons: More research is involved to verify there is a reputation for quality work and good customer service.

Also realize, Home Depot and Lowes don't have a staff of plumbers on salary waiting for your call. They subcontract to local guys who do a certain number of jobs for big box stores when things get slow. I prefer to just deal direct with the plumber and know when he comes to work on my home he is staking his livelihood and the reputation of his own business on his handiwork and he doesn't get to hide behind Lowes or HD.

For emergency purposes and for a lot of our other needs we recently found a nearby HVAC/plumbing company with an excellent reputation and have formed a relationship with them. They are not cheap but they do the work correctly every time and respond quickly to emergencies at all times. They have guys on call for that sort of stuff, so it's not like trying to reach out to a one-man operation where I need to be lucky and catch him while he's not doing something that prevents him from jumping in his truck and coming right over.

I should added to my previous post about the crown tank that the anode is stainless steel and is going strong at 20 plus years. It is also recommended that some water be drained annually to clear out any metal.
I drained out water on my tank every few years and the water was very clear because of stainless, so I stopped.

I would recommend a local plumber. Ask around for recommendations.

scooter wrote:the anode is stainless steel

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talk%3AElectrolysis

The use of stainless steel(SS) as an anode should be approached with great caution or best yet, avoided altogether. SS contains chromium. No matter what misinformation you may have read on the internet, SS anodes ARE INDEED consumed. During consumption highly toxic chromates are released into the electrolyte. Hexavalent chromium is extremely toxic and highly carcinogenic. Disposal of this electrolyte into the ground or down the drain is illegal and poses risks of contaminating ground water and city water supplies. Touching this chromate-containing electrolyte must also be avoided by all means.

My gas water heater stopped working. I relit the pilot light after several attempts. It went out by the next morning. I went to Home Depot, but they do not have an installation agreement with a plumber at present. So I drove to Lowe's, and purchased a Whirlpool. I am waiting to hear from the installer today. My luck with local service people of any kind has been dismal. Having an installation arrangement with a big box store requires some experience and a good record. That is why I went that route. I will soon discover if that was a prudent choice.

Jerry

NAVigator wrote:My gas water heater stopped working. I relit the pilot light after several attempts. It went out by the next morning. I went to Home Depot, but they do not have an installation agreement with a plumber at present. So I drove to Lowe's, and purchased a Whirlpool. I am waiting to hear from the installer today. My luck with local service people of any kind has been dismal. Having an installation arrangement with a big box store requires some experience and a good record. That is why I went that route. I will soon discover if that was a prudent choice.

Jerry

Jerry,
You may just need a new thermocouple. That is the sensor that assures the pilot light is on before turning on the gas. It is an inexpensive item. If your tank is not too old, you may not need to replace it. Ask the plumber about it before he starts to install the new tank. Alternatively, if you are a little handy, you could replace the thermocouple yourself. If that is all you need, perhaps the tank can be returned.
Jeff

Jeff, thanks for the suggestion about the thermocouple. I thought about it and looked closely, as in close to the floor, to determine if I could replace it. I then checked the records from the previous homeowner and learned that it has been heating water for 31 years! It has done well during its life span, but it is now time to get recycled. I will ask the installer, but he will bring the replacement when he comes, so he might be biased toward installing the new one.

Jerry

NAVigator wrote:My gas water heater stopped working. I relit the pilot light after several attempts. It went out by the next morning. I went to Home Depot, but they do not have an installation agreement with a plumber at present. So I drove to Lowe's, and purchased a Whirlpool. I am waiting to hear from the installer today. My luck with local service people of any kind has been dismal. Having an installation arrangement with a big box store requires some experience and a good record. That is why I went that route. I will soon discover if that was a prudent choice.

Jerry

I hope for your sake that your new Whirlpool hot water heater works out better than my parents' new Whirlpool hot water heater. I still get mad just thinking about how poorly Whirlpool and their warranty technician treated my parents in the process, when it died at barely 6 months old. I won't get into details, because it could have been a fluke of the area (Whirlpool sent out a company with a less-than-stellar rating on the BBB to do the warranty work). But in the end, it was less hassle to chuck the Whirlpool in the dump and replace it with a new GE from Home Depot than to get the warranty repair work done.

NAVigator wrote:My gas water heater stopped working. I relit the pilot light after several attempts. It went out by the next morning. I went to Home Depot, but they do not have an installation agreement with a plumber at present. So I drove to Lowe's, and purchased a Whirlpool. I am waiting to hear from the installer today. My luck with local service people of any kind has been dismal. Having an installation arrangement with a big box store requires some experience and a good record. That is why I went that route. I will soon discover if that was a prudent choice.

Jerry

I would encourage you to do some research on Whirlpool water heaters before you have it installed. They have horrendous reviews. Unfortunately I installed mine before I discovered this. I'm keeping my fingers crossed. I had a plumber come over for another issue and he gave me a very sympathetic look when he saw it.

Thanks for the experiences and reviews of a Whirlpool water heater. Today I called the store and was able to cancel the purchase (refund to the credit card) and the installation. The current unit I have remains lit and the water is hot. I will investigate other manufacturers and models. This was a timely post for me.

Jerry