Loading…
28
My water heater let go on a Sunday night and the $1,200 plumber quote got me thinking
Two Sundays back around 9pm I heard dripping under the laundry room floor, and by morning there was an inch of water sitting on the concrete. The plumber wanted $1,200 to swap in a new 40 gallon unit, which felt steep, so I'm weighing doing the swap myself against just paying it. My neighbor says a straight swap is a weekend job with a buddy and a couple sharkbite fittings, but a guy in my shop swears you should always pull a permit in Bernalillo County in case insurance ever asks. I've done some tile and drywall work at my place, but I've never touched gas or water lines. Worth the risk to save $700, or is this one where you just write the check?
1 comments
Log in to join the discussion
Log In1 Comment
mitchell.terry19d ago
Nothing says "fun Sunday night" like standing in an inch of water at 9pm wondering how much your weekend is about to cost you. Look, swapping a water heater is one of those jobs that looks easy on YouTube right up until you're dealing with 40 gallons of sloshing tank, a gas line you've never touched, and a drain pan that's now a swimming pool. Sharkbites are great and all, but gas is a whole different animal, and if you get that fitting wrong your house becomes a very expensive campfire. The permit thing is real too, because if something floods or blows later, your insurance company is gonna ask questions and "my buddy and I watched a video" is not gonna cut it. My honest take is pay the $1,200 if you can swing it, because saving $700 now can turn into five grand of damage later, and a pro will pull the permit and haul the old tank away.
2