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Mike Scott will replace my 21 year old State gas heater for $850 with a 50 gallon Rheem. It's cheaper because they get a $350 instant rebate from TECO. 6 year warranty from Rheem, 1 year from Mike Scott. They had no gas water heater options other than capacity. Next day service.

[jrref]

Originally Posted by mtdjed

What was the problem with the water heater? Was it leaking or just not heating the water? I was told by a reputable plumbing company that I needed a new water heater to replace my gas water heater. My water heater had no leaks, rust or damage. It just did not heat the water. At the advice of a friend with plumbing experience, he suggested replacing the thermocouple. That cost less than $50 and all is well. Tank is 18 years old.

I agree that the older a tank gets, the more likely it is to fail. But a water tank is nothing but a tank to hold water and a means to heat water and valves to safely deliver fuel and water.

When my tank failed to heat water, I could visually see that the pilot light was out. I tried to use the ignitor to restart but the pilot flame would not stay on. I called "reputable" plumber, and two reps came. They told me that ignitor not working and valve any other parts would need to be replaced and cost not worth it on an old water heater. Having used the ignitor before calling, I knew it was a scam. They never even suggested that it most likely would be the thermocouple.

By the way, I got my $100 fee reimbursed when I related my story.

It would be great if someone could find or put together a simple troubleshooting guide to help residents understand options and costs.

All reputuable companies should recommend replacement on a 10 year old or more water heater no matter what's wrong. At that point you are gambling on when the heater will fail and possibly cause major damage to your home. Some heaters can last for 20 years or more and there's always "that guy" bragging about it. But most fail within a couple years of their warranty date depending on your water. What you don't hear are "those guys" who gambled and came home to a flood where not only did the heater need to be changed but they had the added expense of repairing all the damage to the home. And lets not forget the "guy" who's heater was leaking and they didn't know it only to find out after the fact and had to deal with mold as well. So you have a choice. Replace your heater within a couple years after it's warrenty is up and be able to shop around and get a good contractor and price at your convenience or gamble on when it's going to leak and deal with all the colleratal consequences of the leak and have to rush and install any heater, usually with emergency pricing, to get your hot water back.

[tophcfa]

Originally Posted by jrref

All reputuable companies should recommend replacement on a 10 year old or more water heater no matter what's wrong. At that point you are gambling on when the heater will fail and possibly cause major damage to your home. Some heaters can last for 20 years or more and there's always "that guy" bragging about it. But most fail within a couple years of their warranty date depending on your water. What you don't hear are "those guys" who gambled and came home to a flood where not only did the heater need to be changed but they had the added expense of repairing all the damage to the home. And lets not forget the "guy" who's heater was leaking and they didn't know it only to find out after the fact and had to deal with mold as well. So you have a choice. Replace your heater within a couple years after it's warrenty is up and be able to shop around and get a good contractor and price at your convenience or gamble on when it's going to leak and deal with all the colleratal consequences of the leak and have to rush and install any heater, usually with emergency pricing, to get your hot water back.

Hmmm, if our leaks when we are at the home, we will quickly know and shut off the water. If it leaks when we aren’t there the water will already be shut off. I understand a leak will spill the contents of the water in the tank even if the water is shut off. Since our tank is in the garage, no big deal, the tires of the golf carts might get a little wet. I’m not going to replace a perfectly functional heater just because it turned 10 years old.

[jrref]

Originally Posted by tophcfa

Hmmm, if our leaks when we are at the home, we will quickly know and shut off the water. If it leaks when we aren’t there the water will already be shut off. I understand a leak will spill the contents of the water in the tank even if the water is shut off. Since our tank is in the garage, no big deal, the tires of the golf carts might get a little wet. I’m not going to replace a perfectly functional heater just because it turned 10 years old.

When you go away for the day do you turn OFF the water? When you are not there and turn OFF your water, do you drain the 40-50 gallons in the tank? The point is the tank usually develops a small leak but it also can develop a large leak. Usually, leaks start and the homeowner is unaware because the water heater is probably one of the most ignored appliance in the home. When this happens, we often hear of long term water damage, mold and damage to the wood platform the heater is sitting on and in adjacent rooms to the garage.

[retiredguy123]

It is good to know that most Villages houses have a valve on the cold water line just before it enters the water heater. If your water heater is leaking, you can close this valve and it will shut off the hot water, but you will still have cold water in the house. So, it is not necessary to close the main water shutoff valve to the entire house.

Also, I have a battery operated water alarm located in the water heater drain overflow pan. Recently, this alarm alerted me to a pinhole leak in the expansion tank. So, I was able to get the expansion tank replaced with no water damage to the house.

[CybrSage]

Another common failure is the pressure relief valve failing and opening fully, spraying gallons of water out at a high pressure.

My home came with a tankless system. The heating portion is outside, which means in the summer my hot water starts at 90 - 100°F for free.
Another upside is no tank, so no failure worries. I still shut the main water valve if I go away for more than a day, just to be safe.

[JimJoe]

My pilot light would not stay lit. I called Rheem and they sent me a new gas burner under warranty overnight. Rheem has a recommended installers on their website. I called one and the job was done the next day. Apparently there was a problem with some gas burners. I had to pay for installation.

[cliff02]

If it’s gas , techo will finance it and send a contractor to replace at a great discount. I’ve heard stories of $1500 replacements. Mine was under $900 . If electric I’d call seco and see if they have a similar deal

[mtdjed]

Originally Posted by jrref

All reputuable companies should recommend replacement on a 10 year old or more water heater no matter what's wrong. At that point you are gambling on when the heater will fail and possibly cause major damage to your home. Some heaters can last for 20 years or more and there's always "that guy" bragging about it. But most fail within a couple years of their warranty date depending on your water. What you don't hear are "those guys" who gambled and came home to a flood where not only did the heater need to be changed but they had the added expense of repairing all the damage to the home. And lets not forget the "guy" who's heater was leaking and they didn't know it only to find out after the fact and had to deal with mold as well. So you have a choice. Replace your heater within a couple years after it's warrenty is up and be able to shop around and get a good contractor and price at your convenience or gamble on when it's going to leak and deal with all the colleratal consequences of the leak and have to rush and install any heater, usually with emergency pricing, to get your hot water back.

That is bad info. You are basically saying that you should expect the water heater to last only 10 years and that if anything wrong , replace it. That could be interpreted as saying you should plan on replacement and automatically replace the water heater whether anything is wrong or not. My water heater is in my garage and can leak for days and nothing will be damaged. I am 80 years old and have never replaced a water heater. Had several repaired and have done some repairs myself. Not interested in some income hungry water heater repair company telling me what they are selling is a throw away after 10 years. Be my guest and replace after every 5 years to be extra safe. By the way, if it fails shut it off. Then get a new one if necessary. They don't explode.

[eremite06]

Originally Posted by Lottoguy

If you have TECO for your natural gas, they have a great install deal. They just add $15.00 to your monthly bill for five years interest free. Call them up and ask about it.
TECO Energy

Originally Posted by cliff02

If it’s gas , techo will finance it and send a contractor to replace at a great discount. I’ve heard stories of $1500 replacements. Mine was under $900 . If electric I’d call seco and see if they have a similar deal

Just got off the phone with TECO. It's $15.99 mo. or $960 over 5 Years, you hire the plumber who may charge an out of pocket on top. TECO warranty is 1 yr. on the install. Manufacturer warrants for 5 years. The other way is you hire the plumber, pay him in full, then apply for a $350 rebate from TECO that takes 6 weeks to receive,

[NobodyCares]

Originally Posted by MightyDog

No, if Lottoguy stated it correctly, it's far more than that.

$15 x 12 = $180 p/yr x 15 yrs = $2700

Whooo wee, that would be the most expensive water heater I've ever come across.

Slight error in your math - 5 years not 15 thus (180 * 5 = $900) big difference!