Well crap.....I need a new water heater

[1srelluc]

23 years before it went tits-up.....Not a bad run.....It was a Bradford-White.

At least my plumber got right on top of it early this morning....They are about finished with the installation.

He suggested I go with a GE this go round because they have been having issues with the newer BWs.

 

[martybegan]

23 years before it went tits-up.....Not a bad run.....It was a Bradford-White.

At least my plumber got right on top of it early this morning....They are about finished with the installation.

He suggested I go with a GE this go round because they have been having issues with the newer BWs.

Anything more than 15 years is basically bonus service.

Lemme guess. Bottom rotted out?

 

[odanny]

Required it to be replumbed, but here is mine, and tankless water heaters are great. So many benefits to having this. Navien makes the best one.

 

[martybegan]

Required it to be replumbed, but here is mine, and tankless water heaters are great. So many benefits to having this. Navien makes the best one.



View attachment 963655

you just have to make sure you size it properly, or anyone who's a 1 hour shower fan is going to use water faster than it can heat it.

 

[marvin martian]

23 years before it went tits-up.....Not a bad run.....It was a Bradford-White.

At least my plumber got right on top of it early this morning....They are about finished with the installation.

He suggested I go with a GE this go round because they have been having issues with the newer BWs.

Be prepared, because they don't make them like they used to. If you're lucky you'll get 5-7 years out of the new one.

 

[1srelluc]

Anything more than 15 years is basically bonus service.

Lemme guess. Bottom rotted out?

Nah, the elements just gave up the ghost but I figured it was time for a new one what with the calcium build-up inside....It's the third one in 34 years on town water so I really can't complain......Except for the price......I figure 2K+ with materials/labor.

I can replace the elements but I draw the line at cutting/fitting copper.....I know my limitations.

Be prepared, because they don't make them like they used to. If you're lucky you'll get 5-7 years out of the new one.

They said they have had real good service from the GEs. They are old school plumbers so anything 10 years plus is good service for them.....Hell most plumbers today don't even work with copper.

 

[progressive hunter]

you just have to make sure you size it properly, or anyone who's a 1 hour shower fan is going to use water faster than it can heat it.

it heats it up the same in the first minute as it does after an hours use,,

they call it unlimited on demand for a reason,,
the sizing is if you have more than one shower and multiple people using them at once,,

 

[martybegan]

it heats it up the same in the first minute as it does after an hours use,,

they call it unlimited on demand for a reason,,
the sizing is if you have more than one shower and multiple people using them at once,,

or a washing machine, or a dishwasher, or regular hot water use etc etc etc.

You lose the buffer capacity that is inherent in a water tank, so you have to take that into account and get a unit that can handle your MAX usage on demand, not the average usage.

 

[petro]

Did mine myself a while back. Sweating copper is not one of my best skills, but after a few tries it has never leaked in years. Just did the shutoff for the washing machine and got 'er first try.

 

[progressive hunter]

or a washing machine, or a dishwasher, or regular hot water use etc etc etc.

You lose the buffer capacity that is inherent in a water tank, so you have to take that into account and get a unit that can handle your MAX usage on demand, not the average usage.

you dnt need the buffer because is constant,,
I have one in my house and one in the mother in laws,,

ours has ran through full load with both washing machine and shower and not had a problem,,
it also helped that a ran a manifold system in the plumbing so we dont get a drop in pressure if you flush the toilet or run any other point of use,,

am getting ready to run an outside hot line to wash the cars,,


if all you had was a tank and ran the washer while taking a shower you got about 10 minutes of hot water and need to wait an hr for it to heat back up,,

 

[martybegan]

you dnt need the buffer because is constant,,
I have one in my house and one in the mother in laws,,

ours has ran through full load with both washing machine and shower and not had a problem,,
it also helped that a ran a manifold system in the plumbing so we dont get a drop in pressure if you flush the toilet or run any other point of use,,

am getting ready to run an outside hot line to wash the cars,,


if all you had was a tank and ran the washer while taking a shower you got about 10 minutes of hot water and need to wait an hr for it to heat back up,,

Because you got it sized right. People who don't take into account the lack of buffer often don't size them right.

 

[1srelluc]

Did mine myself a while back. Sweating copper is not one of my best skills, but after a few tries it has never leaked in years. Just did the shutoff for the washing machine and got 'er first try.

I've done it but I'm not a "practice makes perfect" type of guy on indoor plumbing.

 

[progressive hunter]

Because you got it sized right. People who don't take into account the lack of buffer often don't size them right.

for standard residential theres not a lot of options on size,,

if the demand is going to be higher all you do is turn up the temp to maintain it,,

I run ours at 118 while the mother in law runs hers at 110,,

 

[Votto]

23 years before it went tits-up.....Not a bad run.....It was a Bradford-White.

At least my plumber got right on top of it early this morning....They are about finished with the installation.

He suggested I go with a GE this go round because they have been having issues with the newer BWs.

Your new one will only last about 8 years.

Trust me on that.

 

[1srelluc]

Your new one will only last about 8 years.

Trust me on that.

LOL.....My wife found the bill from the last install......$600.00.

Hell the new water heater cost more than that just by itself.

 

[InstantOn]

Mine's about 10 years old. I thought I was going to need a new one when the hot water started coming out of a faucet steaming. The plumber checked settings, etc. then flushed out the sediment, a lot of minerals, iron and lime. Then he changed the upper and lower sensors. His charge, $220. He estimates a new one installed would run about $1500. Yes, they've gone up in price a lot.
He says they should be flushed about once a month. If the whole tank gets limed up, it's goodbye water heater.

Now I need a new roof. Everything started breaking down immediately after my husband died suddenly and unexpectedly 4 years ago.

 

[justoffal]

or a washing machine, or a dishwasher, or regular hot water use etc etc etc.

You lose the buffer capacity that is inherent in a water tank, so you have to take that into account and get a unit that can handle your MAX usage on demand, not the average usage.

Also teaching the family to just run the hot water bit slower....
My family is big on the hot and warm washing machine settings too.

 

[justoffal]

Mine's about 10 years old. I thought I was going to need a new one when the hot water started coming out of a faucet steaming. The plumber checked settings, etc. then flushed out the sediment, a lot of minerals, iron and lime. Then he changed the upper and lower sensors. His charge, $220. He estimates a new one installed would run about $1500. Yes, they've gone up in price a lot.
He says they should be flushed about once a month. If the whole tank gets limed up, it's goodbye water heater.

Now I need a new roof. Everything started breaking down immediately after my husband died suddenly and unexpectedly 4 years ago.

Things always happen exactly when you don't want them to.

 

[1srelluc]

Also teaching the family to just run the hot water bit slower....
My family is big on the hot and warm washing machine settings too.

I got mine trained-up on some of that.....No extra rinse, cold and warm settings only. Today's detergents don't require a caldron of hot water.....It's not the 1800s anymore.

 

[justoffal]

I got mine trained-up on some of that.....No extra rinse, cold and warm settings only. Today's detergents don't require a caldron of hot water.....It's not the 1800s anymore.

Great pic!