Erika
New Member
Hi All,
I returned home to find our 1998 A.O. Smith 50-gallon gas WH leaking out the bottom a couple of weeks ago. We drained it, sucked up the water from the floor, etc., then I started researching and getting estimates on having a new unit installed.
After a lot of research, I decided Bradford White looked like the best choice because A.O. Smith doesn't really provide any warranty at all (they have a billion conditions, want people to pay shipping to & fro, admin charges, labor, etc., EVEN if the unit is a lemon and fails in the first year) and Rheem heaters have had a ton of consumer complaints regarding quality and warranty issues.
So now I'm getting estimates on the B.W. replacement, and I'm really shocked because they range from $1000 to $2000! That's for removing the old WH, installing the new B.W. and a 5-gallon(?) expansion tank. We need earthquake straps and a drain pan, too, but we have the straps already and would like to buy our own pan (putting it under the new one during install and plumbing it in the next month).
The estimates seem to be going up, too. Two weeks ago, the top price for a Rheem or A.O. was $1200, with most of the estimates around $1000. Now I'm hearing $1300-2000 for a Bradford White, and I know that brand doesn't cost that much more. One company here even charges the same for B.W., Rheem and A.O., so the price difference can't be that huge.
Our budget for the job is about $1000, which seems quite reasonable from what I've read and everything. I even saw a Canadian guy on this forum just had a B.W. installed for $800 Canadian!
Are these plumbers taking me for a ride because I'm the female half of the couple getting the estimates?
Is $1000 a reasonable ballpark for removing & hauling away the old WH plus installing a new B.W. and expansion tank?
My only other concern w/ the B.W. is potential anode replacement. We only have about 24" of clearance between the top of our current WH and the ceiling. With the periodic maintenance, I'm hoping our new WH will last 8+ years. Does it sound like we'll have enough room to replace the anode in the B.W. unit? Or is 8+ years realistic if we can't replace the anode, but can drain the W.H. periodically and do other DIY maintenance?
Thanks in advance for reading this and your thoughts!
I returned home to find our 1998 A.O. Smith 50-gallon gas WH leaking out the bottom a couple of weeks ago. We drained it, sucked up the water from the floor, etc., then I started researching and getting estimates on having a new unit installed.
After a lot of research, I decided Bradford White looked like the best choice because A.O. Smith doesn't really provide any warranty at all (they have a billion conditions, want people to pay shipping to & fro, admin charges, labor, etc., EVEN if the unit is a lemon and fails in the first year) and Rheem heaters have had a ton of consumer complaints regarding quality and warranty issues.
So now I'm getting estimates on the B.W. replacement, and I'm really shocked because they range from $1000 to $2000! That's for removing the old WH, installing the new B.W. and a 5-gallon(?) expansion tank. We need earthquake straps and a drain pan, too, but we have the straps already and would like to buy our own pan (putting it under the new one during install and plumbing it in the next month).
The estimates seem to be going up, too. Two weeks ago, the top price for a Rheem or A.O. was $1200, with most of the estimates around $1000. Now I'm hearing $1300-2000 for a Bradford White, and I know that brand doesn't cost that much more. One company here even charges the same for B.W., Rheem and A.O., so the price difference can't be that huge.
Our budget for the job is about $1000, which seems quite reasonable from what I've read and everything. I even saw a Canadian guy on this forum just had a B.W. installed for $800 Canadian!
Are these plumbers taking me for a ride because I'm the female half of the couple getting the estimates?
Is $1000 a reasonable ballpark for removing & hauling away the old WH plus installing a new B.W. and expansion tank?
My only other concern w/ the B.W. is potential anode replacement. We only have about 24" of clearance between the top of our current WH and the ceiling. With the periodic maintenance, I'm hoping our new WH will last 8+ years. Does it sound like we'll have enough room to replace the anode in the B.W. unit? Or is 8+ years realistic if we can't replace the anode, but can drain the W.H. periodically and do other DIY maintenance?
Thanks in advance for reading this and your thoughts!