MM - Need quick advice

hoffse · January 2015

OK so I had the day off today and went out to the garage to see how much paint we were going to need to buy for our back room remodel. I find a big BIG puddle of water in the garage. Our water heater is leaking. I look online, and I read that it's the pressure valve, so I release some pressure and it slows the drip down. Still doesn't stop it.

We are having a plumber fix the smell in our basement on Wednesday. I called him, and he says that he can try to repair the water heater or we can replace it. Our gas company gives us a $350 rebate for upgrading water heaters, and this one was manufactured in 1991. Seriously, it was scheduled to die like 15 years ago. He says the cost of the new heater plus installation should run us about $1,000. With the $350 rebate, it will be probably $650-$750 when all is said and done.

So H and I decide to proceed with the replacement because it's still dripping. The guy is scheduled to come tomorrow afternoon.

I just checked it to empty the bucket, and the dripping has stopped. Water is hot and everything now seems fine.

What would MM do? Proceed with the replacement? Or call him to cancel? He's going to buy a water heater if he shows up tomorrow, so we really need to call tonight if we are going to cancel. On the other hand, it's just a matter of time before it dies for good, and I don't want to deal with a mini flood in our garage again. He seriously laughed out loud when I told him the brand... the manufacturer apparently went out of business years ago.

The price of this would come out of the e-fund. It looks like I seriously overdid it with tax withholdings since we bought the house this year, so we should be getting a pretty big tax refund back. I've calculated it already, and it will be more than enough to cover the costs of the water heater replacement. We will pay back the e-fund when the tax refund appears.

What would MM do?

hoffse · January 2015

Oh one other thing I forgot to mention - the plumber also said that state laws are changing and on April 1 he will no longer be able to install this kind of water heater for us. I guess it's bigger than he will be able to do going forward. I like the guy, and he does a good job. That's not a huge consideration, but it's one reason we originally decided to have him replace it instead of repair it.

smerka · January 2015

I would replace it now. Water heaters are supposed to Have some maintenance done yearly, namely clearing that valve. Now that we have kids, we use a lot more hot water between the dishwasher and showers. I'd rather have a bigger model for that reason. Or an on demand unit.

CuriousKiddosMama · January 2015

replace it now. I wouldn't wait, especially because it sounds like after april 1st it will be more expensive. And you know it needs done.

als1982 · January 2015

I would replace it now. That said, unless your tank is huge, $1,000 sounds like a lot. I replaced ours 2 years ago and our mid-range model cost right at $700 including installation (from Lowes).

blondie42107 · January 2015

I would replace it. We had our's quit unexpectedly. It wasn't awful but we noticed first thing in the morning (no warm/hot showers). Our plumber couldn't get out until the next morning.

HoneyBee973 · January 2015

I would definitely replace it now.

Wulfgar · January 2015

I would replace it now if you want to replace it with one of similar size. It sounds like you have the money to do this. Also, it is better to replace when it is limping instead of when it dies. I have noticed that water heaters and heating/cooling devices love to die at the worse times. Also, the new unit will save you money since it will be more fuel efficient then the 1991 version.

vlagrl29 · January 2015

Another replace now vote

formerlyGDaisy09 · January 2015

Replace it now so it doesn't become an emergency later. have you thought about an on demand heater? we love ours, the unit is tiny, and we never run out of hot water (except that one time last year when we ran out of propane!). the one draw back is that the unit has to kick on, so when you turn the water on it isn't immediately hot, the trade off is you're not constantly keeping a tank of water hot.

Xstatic3333 · January 2015

Gdaisy09 said:
Replace it now so it doesn't become an emergency later. have you thought about an on demand heater? we love ours, the unit is tiny, and we never run out of hot water (except that one time last year when we ran out of propane!). the one draw back is that the unit has to kick on, so when you turn the water on it isn't immediately hot, the trade off is you're not constantly keeping a tank of water hot.

This. I'd replace it, but also look into upgrade options when you do. Yes, it takes a minute to warm up but most places I've lived have been that way so it doesn't really phase me. It's definitely helped our bills.

Erikan73 · January 2015

Another replace it now. You're in a position financially where it won't be too huge of a hit for you since you can put take some tax return money to replenish your e-fund. Consider the leak a warning that the water tank is about to totally die on you. Replacing it this week means you won't have to experience a cold shower unexpectedly. And also you won't have to pay any emergency repair prices either. Chances are with getting something newer, it's going to be more efficient so you'll save some money too.

hoffse · January 2015

Thanks all, yes our tank is pretty huge, and he will be replacing it with a similar-sized unit that qualifies for the rebate - they have a list. He will also need to replace a few pipes going to it (including the gasline) because they are all corroded out. He could tell just from the photos we sent him that they are on their last leg, and that's one reason why it's more expensive. There's no way I'm fooling with gaslines, so I'm ok with the price. Once the rebate kicks in, it will basically pay for his labor to do the installation and pipe replacement.

It flooded again overnight, so it definitely needs replacing!

We will talk to him about tankless. I'm intrigued, but I also like the water HOT. I'm on the fence about that...

Sisugal · January 2015

Replace it and go with the new approved model.
Do not replace it with a model that will no longer be installed after April.

formerlyGDaisy09 · January 2015

hoffse said:

Thanks all, yes our tank is pretty huge, and he will be replacing it with a similar-sized unit that qualifies for the rebate - they have a list. He will also need to replace a few pipes going to it (including the gasline) because they are all corroded out. He could tell just from the photos we sent him that they are on their last leg, and that's one reason why it's more expensive. There's no way I'm fooling with gaslines, so I'm ok with the price. Once the rebate kicks in, it will basically pay for his labor to do the installation and pipe replacement.

It flooded again overnight, so it definitely needs replacing!

We will talk to him about tankless. I'm intrigued, but I also like the water HOT. I'm on the fence about that...

once it's hot, it's HOT. ours you can actually set the exact temperature you want the unit to heat the water to, ours is set at 130 (that's what is was when we move in, we haven't touched it) unlike my parent's home with the hot water tank, H can wash the dishes while I'm in the shower, and the laundry is running and there is no change in water temp.

Erikan73 · January 2015

My parents have went tankless probably 30 years ago. They won't go back. We priced it out when we were looking for a new water tank. Unfortunately due to the work involved because it wouldn't be allowed on the same wall as our existing water tank (city code requires that they are attached to an outside wall, at least where I live). So that mean moving gas lines, etc, so it was going to be over $3,000 for us to do it. We didn't have the money for that at the time so we just went with the traditional water tank.

Xstatic3333 · January 2015

Our tankless is plenty hot, so I wouldn't worry about that. We have to shower back to back so it has been HUGE not running out of hot water anymore. Before I could only get a 10 min shower in.

cbee817 · January 2015

I would replace it- our tank was so corroded when they took it out.. it was from the 90's as well. HWT aren't that expensive either- not like you're getting a new furnace. I've heard mixed reviews on tankless- for us to install one, it required a lot of extra work to move the pipes from the center of the basement to one side and vent it out.. wasn't worth it.

MM - Need quick advice

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