Hey all..

Looking to replace a 20-year-old (original) gas hot water heater. Probably going to move from a 40-gallon to a 50-gallon tank, and it looks like the general range for that size with a 10-year lifespan is going to be right at $500-600. Anyone have ideas on how much I should expect for installation? Existing tank is already on the proper elevated platform, nothing unusual about the installation closet (in the garage) other than slightly cramped quarters near the top. Any other caveats to consider?

Hey all..

Looking to replace a 20-year-old (original) gas hot water heater. Probably going to move from a 40-gallon to a 50-gallon tank, and it looks like the general range for that size with a 10-year lifespan is going to be right at $500-600. Anyone have ideas on how much I should expect for installation? Existing tank is already on the proper elevated platform, nothing unusual about the installation closet (in the garage) other than slightly cramped quarters near the top. Any other caveats to consider?

If you are handy with tools just switch it out yourself. Just 2 water lines to disconnect and the gas line then reconnect them up to the new tank.

the biggest gotcha is if anything needs to be brought up to current code... i ran into that issue on an install around 4 years ago. my house was built in '95, so i didn't expect to have to make any modifications.

the biggest gotcha is if anything needs to be brought up to current code... i ran into that issue on an install around 4 years ago. my house was built in '95, so i didn't expect to have to make any modifications.

What kinds of issues? My house was built in '99, so I could be in a similar boat. My existing unit is already in a drain pan, and it's on a platform well over 18" off the garage floor. My only concern is top clearance - the closet in which the heater is installed has an "angled" ceiling due to a staircase on the other side. The front side has about 19" clearance to the top, the back side is about 7-8"...

If you are handy with tools just switch it out yourself. Just 2 water lines to disconnect and the gas line then reconnect them up to the new tank.

Ordinarily, I would be more than willing to tackle a DIY job like this - but working with gas lines makes me VERY gunshy - especially if I were to find some sort of battery-not-included notice that "connector A" was in a different place and required some sort of different plumbing, etc. You are almost certainly correct that it's a simple job....but as much as my DIY instinct would like to kick in, I think I'm going to let someone who really knows the territory handle it. Right or wrong, I've got a healthy respect for what a gas heater can do if the install is awry :) :)

What kinds of issues? My house was built in '99, so I could be in a similar boat. My existing unit is already in a drain pan, and it's on a platform well over 18" off the garage floor. My only concern is top clearance - the closet in which the heater is installed has an "angled" ceiling due to a staircase on the other side. The front side has about 19" clearance to the top, the back side is about 7-8"...

it's been long enough that i don't remember all of the specifics... i want to say that it dealt with the diameter of the water lines feeding the tank.

the biggest gotcha is if anything needs to be brought up to current code... i ran into that issue on an install around 4 years ago. my house was built in '95, so i didn't expect to have to make any modifications.

I had the same issue. Bringing up to code was the majority of the installation costs. It included new, up to code water hammer, pressure valves, gas hoses, drainage pan, venting and clearance, and air supply (if your water heater is in a closet). Even between when I had mine installed (2014) and now, code has been changed on a couple things, so don't be surprised if the price comes in a bit higher than you expect.

I'd recommend a tankless hot water heater if you can afford it -- cast about $2,000 to install - but saves utility bill as you are not keeping a tank of water hot 24 hours a day. I've had one for five or six years and love it -- check with the gas company and there may be rebate available - check it even if you are just replacing the water tank - Oklahoma Natural Gas is providing a number of rebates for more energy efficient equiment.

I'd recommend a tankless hot water heater if you can afford it -- cast about $2,000 to install - but saves utility bill as you are not keeping a tank of water hot 24 hours a day. I've had one for five or six years and love it -- check with the gas company and there may be rebate available - check it even if you are just replacing the water tank - Oklahoma Natural Gas is providing a number of rebates for more energy efficient equiment.

I looked into a tankless heater and while I really like the concept, the initial install cost is just prohibitive, plus I've read from more than once source that they're very difficult to get repaired if they fail as there are very few official or manufacturer-certified repair outlets for them. Combine that and most for Oklahoma require the purchase of a water softener or it will void the warranty and it's just eliminated that option as a practical matter. Thanks for the suggestion.

I replace my own water tanks. In our current place, I had to replace the tank less than a year after we bought the place. At the time the place was 27 years old but I'm not sure if the tank was original. It already had a pedistal and catch pan, but I purchased a new pan. The new heater was slightly larger in diameter and slightly taller too. I tried to stay as close too the original hook up as possible, so I just had to adjust the water lines and chimney as needed to compensate for the difference in height. The controls on the new tank wound up in a different spot which neccesitated purchasing a longer flexible gas line. That was approx 2-1/2 years ago It's been working linke a champ ever since.

My brother recently had one replaced and I believe the total cost was around $900.00.

Got one of those Bosch brand tankless heaters from Lowes about 10 years ago. Never had a problem with it. Unlimited hot water. Check with Lowe's/HD for getting it installed.

the biggest gotcha is if anything needs to be brought up to current code... i ran into that issue on an install around 4 years ago. my house was built in '95, so i didn't expect to have to make any modifications.

I was exactlly this as well. Built in '94 but still had a few things to get fixed. They had to add a water shutoff on the feed lines (which makes sense). The gas line already had one for obvious reasons. They also had to alter the secondary exhaust vent so it went all the way down to the bottom of the closet instead of only halfway....and it had to be screwed together (no tape...metal or otherwise). There was something about the drain, but i dont remember what that was. So i was surprised that there was that much to do.

And you can't avoid this stuff either. Because things will be inspected later when you sale your home too. So you'll get hit with an even larger bill then if you dont get it done now.

I did this about three years ago when I was selling my house (built in '95). I did the replacement on very short notice as the tank started leaking the day before the buyer's inspection (just my luck). I swapped it out that night and all was well. I was honest with the buyers about the change and they they wanted it inspected, understandably, and so I had the inspector come out. I had done everything correctly except for some code updates that were required. The inspector was super-cool about it, even diagramming for me what I needed to do and said he wouldn't charge me any extra fee to reinspect it if I got things corrected within a week. I basically had to change the routing of my drain pan PVC piping (easy-peasy), and had to add a sediment trap to the gas line (more involved, but still relatively easy).

Everything passed with flying colors after that and it all worked like a charm, but dang that old one was heavy, even after I drained it!

Lowe's is getting rid of all their Whirlpool brand hot water heaters to replace them with A.O. Smith. The Whirlpool are only discounted at 5-10% right now however they will probably go cheaper in a few weeks since they need to make room for the new A.O. Smith models. Either way you can probably go into one of the stores that has them on sale (Quail springs does) and ask for an additional discount since they are discontinued items. For clearanced/discontinued stuff they will usually work with you to give you a deal if you ask for one since they want to get them out of there to make room for the new models.

Got one of those Bosch brand tankless heaters from Lowes about 10 years ago. Never had a problem with it. Unlimited hot water. Check with Lowe's/HD for getting it installed.

How much did it cost you and what is maintenance like on a tankless heater?

How much did it cost you and what is maintenance like on a tankless heater?
With how cheap natural gas rates are right now, its hard to justify a tankless setup especially if you use natural gas for your range/heating/etc already for a 2-bath house. A 50 gallon traditional gas unit should allow for two showers at the same time and will be quite a bit cheaper than a tankless unit. Tankless are nice though and if you have more than 2 bathrooms, may be a viable option where you might be buying a 2nd hot water heater anyway, just get one high capacity tankless unit to do the whole house.

I talked with a plumber about 2 years ago about going tankless and he recommended against it. Said with the efficiency of thanked heaters nowadays it wasn't needed for most everyone. I remember doing some research and found that he seemed to be right. Don't let someone talk you in to a tankless, if I remember correctly there were some other maintenance aspects as well as cost.