Thursday, January 14, 2010

Heated Water No More

Hey there. Last week, I mentioned how our water heater went out. I went out and got the necessary parts to fix it and even vented my frustration via Twitter, since I had to travel to many stores just to get the parts. Well, now it turns out that I'm just going to have to get a new one. I managed to get it to work, for about a day or two. Then the pilot light went out again. I had the gas company come and check it out, since they'll do a courtesy check. The guy left me a note stating that it looks good but doesn't know why the pilot light won't stay lit. He suggested I get a plumber or private heating company to check it out. So I did. That happened tonight and the dude tells me that my water heater is 15+ years old. Daaaaaaaaaaaaamn! He was astounded that it was still working and after he checked it out, told me what I feared. I need a new water heater.

The guy was honest and told me that if he were to do it with his company, it would run me approx. $1400. That's a lot of money. He said I should shop around and I should be able to get that taken care of for less than half of their price. I thanked him and he sped away. Now, I'm on a mission to get a great deal on a water heater. He showed me how it should be connected and he said that it's a fairly easy job. The fact that it costs so much is mainly due to the fact that they need to get permits and sit around for a few days while the inspections and what not get approved. Ugh... I remember going to Home Depot and Lowes and seeing them for around $300 or so. I'm going to see if they have some kind of installation kit and maybe I'll be able to get it taken care of for a few hundred bucks instead of over a thousand. Man.... Looks like my weekend is determined. Later!

4 comments:

  1. The water heater in my house is actually 21 years old now and I've been holding my breath. So far so good but one of these days I'm sure it'll go. Good luck on finding a one. My step son just put one in and he didn't have much trouble doing it himself.

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  2. Of course it happens on the weekend. Just do what I do, hold my breath and wash your ass FAST!!!.

    Actually, they are not hard to install, although I have only changed electric ones. They also seem to last forever, mainly because the heating element is inside the tank. Fire on metal after awhile takes its toll.

    Well at least now you already have a new subject for your next post. Good luck!!!

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  3. Dude, you'll do fine. Just do what the gas guy said (hee hee...gas guy...I astound even myself sometimes). The maintenance guys here at work replace them all the time at the complex, but ours are electric also so its probably easier. Whatever you do - DON'T BLOW UP THE DAMN HOUSE!

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