So..... what’s a half decent hot water heater cost these days?

[bessiedog]

First the furnace with the flame rollback sensor and the motor....

Now I’m shop vaccing my furnace room.


Dang water heater blew.....!


20 years..... not bad I guess.

I KNEW I shoulda replaced it in the summer.


Anybody know wHAT replacement/installation costs?

[C2C3PO]

Just replaced mine ( Bradford White ) and I installed myself since it was exact same model and dimensions as old one - tank cost me $685 + GST.

If you want someone to install for you then I expect it to run around the $1100-1200 range all in.

[bessiedog]

I’m sure I could install it myself.... it’s the gas connections

I don’t think I can mess with those .. can I?

[RandyBoBandy]

Originally Posted by bessiedog

I’m sure I could install it myself.... it’s the gas connections

I don’t think I can mess with those .. can I?

Ask CABER..but there "might" be an "Oiler Fan" surtax for you

[bessiedog]

Caber’s a Flames fan....?


That’s too bad.

I’ll figure sumpin out here.

[Dewey Cox]

Tanks went up a lot this year.
Tariffs and all that.
5 years ago I was charging around $700 to replace a regular 40 gal tank. Now its $1000

[CaberTosser]

Originally Posted by Dewey Cox

Tanks went up a lot this year.
Tariffs and all that.
5 years ago I was charging around $700 to replace a regular 40 gal tank. Now its $1000

I can remember supplying & installing them for $429, but that goes back a bit further to when Chretien was just elected.......

I'm at 4 water heaters for AO members in the past 3 days... I think that's a record . I just got back from one right now as a matter of fact. I'm charging $1050 +GST for a 40 supplied and installed and a 50 is $1275 + GST

[ram crazy]

I payed just over $800 and I installed it myself. In June

[bessiedog]

Thanks guys.
I got a guy coming this afternoon.

850$ to supply and install.

Sounds reasonable to me.

[CaberTosser]

Originally Posted by bessiedog

Thanks guys.
I got a guy coming this afternoon.

850$ to supply and install.

Sounds reasonable to me.

Sounds too cheap, the guy can't possibly be paying taxes or have insurance or a business license if he's priced that low. Taillight warranty most likely too. Fingers are crossed for ya. Kijiji sourced I'll wager.

[bessiedog]

Naw, he’s legit. Apparently him and his wife know my family (4kids) and I’m thinking they feel sorry for us and are just giving us some community charity.



He helped me diagnose my furnace troubles and tried to charge me next to nothing for the transducer I got from him. I was st his shop, it’s legit and he had new water heaters boxed up in his shop.

Stuff like this happens in our community all the time. Neighbors helping out. Over the years, Ive received help and given help (sweat equity mostly).

I appreciate the input Caber.... I’ll be paying him $300 more on payday just for that. I don’t want him to be out of pocket.

[CaberTosser]

Originally Posted by bessiedog

Naw, he’s legit. Apparently him and his wife know my family (4kids) and I’m thinking they feel sorry for us and are just giving us some community charity.

He helped me diagnose my furnace troubles and tried to charge me next to nothing for the transducer I got from him. I was st his shop, it’s legit and he had new water heaters boxed up in his shop.

Stuff like this happens in our community all the time. Neighbors helping out. Over the years, Ive received help and given help (sweat equity mostly).

I appreciate the input Caber.... I’ll be paying him $300 more on payday just for that. I don’t want him to be out of pocket.

That makes sense then, I was just trying to make note of the usual reasons for an extremely low price so that others reading the thread would be able to make fair price comparisons and weigh the potential risks involved; liability insurance is pretty important for someone who is waving a torch around near your floor joists and performing gas and water connections. I’ll sometimes cut special deals when I see it’s warranted but that’s often after witnessing first-hand the household situation. I used to do that for friends but then I stopped to consider that almost nobody I know is in a position to reciprocate anything going back my way and all of that one-way charity just to be nice was affecting my bottom line. It’s now down to a pretty small handful of people that I will fair-trade with based on knowing they’re good for striking a fair balance. Too many giveaways to the unappreciative makes a guy feel like a victim or enabler (Poor, huh? But now you had the money for that?) It was after that late-arriving epiphany that I decided it’s best to charge the same price to friends as they’d get from others and they should be happy to support my business in a normal fair-trade arrangement. Time spent giving things away is time not available to make a normal wage.

Sweat equity I can relate to, it’s those kind of people who make it into the small trusted group.

[artie]

Many years ago I installed my own tank but would not do it in this day and age.
What if you sell your house and the new owner does something to the gas pipe and there is a fire or worse an explosion. The first thing the inspectors will ask well who installed the tank and can we see his gas fitting certificate. So the way I look at it I am paying an installer for that piece of paper he has behind his name. It costs him to get the certificate and insurance so we can be protected in case of a lawsuit. Just the way I feel in the new age.

[CaberTosser]

Artie’s post reminded me of a recent job I did through an existing client referral; a woman called regarding getting a permit pulled for a bathroom renovation that had already been performed. This was a new one to me as requests go and I noted I would have to expose any piping that the inspector would want to see and correct anything that would not pass inspection. She agreed, noting the house was for sale and the realtor got wind that the bathroom renovation was done without permits and insisted on that being corrected. An electrician was there and he did his thing with a few corrections, I had to revise most of the plumbing installation to eliminate 90 degree elbows where they’re not allowed as well as to add some clean-out fittings, an expansion joint in a vertical stack and some venting, this after cutting out large accesses in the finished drywall in a wall & ceiling. The woman would have saved money to do it correctly in the first place as now she had paid the electrician and myself to do things properly, but after already paying her ‘trusted’ handyman for doing it improperly. Her trusted handyman was even there to patch the drywall after I finished; he was a very nice guy and he did excellent finishing carpentry but he had no business running plumbing considering what he messed up. The place is listed for $1.6 million yet she couldn’t do it right in the first place?

[bessiedog]

Yea Caber, I hear ya about the enabling guys. I know a few like that.

If you ever pop by down here for a beer, see what I drive, see what guns I shoot.....don’t have a vehicle older than 2005....


Anyways.... jobs done... easy peazy.... my man is paid and wifey is feeling better bout our situation.

Happy wife..... you know the rest.

Thanks again for the input Caber and folks. Beers on me if ya ever swing down here.

This stinky Uke boy need a shower!

[abhunter8]

That's a good deal. I had to replace mine in the spring. High efficiency they say so cost more, Tank $1485, Install $700, $2185 + gst… after I talked them down a bit. Local Plumbing company has the monopoly and are highway robbers! I stood there and watched them, took them 1.5 hours from drive up to drive away, travel time is 5 mins from their shop so I figure it took them 20 mins to carry the hot water tank to their van and load... so 2 hours! Charged me for 4 hours labour... 1st year and 2nd year apprentices did the work and they charged me for a Journeyman and a 3rd yr apprentice rate. When I confronted to keep them honest, it became a huge fight that I was not going to endulge them in as I might need a Plumber/heating specialist at some time. I wish I would have become a plumber/heating tradesman. lol

[sako1]

Originally Posted by abhunter8

That's a good deal. I had to replace mine in the spring. High efficiency they say so cost more, Tank $1485, Install $700, $2185 + gst… after I talked them down a bit. Local Plumbing company has the monopoly and are highway robbers! I stood there and watched them, took them 1.5 hours from drive up to drive away, travel time is 5 mins from their shop so I figure it took them 20 mins to carry the hot water tank to their van and load... so 2 hours! Charged me for 4 hours labour... 1st year and 2nd year apprentices did the work and they charged me for a Journeyman and a 3rd yr apprentice rate. When I confronted to keep them honest, it became a huge fight that I was not going to endulge them in as I might need a Plumber/heating specialist at some time. I wish I would have become a plumber/heating tradesman. lol

That's the exact reason I do everything myself

[Dewey Cox]

Maybe one day UNICEF will get into the plumbing business.

[lannie]

Had one installed 2 years ago in the Pass for 850.00 also.
Licensed plumbing business out of Pincher did it with Journeyman Plumber for cash.