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lsu xman
Member since Oct 2006
9670 posts
| anyone do gas water heater installs? (Posted on 10/7/12 at 7:40 am)
or if you had it done, how much did it run you? what brand? any issues?
thanks..
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DownSouthTiger 
LSU Fan
downsouth
Member since Jan 2005
2063 posts
| re: anyone do gas water heater installs? (Posted on 10/7/12 at 7:59 am to lsu xman)
Easy to do yourself. Whatever you take from old put on new. It's very easy
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Spock's Eyebrow
LSU Fan
Member since May 2012
1220 posts
| re: anyone do gas water heater installs? (Posted on 10/7/12 at 8:33 am to DownSouthTiger)
quote:
Easy to do yourself. Whatever you take from old put on new. It's very easy
You forgot to tell him to use a little soapy water when he's finished. 
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swm0105
LSU Fan
Member since Dec 2010
31 posts
| re: anyone do gas water heater installs? (Posted on 10/7/12 at 8:41 am to Spock's Eyebrow)
I responded to the other plumbing post...my recommendation is Mock Plumbing if you don't feel like tackling the project yourself.
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rsbd
LSU Fan
On da sofa
Member since Jan 2007
2537 posts
 Online
| re: anyone do gas water heater installs? (Posted on 10/7/12 at 9:19 am to swm0105)
get the same water heater to replace the one you took out so everything matches up, then take one out put new one in
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I Love Bama 
Alabama Fan
Alabama
Member since Nov 2007
27064 posts
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| re: anyone do gas water heater installs? (Posted on 10/7/12 at 9:27 am to DownSouthTiger)
Can't tell if you guys are serious. I is it really easy to do yourself
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tigerman03
LSU Fan
Metairie
Member since Jul 2008
726 posts
| re: anyone do gas water heater installs? (Posted on 10/7/12 at 9:58 am to lsu xman)
Pretty simple to do yourself. If you can, go tankless. Unlimited hot water and you'll save money in the long run.
Just be sure to lookup some info on installation first. For tankless you need to have clean out valves and shite. Just make sure you do it right so if you need to get it serviced the plumber can work on it.
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Spock's Eyebrow
LSU Fan
Member since May 2012
1220 posts
| re: anyone do gas water heater installs? (Posted on 10/7/12 at 10:04 am to tigerman03)
quote:
make sure you do it right
Good advice regardless of the situation. 
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Outdoor Chef
LSU Fan
Zachary
Member since Sep 2011
263 posts
| re: anyone do gas water heater installs? (Posted on 10/7/12 at 10:30 am to Spock's Eyebrow)
Go take a look at it. See theres only a cold line going in, a hot line going out, and a gas line going in. Most of the time these are all screwed fittings that, like others say, you can just swap out with the old one. Sometimes they sauter the water lines going in and out, and you prob cant do that yourself, unless you know how to sweat that in. The main thing is making sure you drain the old one with a garden hose before disconnecting and trying to remove from attic / or wherever its located. Really is very easy to do. half hour job
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Spankum
LSU Fan
Miss-sippi
Member since Jan 2007
26584 posts
| re: anyone do gas water heater installs? (Posted on 10/7/12 at 10:38 am to lsu xman)
there are a couple of degrees of difficulty here...
if you are replacing an electric with gas, that will require vents be installed throught he roof, etc. and is typically beyond the capabilities of the normal do-it-yourselfer unless you have some major skills and do quite a bit of code reading first...
if you are replacing gas with a similar sized gas unit, it is manageable...but won't be easy...will require some plumbing for both the gas and water pipes plus just dealing with draining the old unit, etc....the plumbing could entail either screw fittings or soldering copper and may require some cutting/fitting if things aren't exactly equal.
not impossible, but not something you are gonna do in an hour, either...
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Sl4m
LSU Fan
Baton Rouge
Member since Apr 2012
1706 posts
Online
| re: anyone do gas water heater installs? (Posted on 10/7/12 at 11:55 am to Spankum)
If you can replace it or decide to change it out yourself make sure to get the same height and capacity (Ex: 40 gal).
Most times just replacing one is easy.
If you decide to use a plumbing company check into going tankless with the plumbing company of your choice. It's an expensive initial install but you'll save soo much money in the long run.
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Willie Stroker
LSU Fan
Houston...ish
Member since Sep 2008
4321 posts
| re: anyone do gas water heater installs? (Posted on 10/8/12 at 12:20 pm to lsu xman)
I thought about doing it myself, but knew that I needed to bring some things up to code. So I found an A rated plumber on Angie's list.
If I had bought the water heater myself, I would have paid somewhere between $400-$600. I'm pretty sure it would have taken a noob like me all day with a couple of trips to the hardware store.
The plumbing company charged me $1,100.
If I had to do it again with an older home, I would buy the thing myself and just shop around for an estimate on installing a hot water heater.
Before doing this, I considered going tankless. I found a Consumer Reports article which claimed it would take you 20 years to break even on the added costs of going tankless. I don't plan to be in this house that long.
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Kajungee
LSU Fan
South ,Section 6 Row N
Member since Mar 2004
14702 posts
Online
| re: anyone do gas water heater installs? (Posted on 10/8/12 at 12:46 pm to Willie Stroker)
quote:
Before doing this, I considered going tankless. I found a Consumer Reports article which claimed it would take you 20 years to break even on the added costs of going tankless. I don't plan to be in this house that long.
And thats when the cost of Gas was high.
At todays cost for Natural Gas I would not even consider it
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tigerinthebueche
LSU Fan
Erwinville, LA.
Member since Oct 2010
3930 posts
| re: anyone do gas water heater installs? (Posted on 10/8/12 at 12:53 pm to lsu xman)
water heater around $700.00
install around $150.00.
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Sl4m
LSU Fan
Baton Rouge
Member since Apr 2012
1706 posts
Online
| re: anyone do gas water heater installs? (Posted on 10/8/12 at 10:55 pm to tigerinthebueche)
A water heater is going to cost $00-$500 as you noticed already.
The install is going to be around the same.
$1100 sounds pretty standard.
Consumer reports is absolute shite though.
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sportsaddit68
LSU Fan
Hammond
Member since Sep 2008
664 posts
| re: anyone do gas water heater installs? (Posted on 10/8/12 at 11:11 pm to Sl4m)
Dude, Lowe's offer professional installation service on water heaters much cheaper and insure their installs do a year too.
This post was edited on 10/8 at 11:12 pm
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vjp819
LSU Fan
South Sec. 414 / Alex Box Sec. 210
Member since Nov 2003
5784 posts
| re: anyone do gas water heater installs? (Posted on 10/8/12 at 11:35 pm to lsu xman)
quote:
any issues?
I installed the one in my home now. No real issues. Just insure if your flex pipe that connects to your water heater has the teflon insert inside the end to make sure that the copper tubing doesn't contact the galvanized nipples on the hot water heater. Also make sure that your vent pipe is in the correct position before firing up the heater. I learned this the hard way after I was done, and he water heating up, I noticed the vent pipe was a little bit off center, and without thinking I grabbed it to straighten it. That will then cause a sound very much like when you'd drop a piece of meat into a hot skillet, and make you holla.
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Carson123987
LSU Fan
Middle Court at The Rec
Member since Jul 2011
23073 posts
| re: anyone do gas water heater installs? (Posted on 10/8/12 at 11:36 pm to lsu xman)
Not too hard. If you're good with handyman stuff, you can do it
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Sl4m
LSU Fan
Baton Rouge
Member since Apr 2012
1706 posts
Online
| re: anyone do gas water heater installs? (Posted on 10/8/12 at 11:50 pm to sportsaddit68)
Lowes & Home Depot water heaters are junk, most plumbing companies won't even service them when a problem arises.
Not only do they use proprietary parts (left hand threads for thermocouples and control valve checks) the tanks are a thinner gauge metal so they won't last near as long.
When I pull up to a job with a Whirlpool or GE water heater the only thing I can do is suggest to replace them with a good brand (State, Rheem, Ruud, AO Smith) from a plumbing supply house.
The Whirlpool heaters have an internal issue where some become susceptible to miniature explosions lighting the burner coming from the pilot.
If someone is going to pay the same price for a water heater $400-$500 they are MUCH better off getting one from a plumbing supply house such as Coburns, Southern Pipe or LCR.
This post was edited on 10/8 at 11:53 pm
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