I went up in the attic yesterday to make sure things were good for the upcoming freeze and noticed water in the pan of one of the hot water heaters. Not good, so I had a plumber come out today to see if it was something that could be fixed or if it needed to be replaced, and he stated it was due for replacement. The house is 24 years old and they look to be original, so not going to disagree with him.
The quote he gave me was $3360 to replace both (2 50gal in attic of 2 story). I asked about tankless and he stated it wouldn't be worth it due to the work involved and how they would have to re-pipe everything in the attic, which just wasn't worth the cost. I thanked him and called another plumber for a quote.
2nd guy just left and he echoed what the first guy stated about looking to be original, so replacement was recommended as well. He actually explained why he believed them to be original and it was because they have an old school pilot light vs. electric spark that they have now. His quote was $3100 for replacement of both.
Both quoted Rheem with a 6-year warranty. The 2nd guy did mention that Lowe's and HD would be cheaper if I wanted to do it myself. I asked if there was a difference in what he'd install vs. what I would buy there, and he mentioned the equipment is different than what they'd get at a plumbing supply store due to them having a cost to hit, so they're built a bit differently. I asked what he meant by that, and he said the ones at HD/etc would use plastic in some places for cost savings where the ones they use have brass. Makes sense.
The 2nd guy quoted $5k for a tankless (Navien 11.2 gpm with 14 year warranty...IIRC). I asked if any re-piping needed to be done, and he said there would be a little, but not much. He stated they'd use the studs near where the current heaters are to build a makeshift wall, then do whatever pipe work needed to be done from the current pipes to it. He stated the gas line we have is sufficient size and electric is nearby. They'd also use the current exhaust for both as an intake and exhaust for the tankless.
Not sure if I should get another quote or not as all seem high to me. Both are local guys and not a large company like JM/etc.
The quote he gave me was $3360 to replace both (2 50gal in attic of 2 story). I asked about tankless and he stated it wouldn't be worth it due to the work involved and how they would have to re-pipe everything in the attic, which just wasn't worth the cost. I thanked him and called another plumber for a quote.
2nd guy just left and he echoed what the first guy stated about looking to be original, so replacement was recommended as well. He actually explained why he believed them to be original and it was because they have an old school pilot light vs. electric spark that they have now. His quote was $3100 for replacement of both.
Both quoted Rheem with a 6-year warranty. The 2nd guy did mention that Lowe's and HD would be cheaper if I wanted to do it myself. I asked if there was a difference in what he'd install vs. what I would buy there, and he mentioned the equipment is different than what they'd get at a plumbing supply store due to them having a cost to hit, so they're built a bit differently. I asked what he meant by that, and he said the ones at HD/etc would use plastic in some places for cost savings where the ones they use have brass. Makes sense.
The 2nd guy quoted $5k for a tankless (Navien 11.2 gpm with 14 year warranty...IIRC). I asked if any re-piping needed to be done, and he said there would be a little, but not much. He stated they'd use the studs near where the current heaters are to build a makeshift wall, then do whatever pipe work needed to be done from the current pipes to it. He stated the gas line we have is sufficient size and electric is nearby. They'd also use the current exhaust for both as an intake and exhaust for the tankless.
Not sure if I should get another quote or not as all seem high to me. Both are local guys and not a large company like JM/etc.
