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Who Says There's No Inflation? Hot Water Heater 300% in 10 Years!
#31
The 75% efficient replacement water heater for the previous model, could likely be hooked up to the previous vent with minimal work.

A 96% efficient replacement water heater needs electricity hooked up, a new PVC fresh outside air supply vent and new PVC combustion exhaust vent. I would wager that if you replace the 96% efficient water heater in 10 years with an identical model, the labor charge would be a little more in line with inflation.
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#32
Filliam H. Muffman wrote:
The 75% efficient replacement water heater for the previous model, could likely be hooked up to the previous vent with minimal work.

A 96% efficient replacement water heater needs electricity hooked up, a new PVC fresh outside air supply vent and new PVC combustion exhaust vent. I would wager that if you replace the 96% efficient water heater in 10 years with an identical model, the labor charge would be a little more in line with inflation.

My new water heater did not require a new exhaust vent, nor an outside air supply vent, nor any electrical connection. The plumber did cut the water pipes near the heater and installed new fittings; not sure if this was required by the change in size (it's fatter than the old one, but connections look to be in the same positions).

/Mr Lynn
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#33
Thankfully condensing water heaters aren't yet required, at least here.

They are a terrible idea - many more potential points of failure, & pointless given the amount of gas used for heating water is a rounding error compared to gas used for space heating.

Filliam H. Muffman wrote:
The 75% efficient replacement water heater for the previous model, could likely be hooked up to the previous vent with minimal work.

A 96% efficient replacement water heater needs electricity hooked up, a new PVC fresh outside air supply vent and new PVC combustion exhaust vent. I would wager that if you replace the 96% efficient water heater in 10 years with an identical model, the labor charge would be a little more in line with inflation.
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#34
mrlynn wrote:
[quote=Speedy]
A sacrificial anode protects any exposed steel inside the tank from corroding. Doesn't matter the type of heat source.

Guess I should look into replacing ours in a few years. Would that have prevented the rust-out that killed our tank after 10 years?

/Mr Lynn
Take the anode out of the one with the rust hole in it and see what's left.
Your local plumber should be familiar with the water supply in your area and if it is extremely hard would recommend checking the rod for calcification ( one of the maintenance issues with tankless ) or if it is extremely soft the rapid deterioration of the rod.
If the tank rotted from the outside in on the bottom from proximity to the damp basement concrete floor like so many do here ....
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#35
billb wrote:
Take the anode out of the one with the rust hole in it and see what's left.

It's long gone. The plumber stuffed it in his van and off it went to a scrap-metal yard in a nearby town.

/Mr Lynn
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#36
Paul F. wrote:
When you connect a steel tanked water heater to copper piping, you create a battery, which creates corrossion. The sacraficial anode is put there to be the part that corrodes away to protect the expensive bits from corroding away.

Hmmm.... not sure that battery analogy applies here. The di-electric couplings should take care of this. I think the anode just draws off the corrosion from the steel tank by being more corrosive.
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#37
macphanatic wrote:
[quote=3d]
Oof. Not sure I would mess around with a gas water heater install.
Electric, water AND GAS line project with no permit required? Where is this?!

If the last one was installed correctly, it's a matter of moving connections. I've replaced my water heater 3 times over 26 years. I put shut-off valves on both water connections with flex line to the water heater. Gas is hard piped with a flex connection. I replace the gas flex line every time I replace the water heater. It takes longer to drain a water heater than it does to install it.

Permits don't make it safer. In many places the sole purpose is revenue generation. They usually don't have the staff to inspect water heater, toilet and other installs. They focus on the big things like major electrical reno or installs, structural items and major plumbing.
I guess I'm a newbie. I've only been a homeowner for 3 years. Had boiler, water heater, gas dryer, gas stove replaced/moved/upgraded. With permit. When it was time to close the permit a couple of guys came out and checked out everything. There were issues that needed to be fixed. Plumbers came out again to fix. Inspectors came out again and closed the permit. Where I live in Long Island it's pretty micro managed. I live in a Village, which is part of a Town, all within a County. If you ask me in 25 years I might feel differently about pulling a permit and having professionals do the install.

For a property line fence install a also got a permit. In hindsight this one was useless. No one came out to inspect after the work was done.
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#38
Black wrote:
[quote=Paul F.]
When you connect a steel tanked water heater to copper piping, you create a battery, which creates corrossion. The sacraficial anode is put there to be the part that corrodes away to protect the expensive bits from corroding away.

Hmmm.... not sure that battery analogy applies here. The di-electric couplings should take care of this. I think the anode just draws off the corrosion from the steel tank by being more corrosive.
Water (specifically, water with crud in it like minerals, etc) is conductive enough to complete the circuit... which is where the corrosion comes in.
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#39
3d wrote:
I guess I'm a newbie. I've only been a homeowner for 3 years. Had boiler, water heater, gas dryer, gas stove replaced/moved/upgraded. With permit. When it was time to close the permit a couple of guys came out and checked out everything. There were issues that needed to be fixed. Plumbers came out again to fix. Inspectors came out again and closed the permit. Where I live in Long Island it's pretty micro managed. I live in a Village, which is part of a Town, all within a County. If you ask me in 25 years I might feel differently about pulling a permit and having professionals do the install.

For a property line fence install a also got a permit. In hindsight this one was useless. No one came out to inspect after the work was done.

Permit inspections only cover health and safety issues. That's why there was no inspection for your fence. They do not inspect to determine whether a good job was done.
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