Cold showers
My water heater crapped out yesterday, and leaked water all over the floor of my garage. Apparently, the thing was 12 years old, and was therefore living on borrowed time.
This was confirmed by the friendly people at Blackmon Mooring, who charged me $99 to tell me, “You need a new water heater,” which they would be glad to install for the low, low price of ELEVEN HUNDRED SON-OF-A-BITCHING DOLLARS. When I delicately asked “Why so much, you thieving vulture scumbags?” the guy said, “Because it’s a weekend.” The weekday price is only $800 and change.
Screw that.
I can roll down to Lowe’s and pick up a brand-new 50-gallon Whirlpool electric water heater for $239 and install that bad boy myself. It looks like a pretty easy job. As best I can figure out, it goes like this:
- Shut off the water and power
- Drain and remove the old water heater
- Position the new one
- Attach the water lines (this will be easy, since they’re threaded, not soldered in)
- Attach the power wires
- Wait
- Bathe
So that’s today’s project. I will take pictures and post them tomorrow.
Dude, do you need a hand? Let me know.
Nah, it’s done now. Pictures coming tomorrow.
Did you create the the heat traps in the water lines?
Nah, they were preinstalled where the lines go into the top of the tank.
Did you tie the safety valve to the existing drain? Those are supposed to be sweated in.
Nope. The existing “drain” started above the heater, and terminated at the floor. It was basically just a piece of PVC — 5 feet or so — with an elbow at the top and bottom. It drains onto the garage floor. And, that was for a heater with the safety valve on top. This safety valve is on the side, so I ran a line into a pan underneath.
Nice. One thing (at least) I can say for my house is that the ’safety drain’ terminates outside of the garage. Now that I think of it, though, if it ever does pop, hot water will be spraying on my front porch…