Comments on: Dear Diary: How I Fixed My Water Heater Without a Plumber and Saved $400 http://lenpenzo.com/blog/id819-how-i-fixed-my-water-heater-without-a-plumber-and-saved-400.html The offbeat personal finance blog for responsible people. Fri, 17 Feb 2012 00:33:27 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.4 By: Len Penzo http://lenpenzo.com/blog/id819-how-i-fixed-my-water-heater-without-a-plumber-and-saved-400.html#comment-139953 Len Penzo Wed, 09 Nov 2011 23:54:32 +0000 http://lenpenzo.com/blog/?p=819#comment-139953 Dave, our city's waste company allows each resident three free "oversized trash pick-up" days each year. All we have to do is call and let them know and they drop by and make the pick up. Dave, our city’s waste company allows each resident three free “oversized trash pick-up” days each year. All we have to do is call and let them know and they drop by and make the pick up.

]]> By: Dave http://lenpenzo.com/blog/id819-how-i-fixed-my-water-heater-without-a-plumber-and-saved-400.html#comment-139939 Dave Wed, 09 Nov 2011 18:57:13 +0000 http://lenpenzo.com/blog/?p=819#comment-139939 Question about your water heater project...What did you do with the old one? I'm on my 3rd one in 10 years!( we have bad water there I live) First time I replaced it, I too got my father in law to help/do it.Saved us a few hunderd in labor. But I took the old one to the dumps and was charged $75 plus I had to muscle it over to the "Metals Area" by myself. Next one I left on the side of the house until we had a free dump day for our neighborhood. I lucked out because the dump day was only 3 weeks later. Question about your water heater project…What did you do with the old one?

I’m on my 3rd one in 10 years!( we have bad water there I live) First time I replaced it, I too got my father in law to help/do it.Saved us a few hunderd in labor. But I took the old one to the dumps and was charged $75 plus I had to muscle it over to the “Metals Area” by myself. Next one I left on the side of the house until we had a free dump day for our neighborhood. I lucked out because the dump day was only 3 weeks later.

]]> By: Bucksome Boomer http://lenpenzo.com/blog/id819-how-i-fixed-my-water-heater-without-a-plumber-and-saved-400.html#comment-1232 Bucksome Boomer Wed, 20 Apr 2011 20:48:56 +0000 http://lenpenzo.com/blog/?p=819#comment-1232 Maybe you should retitle this "How Tony Fixed the Water Heater...". Just kidding! The title perked my interest because we also have an aging water heater. Thanks for the enjoyable read. Maybe you should retitle this “How Tony Fixed the Water Heater…”. Just kidding! The title perked my interest because we also have an aging water heater.

Thanks for the enjoyable read.

]]> By: Jason @ Redeeming Riches http://lenpenzo.com/blog/id819-how-i-fixed-my-water-heater-without-a-plumber-and-saved-400.html#comment-1233 Jason @ Redeeming Riches Wed, 20 Apr 2011 20:48:56 +0000 http://lenpenzo.com/blog/?p=819#comment-1233 Ha! This is totally me - always asking my handy father-in-law to help me out with something! Thank God for the "Tony's" of the world - and for the Len's to blog about it! =) Ha! This is totally me – always asking my handy father-in-law to help me out with something! Thank God for the “Tony’s” of the world – and for the Len’s to blog about it! =)

]]> By: Susan Tiner http://lenpenzo.com/blog/id819-how-i-fixed-my-water-heater-without-a-plumber-and-saved-400.html#comment-1234 Susan Tiner Wed, 20 Apr 2011 20:48:56 +0000 http://lenpenzo.com/blog/?p=819#comment-1234 Good job, but you're not done yet. Now you need to strap the water heater to a wall http://www.oes.ca.gov/CEPM2003.nsf/htmlmedia/body_water_heater.html Good job, but you’re not done yet. Now you need to strap the water heater to a wall
http://www.oes.ca.gov/CEPM2003.nsf/htmlmedia/body_water_heater.html

]]> By: Len Penzo http://lenpenzo.com/blog/id819-how-i-fixed-my-water-heater-without-a-plumber-and-saved-400.html#comment-1235 Len Penzo Wed, 20 Apr 2011 20:48:56 +0000 http://lenpenzo.com/blog/?p=819#comment-1235 @Boomer: But if I titled it "How Tony Changed My Water Heater", nobody would read it. LOL Unless you have a life boat nearby, don't wait too long to change yours out. Best of luck to you. It really wasn't a complicated job. @Jason: Thank God for our fathers-in-law! In more ways than one. :-) @Susan: Thanks. By the way, it's securely strapped to the wall with metal straps. Straps are required by code in California - earthquake country! @Boomer: But if I titled it “How Tony Changed My Water Heater”, nobody would read it. LOL Unless you have a life boat nearby, don’t wait too long to change yours out. Best of luck to you. It really wasn’t a complicated job.

@Jason: Thank God for our fathers-in-law! In more ways than one. :-)

@Susan: Thanks. By the way, it’s securely strapped to the wall with metal straps. Straps are required by code in California – earthquake country!

]]> By: Ashley http://lenpenzo.com/blog/id819-how-i-fixed-my-water-heater-without-a-plumber-and-saved-400.html#comment-1236 Ashley Wed, 20 Apr 2011 20:48:56 +0000 http://lenpenzo.com/blog/?p=819#comment-1236 Can't stop laughing at Paul Bunyon's tool belt, LOL! Saving that kind of money with a little elbow grease (even if it's borrowed :-) ) is always a great feeling. Can’t stop laughing at Paul Bunyon’s tool belt, LOL! Saving that kind of money with a little elbow grease (even if it’s borrowed :-) ) is always a great feeling.

]]> By: Financial Samurai http://lenpenzo.com/blog/id819-how-i-fixed-my-water-heater-without-a-plumber-and-saved-400.html#comment-1237 Financial Samurai Wed, 20 Apr 2011 20:48:56 +0000 http://lenpenzo.com/blog/?p=819#comment-1237 Great work Len! I've got a 10+ year one as well I believe. Just trying to understand here.... when my water heater stops working, will it necessarily break and flood my basement? What exactly stops working in a water heater in other words? Can't it just stop making the water hot, signaling time to get a new one? I thought flooding was mostly pipes freezing and bursting and stuff. And if so, it doesn't get freezing in San Francisco, so I don't need to worry about that. Want to do a follow up post on fixing a furnace?! :) Great work Len! I’ve got a 10+ year one as well I believe. Just trying to understand here…. when my water heater stops working, will it necessarily break and flood my basement? What exactly stops working in a water heater in other words? Can’t it just stop making the water hot, signaling time to get a new one?

I thought flooding was mostly pipes freezing and bursting and stuff. And if so, it doesn’t get freezing in San Francisco, so I don’t need to worry about that.

Want to do a follow up post on fixing a furnace?! :)

]]> By: Len Penzo http://lenpenzo.com/blog/id819-how-i-fixed-my-water-heater-without-a-plumber-and-saved-400.html#comment-1238 Len Penzo Wed, 20 Apr 2011 20:48:56 +0000 http://lenpenzo.com/blog/?p=819#comment-1238 Hey Sam! I think a plumber would be better able to answer this... I do not think that it is guaranteed that the water heater will simply lose all of its water when it finally dies of old age. If you pay attention, the water heater will first start leaking slowly, dripping rusty water. The trick is to catch it at that stage - if you don't, eventually the rusty bottom will simply fail under the weight of all the water it is holding. All I can say is watch the underside of your water heater for leaks. Our tank wasn't leaking yet, but it was starting to make sounds it never made before. That, and as I mentioned, two of my neighbors tanks failed completely earlier this year. Since all of our homes were built at the same time I figured my water heater was due to go. Better safe than sorry! From what I also have read, if your water heater is simply not heating your water or not doing the greatest job of heating your water, that doesn't necessarily mean the water heater needs to be completely replaced - it may be able to be fixed without replacing it entirely. Again, though, maybe if a plumber is reading this - and he isn't too upset about this story, LOL - he or she can give a more expert opinion on this. :-) Hey Sam! I think a plumber would be better able to answer this… I do not think that it is guaranteed that the water heater will simply lose all of its water when it finally dies of old age. If you pay attention, the water heater will first start leaking slowly, dripping rusty water. The trick is to catch it at that stage – if you don’t, eventually the rusty bottom will simply fail under the weight of all the water it is holding. All I can say is watch the underside of your water heater for leaks.

Our tank wasn’t leaking yet, but it was starting to make sounds it never made before. That, and as I mentioned, two of my neighbors tanks failed completely earlier this year. Since all of our homes were built at the same time I figured my water heater was due to go.

Better safe than sorry!

From what I also have read, if your water heater is simply not heating your water or not doing the greatest job of heating your water, that doesn’t necessarily mean the water heater needs to be completely replaced – it may be able to be fixed without replacing it entirely.

Again, though, maybe if a plumber is reading this – and he isn’t too upset about this story, LOL – he or she can give a more expert opinion on this. :-)

]]> By: Len Penzo http://lenpenzo.com/blog/id819-how-i-fixed-my-water-heater-without-a-plumber-and-saved-400.html#comment-1239 Len Penzo Wed, 20 Apr 2011 20:48:56 +0000 http://lenpenzo.com/blog/?p=819#comment-1239 It <em>was</em> a big wrench, Ashley. I honestly didn't realize they made them that big! By the way, although Tony used the wrench, it was overkill. He really needed a smaller one. I had a couple but they were <em>too</em> small. :-) It was a big wrench, Ashley. I honestly didn’t realize they made them that big! By the way, although Tony used the wrench, it was overkill. He really needed a smaller one. I had a couple but they were too small. :-)

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